Education Tour Center

​Education Tour Center has been supporting high school students from Japan as they study in Oregon on our academic year program for the past 30 years. Students attend local private high schools, live with host families, and experience typical American lifestyle and culture as they improve their English Skill. Education Tour Center offers a high school academic year program, inbound, and the short-term homestay programs. 

Education Tour Center staff meet with each student at school once or twice a month to make sure things are going well at school and at home and submit monthly report. All staff are bilingual in English and Japanese, which is an advantage when helping , advising, or mediating at school or with a host family. 

Academic Year Program – United States—Japanese High School students, and some middle school students ages 13 to 17 travel to the United States, attend school for one semester or ten months, and live with a host family. Students must complete an application in English, pass a language proficiency test, submit transcripts indicating above-average grades, and write an autobiographical essay. Students and parents are interviewed prior to acceptance. Upon acceptance, students are required to attend several orientations in Japan. The orientations, which are conducted in February, March, May, and July address issues such as American culture, English language, program rules, and how to make the most of the U.S. high school experience.

In addition, all Education Tour Center students are required to attend an intensive orientation course in the United States prior to their arrival in the host community. The primary focus of the course is to acclimate students to U.S. culture, review program policies procedures and safety, and prepare them for their academic year stay.

Host families are carefully selected and vetted by personal references and a federal background check.

They are matched with students based on mutual preferences, interests, and home location compared to the school. A home visit is conducted to ensure appropriateness and cleanliness.