Hello, I am Griffon Piazzisi, a junior at Clackamas High School, and my Japanese class has presented a 12-day school trip to Japan in late June 2025. The trip will take us to Kyoto, Sapporo, Mount Fuji, Osaka, and Tokyo. This would be an amazing experience for me as I love Japanese culture and I have never been to Japan before. We aren’t just going to Japan to have fun; it is also being used as an opportunity to speak to native Japanese people and experience the Japanese environment in Nara and Mount Fuji. We will also visit shrines and temples and visit the bamboo forest in Kyoto. We will have native tour guides along with our Japanese teacher to help us along the way. We will take a bullet train from Kyoto to the Fuji-Hakone-Izu region to view Mount Fuji. We will visit the Fugaku Fuketsu wind cave and the Narusawa Hyoketsu ice cave and then travel to Tokyo. In Tokyo, we will visit the Asakusa Kannon Temple and the Meiji Shinto Shrine. We will take a walking tour of Shibuya and spend time in the Hamarikyu Gardens. We will venture to the top of Tokyo Tower to take in the view from over 1,000 feet in the air. We will also be allowed to explore Tokyo with a group, and we are given free time to get lunch with our own money from the Japanese streets and restaurants depending on where we are. We will fly to Sapporo City and visit the Nijo Seafood Market, visit the National Ainu Museum, and take an in-depth tour of Sapporo City. We’ll also spend a day at Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Noboribetsu Hell Valley, and Oyunuma Pond. We’ll then travel to Otaru, visit a dairy farm, and head back to Tokyo. The day after we get back from Tokyo, we will head back home.

This is a big trip, and it has a big cost of $7,500, which includes the money that I would need to buy myself lunch and souvenirs. The total cost includes round-trip airfare on major airline carriers, hotel stays at quality, clean accommodations, regional-style meals for breakfast and dinner, a tour guide who will be with us 24/7, transportation on tour, expert local guides providing cultural insight, guided sightseeing, and entrances to landmarks and attractions. I am graduating early from high school at 16 years old. My parents will help out as much as they can, and I got my first job to help contribute to this trip because it's a dream to go. This would be my last chance to experience something like this before I begin to focus on college. This is a lot of money to ask for, but this would provide me with an unforgettable experience and an opportunity to further understand Japanese culture and experience it firsthand. The more you see, the more you learn, and I’ve always wanted to learn as much as I possibly can.

I would greatly appreciate any donations that you can provide.