[samurai007]

Consider living on your own, or with some other college students, instead of a homestay. You'll have much more freedom, and can go where you want, when you want.

Have you lived on your own before? When I moved to Japan, it was also my first time living on my own, and I loved it. I went on 6 weekend homestays during my 2 years, and they were fun, but I would not have traded the ability to live on my own in Japan for a permanent homestay. You can and will make plenty of Japanese friends, and you can stay with them sometimes, travel together, hang out, etc. From the people I knew who did homestays, they had to be home by a certain hour, and their host families tended to be more doting and restrictive than the western kids were used to... Of course, there are also benefits to the homestay... greater immersion in Japanese language, a closer support network, etc. You'll have to decide for yourself what is most important to you, I'm just saying to think carefully about it, and the pros and cons of each.