HOMESTAY LIFE IN JAPAN
A very brief introduction of your homestay life in Japan

Japan is a country where modernization can be found to coexist with traditional culture. This is especially evident in a Japanese home. Your homestay family may own a refrigerator that tells you when you are low on milk or a phone/fax machine that prints out daily recipes using ingredients leftover in your fridge, but you’ll also remove your shoes before entering a room and likely relax on a tatami (straw mat) floor versus sitting on a couch.

Your living accommodations will depend on the host family, however, below are some generalizations on what you might expect to encounter during your stay in Japan.

Most likely, your host family will live in a single-family home, but it is possible that they might live in an apartment building. In either case, space is a luxury and you will be amazed at how efficiently each room is used.

Your bedroom may be small in size with barely enough room for a desk and a bed/futon. Your room may have a tatami floor upon which you would roll out your futon mattress to sleep on each night, and put away during the day, allowing you more space.

Most homes do not have clothes dryers and utilize backyards or balconies in order to dry laundry. Also central air conditioning is not installed in most homes or apartments. Air conditioning units are found in individual rooms, usually in communal areas. The summers are extremely hot, and rainy season in June/July adds to the humidity.

Spending one hour to get from your home stay location to school or work is very common, with commuting fees ranging from 500-1000 yen (between RM16 to RM36). Public transportation in Japan is excellent, allowing you to go anywhere you need to go via trains and/or buses. You’ll find the trains easy to use as most have English explanations. Many people also utilize bicycles to get around.

In most cases, the father of the family is the breadwinner, working Monday-Saturday, from early in the morning often until late at night. It is not unusual for a father to return home long after the rest of the family has enjoyed dinner together. While the father is at work, the mother often stays home to clean, run errands, make meals and take care of the kids. The mother may also have a variety of hobbies, such as volunteer activities, crafts, or learning a foreign language, depending on her schedule. The children in most families, whether younger or older, may be very shy around you at first. Their interactions with foreigners may be very limited and they may hesitate to use English. Many grandparents also live with the family.

Weekends and holidays with your host family may find you enjoying a day at the beach with the whole family, or just with the mother and children if the father is working or wants to relax on his own. The host family is inviting you to live with them, and they may have activities planned for the weekends, or you may be on your own. Communicating your expectations is key to enjoying your time in Japan.

Greeting is the utmost important thing in their life. Always greet your host family when you reach home, say thank you when someone offering you a meal. Ask for permission if you would like to use the computer or TV etc.

Of course each situation will be different and your past experiences and openness to the Japanese culture will determine what you get out of living in Japan. The key to maximizing this experience though is to use and improve your Japanese language skills and to be open to Japan’s cultural traditions. This could be a once in a lifetime experience and you should try to make the most of it.

YOKOSA Japan and have a nice stay...!

Also read: Japan Homestay and Homestay Lifestyle