This study investigates how international exchange students from North America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia exercised agency and power and created their autonomy through experiential learning to cooperate with local schools and organisations in Japan. Empirical research on international students' intercultural experiences in Western countries has grown; however, research on their intercultural experiences in Japan is lacking in English publications. This research qualitatively examined how international students from various cultural backgrounds attempted to cooperate with locals in Japan's emic world. Results revealed that intercultural frame-switching did not occur automatically, and international students could not cope with the intercultural competence required in Japanese society. Facing intercultural challenges, students exhibited a separation orientation to preserve their cultural identities, valuing their agency and autonomy, and found ways to exercise power independently. Educational interventions can expand students' potential for developing intercultural relationships with locals from the host society.