We require all participants to maintain health insurance coverage while traveling abroad. Please check with your insurance provider to understand what coverage you may or may not have while overseas. You can choose to enroll in your own insurance plan and provide proof of coverage. VIA can also arrange comprehensive travel health insurance coverage for US residents through iNext’s Comprehensive Ultimate Group Plan with Standard Political & Natural Disaster coverage at an additional cost (see policy details).

If you choose this option, you will be enrolled for a minimum 13-day period (June 28 – July 10, 2026, to allow for transit time), at an additional cost of $31.95 for travelers 60 and under or $78.23 for travelers over 60 years old.

You will have the option to purchase additional Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption coverage and/or extend your travel dates after initial enrollment.

Please Note: We will not enroll you in the iNext plan until your registration fee is paid in full. If you change your mind and find another option before then, just let us know and we will remove the charge from your registration fee invoice.

The application form is hosted on Airtable and requires a login for security purposes. If you already have an Airtable account, you can use your existing account login information. If you haven’t used Airtable before, you will need to create an account (email and password or use SSO through a Google account or Apple ID). The registration is a 2-step process:

Step 1: VIA Profile

You will need to create one profile for each traveler in your party (this can be done with the same Airtable account). You can create or update your VIA Profile at any time. You must be logged in with the same Airtable user account to access an existing profile. If you log in with another Airtable account, you will need to create a new profile.

Your profile will be connected to any current or future VIA program applications or registrations, so you won’t need to provide this information each time you apply or register. After saving your profile, a copy will be sent to the email address(es) associated with your Airtable account.

• Personal Information
  • First Name*
  • Last Name*
  • Preferred Name
  • Full Name in Native Characters
  • Gender*
  • Date of Birth*
  • Citizenship*
  • Current place of residence*
• Contact Information
  • Email Address*
  • Phone Number*
  • Alternate Email
  • Messaging App Contact

Step 2: Study Tour Registration

After creating or updating your VIA profile, you will be directed to the Study Tour Registration form. You only need to submit this form once for your entire party. The form is one page, so please be prepared to fill in all questions before submitting your registration.

• Traveler Information
  • Primary Contact* (select VIA Profile)
  • Mailing Address* (for invoice)
  • Additional Travelers (select VIA Profiles)
• Program Information
  • Select Tour*
  • Have you traveled to this location before?*
  • Tour Add-on (check to include Kamakura add-on tour)
  • What are your particular interests in this trip?
• Accommodations
  • Accommodations Preferences (select shared room or single room upgrade)
  • Additional Accommodations Requests
• Travel & Medical Insurance
  • Insurance Enrollment (select all, some, or no members of your party)

We recommend printing a copy for your records. After filling out all the questions on the registration form, click the [···] icon in the top-right corner to print.

After completing your registration, you will receive (at minimum) the following communications:

• Registration Confirmation (via Airtable) – You should receive a confirmation email within a few minutes of submitting your registration. This email will include a summary of your registration details and a cost estimate (this is NOT an invoice). The estimate is automatically generated based on the options you selected in your registration.
• Participation Fee Invoice (via Bill.com) – After reviewing your registration details, VIA’s finance department will issue an invoice for your participation fee. If you are traveling with minors or requested special accommodations, VIA staff may contact you regarding adjustments before finalizing your invoice.
• Participant Portal Invitation (via Airtable) – A few months before the tour, you will receive an invitation to the VIA Participant Portal. The portal will provide information about your tour, what to expect, tips on preparing to travel, and pre-departure tasks for you to complete.

After completing your program fee payment, you will receive the following communications:

• Donation Receipt (from VIA Finance) – You will receive a donation receipt for the donation portion of your registration fee ($500 per registration).
• Travel Insurance Enrollment (via iNext) – If you opted to be enrolled in travel medical insurance through iNext, you will receive an email from iNext within a month of your departure date. Please follow the instructions in the email to confirm your enrollment. You will have the option to purchase additional Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption coverage and/or extend your travel dates after initial enrollment.