On September 16th, 1920, the first inspection tour of Japanese schools by Korean female public school teachers left Namdaemun Station for Japan. The group was composed of 14 teachers, chosen from the different provinces of Korea, who traveled all over Japan for about 20 days, returning to Busan port on October 6th. In every province of Japan they visited members of the readers’ group of a cultural magazine, 『Hope (Huimang)』 and cultural groups welcomed the tour group, encouraging friendship with Japan and the Japanese people.
The tour route covered, in order, Okayama, Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto, Momoyama, Nara, Yamada, Nagoya, Shizuoka, Yokosuka, Kamakura, Enoshima, Tokyo, Nikko, and Yawata. This course was planned according to the group’s goal of experiencing Japan’s model schools, in addition to the usual route taken by tour groups. The group firstly visited the Kawasaki Shipyard and Mint Bureau in Kobe and Osaka, factory towns, and witnessed Japan’s modern facilities. Then they visited Kiyomizu Temple, Nijo Castle, Hongan Temple, Kasuga Shrine, Ise Shrine, and other places representing Japan’s traditional culture in the cities of Kyoto, Momoyama, Nara, and Yamada. Through this tour route, the Government-General intended to show the group that Japan had a long and distinguished traditional culture, but was also advanced in adopting modern and Western civilization.