Successful candidates cannot select their own preference of towns, because this scholarship programme is voluntarily participated by Japanese school throughout the country.  Hence, the successful candidates’ detail were sent to those volunteers schools, they will then contact to the Scholarship’s organiser of which student they are interested to accept for their cultural exchange programme.  The Scholarship’s organiser will select school for those successful candidates, and look for home-stay who had earlier applied to take up foreign students.

Despite the fact that this scholarship programme is focus very much on cultural prospect and hope to encourage students to have vision in learning new things.  Successful candidates can use English as a medium of communication to their home-stay families, nevertheless, if candidates can converse in Japanese, they will be able to learn from their home-stay families easier. Therefore, it is important to have knowledge on Japanese language as much as possible before you leave to Japan.  The Programme encourage candidates to learn Japanese while they are studying in Japan too, so that they can improve their understanding skill and can be useful in learning some subjects.  Upon arrival of the successful candidates, the Programme representative in Japan will arrange for all students to learn Japanese together for 2-3 weeks before they will be sent to the designated towns of their own.

They will be placed in the same schools but not for accommodation.  As explained this is voluntarily programme in which depending on how convenient the families are.  Some family allows students to stay throughout the programme, but some only allow for short period of time, then the Scholarship organiser will arrange the students to move to another accommodation accordingly, as they would know in advance how long each family can accept the students.  Hence, students will have a better chance to learn to adapt themselves in different Japanese family’s environment

Since this scholarship is ideally focus on the cultural exchange aspect rather academic result, as per acknowledge in the selection criteria when students first applied for the Scholarship.  Hence, Japanese language level 1 and 2 are not compulsory for students to take up in the examination papers.  Nevertheless, students are advised to attend all classes with Japanese students in order to be able to gain their experience studying in Japanese schools.  They will not obtain the academic scores from the schools because their knowledge of Japanese will not be adequate to sit in the standard examination.

Students have to responsible for their own traveling cost; lunch for the case that home-stay families are not prepared for; personal expenses such as phone calls and miscellaneous expenses.  If the schools do not provide the uniforms, students will have to purchase their own uniforms.  Some schools may organize a field trip overseas, should the students wish to join, this will be on their own expense.  However, before students will plan any local or overseas trips, they should obtain an approval from YES International in Japan, on case by case basis.  As YES will then lias with the schools and help to prepare VISA for students if necessary.

During the course of Scholarship Programme, parents are not allowed to contact students directly, they are allowed to contact via YES International and/or MJES.  So that students will be able to concentrate in their study.  Parents also not allowed to visit their children in Japan because this could psychologically effect student’s emotion, feeling homesick and may lost their focus when their parents return home.

No, students are not allowed returning to their home country unless emergency issue arises.  Hence, students will have to obtain the approval from YES International and MJES on case-by-case basis.  More detail will explain during orientation.

Scholarship students are allowed to use mobile phones during the course of the Programme, so that the home-stay family and Scholarship’s organiser can get in touch with them.  Hence, students should contact YES International to purchase on their behalf, YES will also settle the payment on their behalf every month.  Should YES considers student’s phone bill is unnecessary high, YES will have to cease the phone line.  Students are not allowed to bring personal computer to use in the home-stay, because most of the home-stays will have computer and they normally allow students to use their computers.

When students are staying in the home-stay in Japan, they should consider themselves as part of their family members.  Therefore, should they wish to stay back at school after classes finished or participating in the school’s activities, they must always obtain an approval from their respective home-stay families.

Upon arrival to Japan, students can open bank account, by preparing required document.  Parents then can transfer the money directly to their children’s accounts.