Last updated: June 2025
Landing in Japan
Apart from the Early Departures (arriving in April), you will arrive in Japan around late July or early August. You will land at either Haneda or Narita International Airport, where after immigration and customs, you’ll board a bus that will take you to Keio Plaza Hotel. Although you may have been allowed to packed for more than bag, you will only be able to bring one checked bag, your carry on luggage and personal item with you to the hotel, so please pack for Tokyo Orientation accordingly.
At the Tokyo Orientation
From the airport or at the hotel, you will also be given the option to have any baggage sent to your placement ahead of you (usually one of your checked bags). This makes things much more convenient and is highly recommended as you will be sharing a room with two other people and there won’t be a whole lot of room for your luggage. In this case, you can pack your clothes for Tokyo Orientation either in your carry-on luggage or one of your two checked bags.
The evening prior to leaving Keio, you and the other JETs going to Hyogo (except for Kobe JETs, they have their own group) will meet with representatives from Hyogo Prefecture at the Tokyo Orientation. If your placement is getting more than one JET, you may actually meet your fellow co-JETs for the first time. The representatives will give you a run down on how you will reach your destination and answer any questions you may have.
Off to Hyogo!
After Tokyo Orientation, you will take a short bus ride to Tokyo Station, then take a Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka (Early Departure JETs head to Shin-Kobe instead due to a smaller intake) with the representatives. There will not be enough space for everyone to bring luggage onto the Shinkansen so on the night before you leave, make sure you pack with you the bare essentials and clothes as the Orientation Assistants will take your larger suitcases and you should be left with your smaller, carry-on luggage. As a separate group, municipal Kobe JETs will be taking a plane from Haneda to Kobe Airport.
After arriving in Shin-Osaka, next stop is Hyogo! You will board a bus that goes to Hyogo Municipal Educational Training Institute in Kato-shi. From there, you will finally meet one or two teachers from your school and/or your supervisor from your BOE (often your go-between), who will take you to your placement. The luggage you sent from the hotel the night before will be waiting for you.
Congratulations, you finally made it. You might still have a long journey (or a short one, especially if it’s on the way back to Osaka) to your placement but you are in safe hands with your BOE. Take this time to ask questions and familarise yourself with your supervisor/teachers (and your co-JETs if you have any).
Costs and reimbursements
As for the costs, you won’t be charged for your stay at the orientation nor for the transport to Hyogo Prefecture and placement. But you may be charged for the transport of your luggage (from both the start of orientation and the night before where you would pick it up the next day). Your BOE will pick up the costs and forward you the bill later on. The costs may vary based on how many pieces you send and previous JETs have reported that you would be charged regardless if you choose to use the service or not.
