"The 3 month stay at the Asada family was great. The father of the family works everyday and the mother has a part time job so she can help you around. Since they stayed both in America, they speak great English (which is not common in Japan) and they are pretty open minded. This means they KNOW foreigners and dont mind you to commit a blunder in japanese manners :) I felt like part of a family. Of course there are always downsides you should be aware of: - kind of far away from tokio center (~70min (walk + train) and ~600Yen per train) - limited internet 10 GB per month (not a problem, if you are a short time tourist) - minimalistic room: small table (not a problem, if you are a short time tourist) But the good parts are worth it ;) : + real japanese family experience + two lovely little girls + five cats! If you're homesick just grab them for a cuddle :) + really nice family. You can take part in some regular events like barbecue, fireworks, shopping etc + near to the laketown shopping district. I have never seen such a big shopping center. + quiet area (if you move to Tokio you will hear trains and some motorbike gangs at night) + no housework! Laundry, dishes and cleaning will be done for you. Its like living at home with your mom again! + supermarket, drug-, and convenience store nearby + you can get dinner (sometimes even lunch) for a small fee. Really good to get to know japanese cuisine! Over all I can say I enjoyed this stay the most. I splitted my 6 month tokio experience over 3 stays and this was the best. Here you can relax and let your guard down. If you want to make a extremly sightseeing week in Tokio, just sleep at home, it might not the best, due to long way to tokio. But if you want take your time and experience japanese family life, this is it!" Sophie