| PROGRAM | DEPARTURE | RETURN | FULL TUITION |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Spring Year | Late March | Early January | $17,095 |
- Placement with a carefully selected host family
- Enrollment in a local Japanese high school
- Airport transfers
- Domestic and international travel
- All pre-departure and post-arrival orientations
- Pre-program support by trained YFU staff
- Support from a YFU Japan Area Representative while on program
- Comprehensive insurance
Students will typically be placed in the first or second year at a Japanese high school. Most schools are quite large, averaging 500 to 1,000 students. You will likely study subjects like Japanese classics or contemporary Japanese language and you may also attend elective classes that include subjects such as art and calligraphy. You may attend club activities after school such as karate or judo.
Japanese schools are generally conservative and therefore the dress code in Japan may be stricter than you are used to. In Japanese schools, students do not have unnaturally dyed hair or eccentric hairstyles. Piercings, earrings, necklaces, and rings are not allowed in schools. Students cannot wear makeup, or perfume, or have visible tattoos. Female students cannot wear skirts above the knees or high heels. Male students should not have a beard or long hair. Schools in Japan almost always require uniforms. The cost of a school uniform and language training is included in the program tuition. All students will be placed in the appropriate language course as a result of a level check test at the arrival orientation.
Please note: Students may not be able to receive a transcript or a record of grades. Some schools can issue a certificate of attendance. Placement in a particular grade level, credit, or graduation cannot be guaranteed.
All students applying for the year program must be available for a mandatory National Pre-Departure Orientation which usually takes place in early-mid December. This orientation is a required part of the program aimed at preparing students for their experience overseas.
Upon arrival in Japan, students will participate in a 5-day orientation in Tokyo. Students will also attend a regional mid-year and a regional re-entry orientation before returning home. All orientation costs are included in program tuition.
- 2026 Spring Departure: Students born April 2, 2008 – April 1, 2011.
- Students applying for the year program who will graduate from high school before the start of their program will not be considered for admission.
Japanese. One year of previous language study is required for long-term Japan programs. A Japanese correspondence course is included in program tuition for long-term program participants.
Students to Japan may be placed with a host family anywhere in the country, including the Okinawa Islands, in either a rural or suburban setting. Students are usually not placed in large urban centers.
