Visit Wakayama

If you are looking for a homestay program where students can experience a truly different way of life, consider Wakayama. Each of the five homestay programs are located in rural areas of the prefecture, where the cultural fabric is bound together by agriculture, community, and tradition. Students can experience a traditional Japanese lifestyle here, markedly different from life in the metropolises of Tokyo and Osaka.

Students can foster deeper cross-cultural communication by staying with a host family and assisting with everyday tasks in and around the house and enjoying local cuisine and customs firsthand.

Homestay programs are available all year round, allowing them to slot into regular school schedules. If you are interested in embarking upon a homestay program, follow the Exchange Request and Determination System guidelines.

Wakayama’s 450 elementary, junior high and high schools are proactively conducting exchange programs with schools from around the world to foster a greater sense of global understanding and to share the rich culture and customs of Wakayama.

Overseas students visiting Wakayama schools can expect to gain insight into a regular Japanese lifestyle by attending classes, taking part in schools’ club activities—including tea ceremony—and involvement in awareness campaigns centered around the environment and strategies to cope with natural disasters.

If you are interested in organizing a school exchange, please refer to the Exchange Request and Determination System guidelines about the next steps.

Wakayama offers a wide range of experiential learning programs that will help students acquire in-depth knowledge on important subject matters. Hear directly from professionals in the fields of resource management, ancient site preservation, food culture, and natural heritage.

Through the resource management program, students can discover more about the farming and preservation of bluefin tuna. Students attend a live fish auction, learn about developments in tuna farming, and the efforts being made to preserve the fish stocks.

Preservation of a different kind is at the heart of the Kumano Kodo Preservation field trip. Students head to the UNESCO World Heritage Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Routes to learn about how this ancient path is maintained, along with learning about the history of the routes and the grand shrines they lead too.

Other programs tackle critical issues facing the world today, including "learning the power of thinking through the culture of food," "globally important agricultural heritage systems," and "preservation of corals to save our precious oceans."

Wakayama Prefectural Government (Tourism Exchange Division)
Educational Field Trip Coordinator: Takuji Shota
Address: 1-1 Komatsubara-dori, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture 640-8585, Japan
Tel: +81-73-441-2785
Fax: +81-73-427-1523
E-mail: e1005001@pref.wakayama.lg.jp
Website: https://en.visitwakayama.jp/

Discover Kansai, for educational experiences in Japan. From school trips and student exchanges to homestay opportunities, a range of enriching cultural programs are available in Wakayama, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, and Nara.

Discover Wakayama Prefecture for unique educational experiences in Japan. Learn about international field trips and cultural exchange programs in Wakayama, through the experiences of students and classes who have visited the region before.