YFU High School Study Abroad Program in Japan

I was incredibly grateful to win the Kikkoman National Scholarship for a summer exchange in Japan, but my experience was entirely ruined by an unsafe hosting environment and an appallingly unprofessional response from YFU Japan. Despite being promised full transportation coverage for school and YFU events, I was forced to pay out-of-pocket, faced severe boundary violations, and was ultimately gaslighted and blamed by YFU staff when I asked for help. I highly advise future exchange students to think twice before using this organization.

My host mother was also my YFU Area Representative (who has hosted for 5 years). Because she worked three jobs, her home environment was entirely unsuited for an exchange student:
- She operated an English school on the lower level of her home and came upstairs around 10:00 or 11:00 PM. She consistently turned on bright lights, made loud noises, and made phone calls right outside my room.

- She began calling out to me in the middle of the night and early morning to check if I was awake. When I asked her to stop so I could sleep, she raised her voice and became hostile.

-She repeatedly walked in on me while I was changing without warning. She also made inappropriate, highly uncomfortable comments about my weight, legs, and butt, and pressured me to eat foods I explicitly told her I disliked.

-I was told to help run her private English school and perform outdoor chores in 87-degree heat before she left for work.

The Kikkoman Scholarship explicitly stated that my transportation to school and YFU events would be fully covered. Instead, I faced severe financial distress due to YFU's mismanagement:

- My host mother dismissed my questions about transportation fees. I was forced to pay for daily travel out of pocket, completely depleting my funds. She even lied to YFU Japan saying she gave me money for transportation.

- YFU Japan refused to cover my travel to a mandatory Kikkoman event, forcing me to use the last of my money to attend.

- After the event, I completely ran out of money at the station. In front of other students, the Area Representative we were with explicitly motioned and told me to bypass/jump the ticket gate. She then forced me to sign a paper acknowledging a 3,000 yen loan to get home, despite me telling her I had no money left to repay it.

When I contacted YFU Japan to report these issues and request a host family switch, their response was completely unprofessional, defensive, and deeply harmful. In phone calls and emails, YFU Japan staff:

- Dismissed Sexual Harassment & Boundary Violations: When I told them that my host mother walked in on me changing and made comments about my body, she told me "it was fine" and that "walking in on you changing is okay."

- Normalized Extreme Sleep Deprivation: When I explained I was falling asleep at school from exhaustion, the coordinator dismissed it, saying it is "normal for Japanese kids to get less than 7 hours of sleep."

- Blamed me: Instead of investigating the Area Rep's lies, YFU Japan sent me an email turning the blame entirely on me.

Direct quotes from the email-

"I heard that at the Tachikawa station you left through the exit and entered by not using the ticket gate... We were all appalled by your unreasonable behavior." (Directly ignoring that their own Area Rep told me to do this).
"If you want to continue the program, the one needs to change is YOU not Host Mother."
"There is a saying 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.'"

I tried doing everything in my power to be a respectful, flexible, and open-minded student. In return, YFU Japan protected a dishonest Area Representative, ignored clear safety and boundary violations, and actively gaslighted a student under their care. They are completely one-sided, unprofessional, and failed their basic duty to provide a safe exchange environment. I do not recommend.

I was very fortunate that I was given an opportunity to spend my exchange year and created lifelong friendships. Mostly due to all the supports from many of my friends, I really feel confident about announcing that my exchange year has been tremendously successful regardless of the difficulties and issues that I was confronted with. I cannot express how much this exchange year meant to me. All I can say is that It has definitely given me a new perspective about life itself. Realization of something that is difficult to notice unless u get out of your comfort zone and dive into whole another world. I, also, cannot describe how grateful I am to all my friends, teachers and host families who made this year so amazing and unforgettable. I couldn’t have chosen any other people to spend the best 9 months of my life. My exchange year wouldn’t have been the same without everyone I met.

As a 17 year old in the suburbs of the Midwest, studying abroad seemed such a faraway and untouchable concept. It seemed that only adolescents in movies and TV shows went on exchanges. It wasn’t until my junior year in high school that the topic of exchange was broached. My friends were looking into different study abroad programs for the summer. When I became more interested in going abroad, I had missed the deadline of the program all of my friends were applying to, so I went in search for another program. That is when I discovered the Youth for Understanding program. At first glance, the price tag for exchange seemed particularly steep and was admittedly discouraging, but upon closer inspection, I found numerous scholarships that I could apply for to cut the cost substantially.

The application process was very straightforward and the questions were thought provoking. As I moved on to the interview portion, I was ecstatic to find that it was more lax and non-pressuring than I was used to. This was foreign to me because many interviews that I’ve had before made sure that I knew it was a competition. Of course, in this circumstance, I was essentially competing with other students interested in going abroad, as well as the students hoping to receive a scholarship. However, my interview with a YFU volunteer was more of a conversation that gauged my possible success abroad.

Through the period between my acceptance and getting on the plane, YFU guided me and my family through the preparation. I enjoyed the sectional orientation held by volunteers to help students going abroad in my area. I had the opportunity to meet several students whom were traveling to the same country as I and I learned some great skills to be successful abroad.

I also participated in the pre-departure orientation in Berkeley, California at the University of California-Berkeley. Unfortunately, for my group, we rushed to learn for a day and a half instead of a 3-day orientation. During the orientation, we met fantastic volunteers who were in our places a year or even ten years ago. We learned about some aspects of the culture we were going into. We also learned tips and phrases that would show respect, kindness, and gratitude to our host families during our first few days abroad.

