bryan… via Compfight

Hi everyone! Today I will be talking about my homestay and give you some tips if you have a homestay or just general tips for visits to Japan.

My host was Yurika. She was awesome to host me! Thank you, Yurika!

~My Homestay Experience~

When I first arrived at the school, I was extremely nervous because I didn’t want to mess up when it came to cultural differences. This trip, in general, is my first time out of the United States. I have never traveled to a foreign country before. Thoughts like, ‘will they be nice’, ‘is there a certain way they expect me to act’, and other thoughts like these ran through my head. I finally got myself together and stepped out of the bus. A man showed us to a room where we can store our big suitcases. I had three bags in total, one big suitcase, one duffle bag, and my everyday backpack. But before we could go all the way in, at the entrance, we had to wear inside shoes. It was green, had the school kanji, and were more like pleather house slippers. We all switched shoes and went in to store the suitcases. After that, we went into a library to wait for our hosts to finish their last class of the day. We were all just hanging out and talking with our friends. Then, the bell rang and students started to come out. Our hosts came and we each took a picture together before heading out.

My host walked with me through the school before letting me switch my shoes and head to the entrance. Then, we waited for her family to come and pick us up. Once they came we went back to their house. We had lunch and went to get ready for the banquet. Before the banquet, we went shopping at the nearest mall. It was fun and we headed afterward to the location of the banquet. I changed into my performance clothes and got ready to perform. The performance went well and we changed clothes again for the rest of the banquet. The food and drinks were delicious. Many pictures were taken, memories were made, and we all went home after. I got ready for bed and went to sleep.

The next morning, I got up and ready to go shopping with my host family. We had breakfast, and I had fun while petting their cats. Once we were ready, we went off to Hakata Mall. It was huge! There were even water shows. I went to a lot of shops with them and learned a lot about Japan while at it. Lunch was on the floor that was all ramen stands. I ate tonkotsu ramen and it was really good. There was a cafe we went to after we were done at the mall. We finished off the day with sushi and went to bed. (After nighttime routine!)

The day afterward were goodbyes and promises to keep in touch. I was sad to say goodbye, but I know I will continue to keep in touch with them. Yurika and I switched shoes and went to the library to meet up with everyone else. Once we were there we all hanged out after my class changed clothes to performance clothes. When all of us where there we all went to the temple where the speeches were done and our performance was done. Before we went, we made Okonomiyaki. It was delicious and fun! It made me sad to see them all go after everything is done. But, like I said before, I will keep in touch.

~Time for Tips~

1. Be flexible because cultures are different and you never know if you might like it.
2. Be ready to bow a lot in Japan because it is polite to do so.
3. Baths are very relaxing but try not to let your hair touch the water in the bath. (Because it might clog it if you don’t!)
4. It may seem like it’s one of the scariest things you will do, but it’s fun and you will probably enjoy it.
5. Make sure to clean up when your homestay experience is done.
6. Switching shoes happens a lot.
7. Be ready for a new culture to learn and have fun!

~Need more information? Here are some links to help you!~

Japanese Culture and Traditions

33 Top Tips for First-Time Visitors to Japan

~Thank You!~

Thank you for reading! I hope these tips will help you if you plan on visiting Japan. I’ll see you next time! Bye!