[For Elementary & Junior High Students] 5 Days to Forget Smartphones and Become Immersed. 'Inquiry-Based Summer School 2026' to be Held in Kamikawa, Hokkaido

Infinity International Academy Secondary School Summer School

■ Not Prohibiting Smartphones, But Creating Experiences So Engaging You Forget Them

In an age where the average junior high student spends about 2.5 hours a day on smartphones and over 40% use generative AI, the ability to search for information is growing, but opportunities to observe with one's own senses and face open-ended questions are decreasing.

'The School that Travels the World,' Infinity International Academy (Location: Kamikawa, Hokkaido / Principal: Masaki Otani), will host an inquiry-based summer school primarily for elementary and junior high students from August 16 (Sun) to 20 (Thu), 2026, in Kamikawa, Hokkaido, as a proposal for the learning required in the era of AI and smartphones.

Over these five days, students will leave home, walk through the wilderness relying on maps, and live communally with peers. Rather than unilaterally banning smartphones, the program fosters critical thinking and independence—qualities that cannot be obtained through search alone—by immersing students in the experience at hand.

■ Background: The Power Children Need in an Era of Instant Access

Now that AI and smartphones have become commonplace, it is essential to prioritize experiences that foster the 'ability to think for oneself,' which cannot be achieved by searching alone.

In recent years, the environment surrounding children has changed dramatically. With the spread of AI and smartphones, children live in an era where they can immediately search for and access answers to anything they want to know. According to a survey by the NTT Docomo Mobile Society Research Institute, the usage rate of generative AI among junior high students reached 40.4%, a three-fold increase from 13.3% in the previous year. The survey also reports that junior high students spend an average of 145 minutes, or about 2 hours and 25 minutes, on smartphones per day.

Meanwhile, the importance of experiential learning through the senses, interacting with nature, the community, and people, is being re-evaluated. Research related to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology indicates that experiences during elementary school years have a positive impact on later attitudes.

In this convenient age, children need more than just the ability to search for information:

- The ability to ask questions oneself before searching.
- The ability to judge for oneself without blindly accepting information.
- The ability to observe by actually seeing and touching.
- The ability to deepen thinking while engaging in dialogue with peers.
- The ability to face problems without clear answers.
- The ability to manage one's own daily life.

Infinity International Academy does not reject AI or smartphones; it believes that human thinking and practical skills are necessary precisely to master the use of AI.

■ 'Inquiry Mystery Solving Quest': Spreading Maps, Finding Clues, and Leading to Answers with Peers

In this summer school, children will distance themselves from smartphones and take on the 'Inquiry Mystery Solving Quest' set in the nature and community of Hokkaido.

The goal is not to prohibit smartphones, but to make students so immersed in the experience that they do not have time to even think about checking them.

- Unfolding maps with peers.
- Deciphering mission cards.
- Searching for clues in nature.
- Touching upon local history and people's activities.
- Observing animal behavior.
- Discussing and forming hypotheses as a team.
- Verifying them on the spot.

Precisely because we live in an era where answers can be found instantly, we value the experience of walking, seeing, and thinking with one's own head.

■ Living Away from Parents, Cooking, and Coexisting with Peers: 5 Days of Learning

The features of this summer school go beyond just the inquiry missions. Students spend five days living away from home with peers. They will challenge themselves with daily life, including cooking, cleaning up, preparing, and sharing roles in the team.

- Making meals.
- Cleaning up.
- Managing personal belongings.
- Asking for help when in trouble.
- Discussing when opinions differ.
- Finding roles they can play within the team.

These individual experiences cultivate independence, responsibility, and the power to collaborate. Students gradually build the life they usually have prepared by their parents on their own. In that process, they accumulate small confidence that 'I could do it, too.'

■ 'Inquiry Mystery Solving Quest' in Kamikawa, Hokkaido

The stage for the summer school is Kamikawa, Hokkaido. It is a region rich in nature spreading at the foot of the Daisetsuzan mountains, where majestic nature, local history, and the lives of people thrive.