Frequently Asked Questions
Q. HOW DOES THE EXCHANGE PROGRAM WORK?
A. This exchange program has been volunteer-run since 1989 providing opportunities each year to host and/or travel to Japan, in a safe, educational, and inclusive environment. Whether the delegation is coming to Yuba City or traveling to Toride City, Ibaraki Prefecture, students and adult travelers will stay in homes, attend school, visit places of interest, and become immersed in a new culture.
Q. WHAT IS THE APPLICATION PROCESS FOR STUDENTS WHO WANT TO GO TO JAPAN? ABOUT HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
A. Students in junior high school and high school striving to travel as part of the Yuba City delegation will begin their competitive application process by completing the application form here…This process will also include school principal recommendation and a panel interview. Students are chosen based on qualities such as constructive attitude, academics, and citizenship.
Costs include airfare, a travel fee, and spending cash. Airline tickets have recently ranged from $1,200 to $1,500, and of course vary based on market prices. The travel fee, $300 in 2019, pays for the delegates’ train tickets, group meals, and related incidentals. Most delegates travel with some spending money (Yen is required) for souvenirs and gifts, a few meals and expenses while traveling with host families, and the few meals that the travelers pay for on their own.
Q. How many days do the students stay in japan and when do they go?
A. The trips to Toride City are typically six days. The Yuba City delegation has been traveling to Toride City in the month of February in recent years, usually around President’s Day.
Q. WHERE DO THEY STAY? WHAT DO THEY NEED TO BRING?
A. Toride City is in the Ibaraki Prefecture, about one hour northeast of Tokyo. Delegates will be staying in homes with Toride City families, immersed in this unique, traditional, and generous culture.
The delegation arrives in Japan in winter, with the potential of cool, sunny days with low temperatures around freezing, blustery winds, and even some snow on the ground; warm, layered clothing is a great strategy. Shoes that will be comfortable for a day of walking and standing are a must, and ones that will keep feet warmer and drier are recommended. Students in Toride City will be wearing uniforms to school, so delegates attending school should be wearing collared shirts and long pants for boys and skirts for girls; modest dress is appropriate on all days. All delegates are encouraged to bring a small, easy-to-pack, but meaningful gift for each family member in the home where they are staying. Students may also consider bringing some very small gifts to give new friends at school or met during the trip. Gifts are important, but do not need to be so expensive or elaborate to make the exchange awkward. Smart phones are very common among student delegates, but electronics beyond that are just one more thing to keep track of and pack and are not recommended.
Q. WHAT KINDS OF THINGS WILL THE STUDENTS BE DOING IN JAPAN?
A. Students will be sleeping in whatever accommodations the families have available and may be sleeping on a familiar-feeling bed, or a mat on the floor. They will be dining with their host families, eating foods that are familiar, new, unusual, and quite tasty—and learning to use or sharpening their chopsticks skill. Japanese food (in Japan) can be some of the freshest and most flavorful the students have ever tasted. Students will attend school and perform school tasks that are uniquely Japanese, play on the playground, eat a school lunch, and clean with all the other students. Students will tour local points of interest with the entire delegation and participate in weekend activities with their host families that may include sightseeing, shopping, a play, a concert, fine dining, hanging out with the families, or even visiting an amusement park.
Q. What expenses does the host family cover while hosting the Japanese students?
A. The homestay (host) families have always been very generous with our students will often offer to pay for meals and other items. Other families hosting may come from more modest means and the student should always offer and be prepared to buy their own meals and souvenirs.
Q. What activities are planned for the students when they are in TORIDE city?
A. Student delegates will experience school with their homestay host student on two days of the trip. There will be a Welcome Party on one night and the students will have the opportunity to be dressed in kimono (traditional, ornate, heavy silk garments). There will be touring days which have included JAXA (Japanese NASA), an aquarium, the capital city, Tokyo Sky Tree and downtown Tokyo, Mount Tskuba, and many other sites.