If I could rate this more than five hearts, I would! I had the most wonderful time staying with Shinyoung and her mother. They greeted me at the train station and took be on a brief tour of the neighbourhood, making sure I knew what buses to take and which stops to get off at. Shinyoung speaks very good English and I speak very little Korean, but getting along was no problem. Shinyoung's mother was an absolute joy to be around. I loved chatting with her in my broken Korean, and she was such an amazing cook! Nothing was better than coming home from a long day of galavanting about Seoul and South Korea than a hot meal, a warm home, and a welcoming family. I was lucky enough to spend my birthday with them during my stay, and they even had a cake with candles ready for me as a surprise. It was also Korean lunar new year during my stay, and I was lucky enough to try traditional Korean new year meals (which were delicious)! I was especially grateful that they took the time at the end of the day to ask how my day was, if I had any plans for the following day, even what time I would like to have breakfast that following morning. They were very accommodating and very hospitable. I would definitely recommend staying with Shinyoung and her family, and if I am ever lucky enough to visit South Korea again, I will definitely be staying with her! Thank you Shinyoung and Soonrye for making my birthday week extra special, and I look forward to seeing you again soon!

I was lucky enough to stay with Tomoko and her family for an entire week. She was more than accommodating to me, agreeing to pick me up from the train station despite it being a five minute walk from her house. She was very easy to talk to and spoke perfect English. Her meals are all delicious and she has a cozy, welcoming home. I was especially grateful that she was willing to wake up at an earlier time just to make me breakfast. She also agreed to allow me to dress in a traditional kimono (with her guidance and assistance, of course >.<), which made the entire experience worth it. She is a fountain of knowledge about Japan and has great recommendations of things to do, foods to eat, and places to go. Her home is located just about an hour's train ride from central Tokyo, and from there you can access literally everything in Japan (Kyoto and Osaka are about a 2.5 hour Shinkansen train ride away, for instance). I really appreciated the homestay experience of getting to live in Japan the Japanese way (with a few Western quirks, of course), and Tomoko was the best hostess for the job. I would definitely recommend staying with her and would love to visit her again sometime in the near future!