All students spend the first four weeks in the Tokyo area with host families selected by YESI. After this time students may be placed in any part of Japan, although many students remain in Tokyo for the whole of their stay.
Host families are carefully chosen with every effort being made to place students within a reasonable distance of school. Students may be hosted by up to 6 host families throughout the course of their stay, although some students also stay with the same family all year. Students are expected to take part in family life and show an appreciation of the efforts made by host families to accommodate an additional family member free of charge. It is the responsibility of the student to fit in with the family and abide by the rules set by their host parents. Every host family is unique and special. If difficulties between the host family and student arise, the student is expected to work through the problem with help from YESI counsellors.