Parents and schools looking to expose their children to nature are turning increasingly to experience-oriented family and school excursions.
In one such program launched three years ago by the Kinki Nippon Tourist Co. travel agency, kids observe sea fireflies at Shima Marineland in the resort city of Shima, Mie Prefecture.
"Wonderful," children on a recent excursion shouted when seeing the sea fireflies glowing bluish-white in a water tank to which an electric current was applied. Some children were taking notes.
"I wanted to give my daughters an opportunity to experience something unusual," said Yasuhiro Watanabe, a 32-year-old company worker who participated in the program with his daughters.