Is a homestay a good idea?
Posted on March 5th, 2010 by admin
I’ve been reading up on sites for homestay’s in Japan and I wanted to know what anyone thought about them from a more educated about the subject point of view, especially if you’ve experienced or know someone who has experienced staying in one.
Does it seem like a safe idea?
Does it seem like it’s worth the cost? (on average I seen about 15000 – 25000 yen a week and I use the basic take off 2 zero’s method for converting to USD’s even though I know it would still be a little less)
Sites say that it’s a better way to experience the culture and learn about it, is that true?
Those are my basic questions…I AM a student BTW but if I were to do this it would be through a homestay website and not my school.
The idea is attractive to me because it looks more and more like I’ll be visiting Japan on my own and this seems like a less lonely and confusing way to go about Tokyo, especially if my homestay family has someone my age living there to show me around.
Sorry, the way I put it sounded like I expeted them to be a guide or something. I just meant with getting directions and what not. I’d have somewhere to go with a reliable source with at least people I’m familiar with as to how to get around.
I highly recommend it! I did a homestay when I spent a semester in Japan, although it was organized by my university and not by a commercial website. My host family was rather busy so I didn`t spend much time actually going out and doing things with them, but simply having a house full of people to talk to and ask questions of really helped me make sense of all the unfamiliar things that piqued my curiosity. And just living with ordinary people and seeing their daily lives really helped me gain a better understanding of Japanese culture.
The prices you listed seem quite reasonable, much cheaper than a hotel or renting an apartment. If you`re worried about safety (which I wouldn`t be, since Japan is a very safe country overall and most people who would volunteer to host are quite kind) see if the homestay organization can give you contact information for people who have used their services. Or find someone who has done a homestay and then ask them what site they used and how they felt about it. A former customer can best tell you whether any given company is reliable.
And if you do get there and find you have problems with your homestay, well, no one`s making you stay there. You can pack up and find a new place at any time.
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English homestay family – www.xilfee.eu
Homestay family. Find the perfect English host family to improve your English. The family live in a lovely old house and are very welcoming. – www.xilfee.eu