Confirmation of Participation & Payment

Please inform HIF whether you will participate in the program or decline the offer by the deadline indicated in the HIF acceptance e-mail. The HIF office will reply to you within three working days upon receiving your confirmation e-mail. If you do not receive a response within three working days, please contact HIF.

TO CONFIRM YOUR PARTICIPATION

1. Confirmation Email of Participation
Reply to the HIF acceptance email according to the guideline (click here), along with the Pledge Card (See “2. HIF Pledge Card” below.) as an attachment.

2. HIF Pledge Card
Click here to open a PDF file of the Pledge Card, and save it to your computer first. Open the file, fill in all the highlighted parts of the form, save it to your computer again. Then, send it to HIF as an attachment to your confirmation email of participation.

Note: If you skip the above-underlined step, the information you enter on the form won't be saved.

Applications without a confirmation email of participation and HIF Pledge Card will be canceled by default.

-Program Fee Payment (See below for more information.)

-Online Forms for Participants

Participants must submit several forms through your online account. Please visit the “Online Forms for Participants” page (coming soon) to login.

TO DECLINE THE OFFER

Reply to the HIF acceptance email according to the guideline (click here).

Program Fee Payment

HIF does not send you a payment invoice. Please remit your program fee (US$8,000) to the North Pacific Bank by April 1, 2026 (JST). To those who are accepted from the waiting list close to or after the above mentioned payment deadline, HIF will indicate another payment deadline in the acceptance e-mail.

HIF Bank Information

Currency : US dollars
Method : Bank Transfer

Bank Name:: NORTH PACIFIC BANK, LTD.
SWIFT (BIC) Code:: NORPJPJP
Branch Name:: HAKODATE-CHUO BRANCH
Branch Code:: 321
Beneficiary’s Account No.:: 321-1023440
Beneficiary’s Name:: HOKKAIDO INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION
Beneficiary’s Address:: 14-1 MOTOMACHI, HAKODATE, HOKKAIDO 040-0054 JAPAN
Beneficiary’s Tel No.:: 81-138-22-0770

Notes：

All bank charges and fees are to be paid by the applicant. If any extra fees are deducted in the process of transferring funds between banks, please pay the balance to HIF when you arrive in Japan.
To facilitate accurate confirmation of your payment, please make sure you send the remittance in your name. If you have to send the remittance in your family member's name (e.g., your parent), please add your name as a note on the transfer form.
If you have to remit your fee in other currencies including Japanese yen, please contact HIF for instruction.

Cancellation Policy

If an applicant withdraws from the program earlier than April 1, 2026 (Japan Standard Time), the total program fee will be refunded. For withdrawals on or after April 1, 2026, HIF will refund the total paid amount, less the cancellation fees stated below. Applicants who wish to withdraw must inform HIF by e-mail. The refund will be made by bank transfer. HIF will make no program fee refunds if cancellations are made on or after Thursday, June 11, 2026 (00:00 JST).

Date of Cancellation Notice (Japan Standard Time)	Cancellation Fee
April 1, 2026 (00:00) – April 30, 2026 (23:59)	US$1,600
May 1, 2026 (00:00) – May 31, 2026 (23:59)	US$2,400
June 1, 2026 (00:00) – June 10, 2026 (23:59)	US$4,000
On and after June 11, 2026 (00:00)	US$8,000 less the unused amount of homestay fee*

*The refund of the homestay fee will be asserted per-diem if you withdraw after you started staying at your host family.

Program Cancellation by HIF

HIF may cancel the Program before the starting date in the event of a natural or other disaster that poses an immediate threat to your health and/or safety. In this case, HIF will inform you by e-mail and refund you the full program fee. Refunds will be made to your bank account by telegraphic transfer. In the case that we must cancel the Program while in progress, we will refund the unused portion of your program fee, including the homestay fee, calculates at US$60 per day.
*As agreed on the consent form of your application, you will in no way hold HIF responsible if you should suffer injury or losses during the program or related activities.

Name:

John Geitner

University:

University of
Notre Dame

The HIF program was super fun and a great learning opportunity! Getting to meet so many new people who all share the same goal of ...
Name:

Marcella Houston

University:

University of
Michigan

There are lots of different ways to enjoy your study abroad and they're all valid! Lots of students choose to travel lots or visit lots of attractions ...
Name:

Helen Liu

University:

University of
Pennsylvania

HIF is extremely rewarding and truly a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I think it's easier to be integrated into a host family as a younger college student ...
Name:

Nicole Lu

University:

Emory University

I loved the HIF program! I was able to learn so much - not only the Japanese language but also the culture and background of people ...
Name:

Kaitlyn Milleret

University:

University of
Notre Dame

I'm very grateful I got the opportunity to stay in Hakodate since it's such an underrated part of Japan. My favorite part was visiting landmarks like ...
Name:

Sofia Pan Xian

University:

University of
Michigan

If you feel you are struggling to speak, this program will make sure you go back feeling confident. You'll be only speaking Japanese - during class ...
Name:

Julian Schempf

University:

University of
Kansas

It might be difficult, but you will have the experience of a lifetime, something you will cherish for years to come.