More and more schools are choosing Izena Island for school excursions because of the high quality of the overnight stay experience.

The number of schools choosing Izena Island as a school excursion destination has clearly increased over the past few years. There is only one reason for this. It is because the quality of the overnight stay experience is different from others. I am not talking about the quality of the experience or the abundance of programs. We are talking about the more fundamental aspects: the students' hearts are moved, the encounters with people are genuine, and they don't want to leave. The richness and certainty of the experiences on Izena Island is what makes it different from other places.

In this article, we will unpack the true nature of that "high quality".

The experience is not "prepared" but "created".

In a homestay on Izena Island, the experience is not a 'finished product'. The host who teaches you how to cook says, "Let's cook this together," but then asks, "Do you want to put this in? Do you like that one?" and they listen to the students' voices. When working on the farm, they don't just say, "Try it like this," but ask, "How do you think it should be done? They ask, "How do you think it should be done? Because there is time to work together on the spot, the students feel a sense of "involvement," not "I was made to do it.

Emotions" move, so they will be remembered.

They laugh, they get embarrassed, they get a little awkward, and finally they cry....

The overnight stay in Izena stirred up many emotions in the students. A shy child's back straightens a little when she is told "thank you" for serving rice. When the host grandmother tells them a story about the old days, they quietly listen. It is moments like these that turn an experience into a memory, not just an experience.

Hosts are not "teachers," so students can show their true colors.

Facial expressions that cannot be seen in the classroom can be seen here.

The hosts are not experts in education, but they have a great ability to listen and accept people. They do not scold, they do not push, but they do not take their eyes off the students. It is because of this way of relating that the students gradually open up. I think this "lack of pressure" is conversely a catalyst for growth.

The overnight stay experience where "thank you" comes naturally at the end is the real thing!

The morning after returning home, some students say, "I want to come back again," or "Next time I want to come with my family," which is the reality of a school trip to Izena. It is not forced, it is not evaluated, but it leaves something in your heart. Because of that kind of overnight stay experience, schools think, 'Let's come here again next time,' and they want to recommend it to another teacher. It's not the number, it's the intensity. Not the size, but the depth. That is the "quality" of the homestay experience on Izena Island.