I can honestly say that YFU fit me with the best family that I could have been placed with. Your host family is there to care for you and provide for all of your basic needs. Your placement can make or break your experience. As an only child, I worried about how I would be able to connect with my host siblings. I worried if I would like my host family and if they would like me. During my exchange, I learned that my worries were irrational. From day one, they made sure that I knew that I was welcome in their home. My host parent even reminded me of my natural parents, which kept me from feeling too homesick.

So, why YFU? Personally, I describe my exchange as my true transition from childhood to adulthood. Abroad, I was more independent in the way that I made most of my own decisions. However, YFU always made sure that I always had resources to assist me. Exchange really makes you aware of how big the world truly is. I’ve learned so much about a culture different from my own. These experiences that I have had, thanks to the YFU program, are sure to stay with me throughout my lifetime.

This trip truly changed my life. I got had experiences and met people that have truly helped shape me as a person. I have gained skills that I will take and use for the rest of my life. I can never show how grateful I am for the experiences YFU has given me. I got the opportunity to go to a school, join Kendo club, explore beautiful places, and meet tons of people. This experience truly widened my eyes to the beauty of different cultures.

YFU honestly gave me the chance to have the best summer of my life!
I had just finished my 3rd year of Japanese study, so I felt it was time to actually test my skills and go to Japan. YFU’s 6-week summer program with a host family was perfect. I was a little wary about going away for so long, but after my return, I wished I could’ve stayed for a whole year.
I felt completely safe the entire time, not just because Japan is one of the safest countries in the world, but also because YFU prepared me well for my time abroad with orientations and information, as well as setting up support systems for me in Japan.
My host family was the best part of my experience by far. I am an only child, so having two older brothers was a brand new and wonderful experience. My mom made amazing food, my brothers and I got along so well, and my dad was always saying “本当の兄妹みたい！” (You really look like siblings!).
I lived in a tiny agricultural town in Yamanashi prefecture, not at all as glamorous as my hometown of Chicago! Despite that, I had a blast, and I never felt like I was jealous of people living in bigger cities or of those who were doing a lot of tourist-y sightseeing. I was in Japan to be truly immersed in the language and culture, and YFU gave me the perfect opportunity for that.
I also went to high school for 5 weeks out of 6, and this allowed me to make lifelong friends and learn the traditional Japanese arts of flower-arrangement (kado) and sword-fighting (kendo).
I wish I could live this summer of my life over and over again, and I’m so excited to go back!

Studying abroad never crossed my mind until I heard and saw videos on Youtube about it. Originally I thought that studying abroad was only something you would see on television, but I was wrong. When I heard of YFU, I knew then that I could make my dream a reality. The application process is fairly simple and requires a application fee. During the process one thing I liked was that YFU was there and were really supportive of me. They made sure I was on time with due dates and such. And really they made sure I was ready for a journey of a life time. One of the biggest issues is about money and how much it was cost. Lucky for me and most of the students we were about to get scholarships. For me the scholarship that I had was the Japan American Friendship Scholarship that covers most of the tuition, leaving us to pay $3,000 of the $12,000.
Once I was abroad in Japan, we all go through this honeymoon phase and after that we notice that exchange isn't all rainbows and unicorns. For me, I went through this rough patch where I wasn't fully able to communicate with my classmates. First of all, I don't know a lot of Japanese and secondly my shyness got in the way. Leading me to another good point of YFU, they did a good job placing me in a school and host family that was so kind and supportive. There was a teacher at my school who really helped my through my predicament and helped me see what I had to do in order to better improve my situation. Also at home, my family was always there to make me laugh and after a rough day they would be there to make me laugh. My host family really made me feel like I was their daughter and sister! I felt like I belonged and they were my home. Once I was able to make friends and connections with my classmates I really felt like I was a part of the Japanese school system. This particular experience really helped me get out of my comfort zone and due to this I was able to be not so shy anymore. Still on the topic about placement, is that you don't learn of where you will be staying and attending school until about a month or so before. The wait is pretty long, it is to insure that you are placed into a home that is best suited to you. Also, I was placed into Yamanashi prefecture, and to most people they probably have never heard of it, but I think that's one of the beauties about YFU you are placed into a area that best suits your taste and your preferences, but its also good to be open minded about it too. For me I really didn't have a preference as to where I'll live while in Japan all I wanted was to experience as many things as possible and I believe being ope minded about the whole experience in general will lead to more opportunities to see the world in a new light.
Overall, I believe that YFU is a good program to consider when finding a study abroad program. You get to become more independent, you get to broaden your horizons, and get to see the world in a new light thus making one world of cultural understanding.

Going on an intercultural exchange is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so you have to make sure you do it right. YFU is the best option. While I did have many exciting, educational, and emotional experiences abroad, my father had his doubts at first. After conducting thorough research, we concluded that YFU was the safest program around with their intricate layers of support for both the student and natural family. During my exchange, YFU ensured that I was safe, comfortable, and ready to learn. They mapped out each part of the exchange to avoid mishaps, accidents, and distrubances (even at the airport which was miraculous). Great experiences can be had anywhere, but safe and educational experiences are YFU's specialty in my opinion. I encourage any parents of prospective students to research YFU's support system, and I bet you will come to the same conclusion that my father and I did: YFU is the best option.

Going abroad was singlehandedly the scariest and most exciting thing I've ever done in my life. It wasn't my first time away from home, but the first time being so far away and out of reach from my family. But I don't regret it. I did have many struggles while abroad. My host family was the complete opposite of mine and we did struggle to connect. But the friends I've made and the experience I've gotten to know make it worth while. Exchange is different for everyone. How they view can differ from person to person. The biggest advice I can give, especially for an exchange as short as mine, is don't be afraid. I truly look back at it as a life changing experience. There will always be something left to be desired but that just gives me another excuse to go back!