Official club name: The Friendship Force of Tokyo Closest major airport: Narita (Tokyo) International Airport Cost of transportation between the airport and our cities by shuttle bus: Shinjuku (Tokyo) ￥3,100 per person (85 ～145 min.) Yokohama ￥3,600 per person (85 ～110 min.) Omiya(Saitama) ￥2,800 per person (100 min.) The maximum number of ambassadors our club can host: 20 ambassadors The minimum number of ambassadors our club can host: 11 ambassadors About the club: The Tokyo club covers a wide metropolitan area(includingKanagawa, Chiba, Saitama and Ibaraki Prefecture) and was founded in 1982. We have 4 exchange programs every year. (2 outbound and 2 inbound）. About the exchanges: When the ambassadors stay with host families, we have a welcome party and/or a farewell party that all ambassadors, host families, and club members may attend. We usually arrange one day tours such as a Tokyo City Tour or a Mt.Fuji Tour. These tours will cost approximately ￥6,500 per person. Besides these two events, our exchange committee prepares some optional sightseeing tours, for example to Kamakura(which is famous for its Great Buddha). Host families can choose whichever tour they like after talking with their ambassadors. About the region and climate: Tokyo is the capital of Japan and the center of most political, economic, and cultural activity. It blends high-tech industries and the rich cultural heritage, dating back to the Edo period over 400 years ago. Approximately 12 million people (one tenth of Japan’s total population) live there. The whole area covers some 830 square miles. Spring and fall are good seasons to visit Tokyo. The temperature during these seasons is between 12 degrees and 25 degrees Celsius. Early April, when cherry blossoms are usually in full bloom, is the perfect season for your visit. The rainy season starts in mid-June and lasts about a month. Japan’s summer is extremely humid. In fall the air is fresh and autumn foliage shines beautifully. About transportation: Many of the people who live in the Tokyo area don’t use cars often because of traffic jams, parking problems, and high expressways tolls. Instead we frequently use public transportation such as railroads, subways, and buses, because we have networks of public transportation systems in our area that we can conveniently use. These transport facilities are very punctual, clean and safe, but they are usually crowded with people, especially during rush hour times. And there are a lot of steps and staircases in the stations. Although we do have many elevators and escalators, they are not everywhere. So, it may not be desirable to bring too much luggage. The transportation costs are basically the ambassador’s responsibility. Please understand that the transportation expenses can be considerably high at times, as are meals. About the houses: As I mentioned before, Tokyo has such a large population so that the housing problem is one of the most serious for its residents. The majority of houses in Tokyo are small and two-storied houses, because no open space is available and land prices are extremely high. The bedrooms of some hosts’ houses are Japanese style rooms with tatami or rush mats, and it is our custom to spread a futon cushion on the tatami to sleep at night. The structure of Japanese houses can make it rather difficult to host ambassadors who use wheelchairs in the house or have knee problems. But our way of life has been changing gradually, and some of our ways are not so much different from those of your countries. We really welcome your visit to one of the biggest and most modern cities in the world, Tokyo. Club profile Page 2 Tokyo Revised Feb. 2015