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.
March 6th, 2010 at 2:30 am
Safety is always not guaranteed 100 percent in everywhere every time.
Whether it is worth for cost or not to do home-staying in Japan depends always on yourself.
The request you mentioned such as letting show you around by host family automatically would be somehow too selfish for usual home-staying, I think. It may luckily happen to you though it must be annoying host family if they are busy.
Research the sites concerned home stay well and consider enough to make decision. Exchange program of students if your school has would be much easier and rational for you is my honest personal opinion.
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March 6th, 2010 at 3:08 am
yes
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March 6th, 2010 at 3:22 am
> Sites say that it’s a better way to experience the culture and learn about it, is that true?
Yes, it’s very true.
I homestayed in the US when I was in high school (I’m Japanese). It wasn’t always fun – they were nice people but It was for a year; I was a teenager and so were my host sisters, and there were small conflicts and different habits that I was uncomfortable with. Still, I can say with a 100 certainty that I experienced a lot of things I could never have experienced If I had just gone as a tourist.
If you are staying for just weeks, you will brobably feel much more benefits and much less disadvantages of homestaying than I did.
And It’s better to do it when you’re young. When you’re older, people will treat you as a guest and tend to be too accommodating, so it’s more difficult to see how the Japanese family/society really is.
15000 – 25000 yen per week seems reasonable. It’s cheaper than staying at a hotel by yourself, and with this price range it’s unlikely that people who are involved are in it just for money.
A lot depends on the agency and what kind of family you’re placed with. But I say it’s well worth doing. Go for it and have fun!
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March 6th, 2010 at 3:49 am
Like others have said, there’s no way to guarantee 100% safety with any travel option. In my experience homestays are pretty safe (I’ve done them in Ireland and Japan), but I always did them through an academic program, not through an independent company. I strongly suggest that you research your homestay-company options very carefully. Make sure they have a good track record (look for reviews, not just testimonials on their sites), ask them how they choose the families they work with, maybe ask around on your own to see if anyone has every used the companies you’re looking at — travel forums would be a great place for this.
That cost seems pretty reasonable to me, especially compared to hotels that often charge that much per night. It also fits with my homestay experiences and how much they cost.
It’s definitely a better way to get to know the culture, unless of course you can’t communicate with your family at all, so you might also want to find out if the companies you’re looking at employ families with English-speaking members — unless you speak Japanese, of course. When you stay in a hotel, your interactions with others are pretty much limited to whatever happens while you’re out an about during the day, whereas when you stay with a family you can see more of what everyday life is like for regular Japanese people, and you can learn and experience things you would never experience otherwise. My host-mother brought me to the Tanabata party at her son’s school, which I would never gotten to do if I had stayed in the dorms or a hotel instead of having a homestay.
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March 6th, 2010 at 3:57 am
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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March 6th, 2010 at 4:41 am
I went on a Homestay for a month this summer in Japan, and I had the most amazing time!!! I would honestly have to say that that was the best time of my life. My host family were some of the greatest people i have ever met, and all the friends i made were so sweet to me, and to be honest with you, i would give anything to be able to go back. I am determined to move there. Even if i didnt get to see all the people i love who live there, i sould still live in japan. The culture is so amazing, and the people are so nice, and the food is delicious!!!
before i went over there i was a very pickie eater, but now i will eat about everything. So yes, i think you should, it might get confusing at times, but it is all worth it. This is something that i will never froget, and i will remember this for the rest of my life. You will want to have a fairly good understanding of the language though. I was lucky that mine was good enough for most things, and i always had my friends and family to helo if i needed it, but none of them spoke english at all. I have also been studying very hard for 2 years now, and even skipped ahead a year in my japanese class, so i have been very dedicated and got the help of my brother to teach me. two other girls went the same time as me (same program, and they were friends at my school) and they have been studing the same ammount of time as be, but they had truoble saying most things, or understanding what people were telling them. They mostly spoke all english while there were there. They were lucky there host student spoke english, so you want to make sure that wont be a problem. As for a safety factor, i never felt for even a second while i was there that i was ever in any danger, like i sometimes so when i am in america. I would have no problem talking to some stranger, and not having to worry about them being a bad person. And everyone is so nice, it is like plesent vill over there. I absolutly loved it. Now i am not saying there is no danger, but it is minimal.
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