Haha. I decided to take this opportunity.
And I am going in exactly a month and 14 days. :]

congrats again, i still remember this thread :ywave:

...sighs....

You can spend about $900-$1200 on the plane ticket, then $400-$500 for 30 days in a sakura house. And food, and trains for sight-seeing.

So that's an entire month in Japan for about $3,000. As opposed to 2 weeks for $5,000. Or of course any of the already mentioned tours, are just as good.

MMM, you mean you just had random people pay you to stay at your house for 3 weeks?

Huh? I hosted tours to Japan, meaning I was the chaperone for small groups of students who would do homestays in Japan (Nara, actually). Abut 2500 paid for everything but gifts and souvenirs.

Just because she can do it cheaper, this is the program she chose, and she did explain why.

Congrats, and we look forward to hearing about your travels!

Ah, I was thinking they actually stayed in your home.
twas' kunfyoozed. :confused:

I hope you have a wonderful time Emmy, don't forget to tell us how it went!
:ywave:

A lot depends on what is in the tour and how well it suits you and the way you travel. If you want to have everything laid out for you where you just wake up and are guided everywhere then it might not be a bad deal. A licensed tour guide can cost 40,000 yen a day so if the group is small then the costs will be high. If, on the other hand, you just want to explore and research destinations on your own then this might be too expensive for you. Also keep in mind the kind of lodging you require. If you visit a hot spring area and require a private outdoor hot spring bath then the costs is more than if you stay at a hostel and visit the public hot spring bathhouse. Personally I like more freedom than most tours provide.

Great! Let's see more! You had a busy time.

Yeah! More info please! Sounds and looks like you had a lot of fun! ^_^

Those are great pictures Emmy. Seems like you had a great time.

and your host family's daughter is adorable.

thats awful expensive for just 14 days your spending there, you can probably find a better deal than that.

We already went through this months ago, so there's no point talking about the price now.

Wow, looks like you had a great trip. I wonder if the food there was okonomiyaki. It is prepared on a grill and it is tasty.

Lol, zomg I didnt even notice, now i feel kinda stupid.

It looks like you had fun. But to pay that much money and then they put you to work picking tea, making noodles, and doing voice overs for Anime, well they got their moneys worth out of you.(Just kidding, it looked fun too)
I bet you will remember this for all your life and that little girl is meccha kawaii!:D

:O

Is it really that expensive to go?! When I was planning my trip I was thinking at least 1000 -1500. Less if my cousin allows me to live with her relatives.

It looks like you had a good time. Those pictures are great. I also did People to People when I was around your age. I went to the Meditteranian and had a blast. While I agree People to People trips are a little bit on the expensive side, they truly are wonderful experiences.

I agree with all said above. I am currently planning a trip for Sept for way less. Send me a message if you would like some advice or details of my trip planning- I dont mind sharing, in fact I want to share so others can learn/ get ideas from my trip!

Okay. so basically Our trip was two weeks. We traveled around most of southern and central japan. We visited Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Matsuyama, Hakone, and Tokyo.


Barbecue in Kyoto.


over 10,000 paper cranes, Hiroshima


hehe.. I look like such a tourist.


My homestay family had a beautiful house.


I'm pretty sure this was the electronics district in tokyo.

You have no idea. she is seriously the cutest thing i have ever seen.





She loved my sunglasses.