Exploring Japan with our homestay winner Silvia

As a young company, we at Homestay.com are constantly growing and are proud to mark the milestones in our journey. Last summer was our first anniversary and we decided to mark the occasion by running a competition for one lucky winner to win a ten night homestay for two anywhere in the world, with flights and €1000 spending money included.

Our lucky winner was Silvia, a psychology student from Naples in Italy who travelled with her friend Francesca to Japan. For both it was their first time outside of Europe and the girls were keen to experience a culture that was far from their own.“I didn’t just want to visit an amazing country. I wanted to know a completely different culture, share my habits and my customs with someone, day by day, by living in their home, by being like them. And I did,” said Silvia.

Now that the girls are back from their homestay holiday, I asked Silvia to tell us about her trip to Japan, what she saw and did and any advice she would have for others thinking of visiting this fascinating country...

First stop... Kyoto

After arriving on an eleven hour flight to Osaka from Silvia’s hometown of Naples, the girls took a train to the nearby city of Kyoto, and arrived at their hosts Misae and Yasuo’s home. Their first culture shock came went they went out for dinner to a nearby restaurant and ordered chicken yakitori and realised that every part of the chicken would be served as part of this meal- a bit extreme for Silvia and Francesca’s tastes!

Sacred Traditions

The next somewhat more pleasant surprise for the girls was when they took a trip to the nearby town of Nara, which Silvia describes as being like a zoo set within a town. In Shintoism, the religion of Japan, deer and foxes are considered divine messengers making them a protected species. The result? An awful lot of curious creatures for you to play with around Nara. The other reason the town is popular with tourists is the famous Todai-ji Temple which is listed by UNESCO World Heritage Site. Todai-ji once formed part of the Seven Great Temples, with Silvia and describing it as “probably the most majestic temple we have ever visited in our whole life. A beautiful garden outside, with amazing statues and decorations on the inside.”

The main temple in Kyoto itself is the Fushimi Inari Shrine, which is dedicated to the sacred fox and encapsulates all you imagine when you think of traditional Japanese architecture, including the tori, or imposing red gates (below) which you walk through to enter the temple.

In Bloom

Kyoto however also contains some spectacular scenery with April the most popular time of year to visit as this is the time the sakura, or cherry blossoms come into bloom. The sakura are an enduring emblem of Japan with the trees growing outside many public buildings and temples. In Kyoto the Nijo Temple is situated in some spectacular gardens with lakeside views, which come into full bloom in spring with the cherry blossoms. The Tetsugaku no michi or Philoshoper’s Path walkway in the Higashiyama district of the city is another spot Silvia and Francesca recommended, telling us the canal side walkway was so dense with petals “you could only see a pink carpet.”

The girls didn’t just spend their time visiting the tourist sites, with their host Misae recommending a traditional Japanese restaurant with the food prepared in front of the girls, sitting on the traditional tatami mats on the floor. The girls also visited the manga shops of the city, learning a lot about the popular style of Japanese animation.

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Next stop... Tokyo

After five days in Kyoto, Silvia and Francesca said goodbye to Misae and Yasuo and took a train to the capital Tokyo where they would spend the next five nights. At the railway station, their new hosts Yoko and Aki picked them up, taking them to their home in the Shinjuku neighbourhood. The girls had dinner with Yoko and her family to help them feel at home and relax after their journey.

Tokyo Neighourhoods

The following day the girls visited the flamboyant Harajuku district where they explored the shops then onto the more low key Shibuya neighbourhood, where the famous zig-zag zebra crossing is located. They spent the evening partying in the Roppongi district, staying out late and exploring the exciting world of Tokyo’s nightlife. The girls also spent time around the busy Ikebukuro district, indulging in another famous export from Japan - karaoke!

Wanting to discover some more of the eccentricities of Japanese culture, the girls were advised by their hosts to visit the Akihabara district, which both were very impressed with. The entire district is dedicated to electronic goods, for the most hi-tech of Japanese equipment to vintage and discontinued products. To contrast the old with the new, Silvia and Francesca also visited the Tsukiji Fish Market(pictured above), a major wholesale fish market that is a must for any food lover. The girls recommend getting there as early as possible with sales often beginning well before sunrise and all the fish sold by eleven a.m. The market is unsurprisingly surrounded by plenty of sushi and sashimi restaurants where you can taste the catch of the day.

On their final day in the city the girls visited the viewing platform of the famous Tokyo Skytree at sunset, the broadcasting and observation town that at first glance looks not dissimilar from the Eiffel Tower. Waving good-bye to Yoko and Aki the girls made the long journey back to Italy.

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The girls came home tired, but grateful to their hosts for their hospitality and friendliness. “Our [host] families were amazing. Japanese people are amazing, they are kind and helpful and funny and polite and respectful and they taught me a lot,” says Silvia. Although the girls have to hit the books for their exams this summer, they are already planning their next trip away together.

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Has Silvia convinced you to explore Japan? Browse our listings page here to book your next homestay.

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