At the center of October 2018, I spent a couple of days and nights at the house of Kana and her husband. It wasn’t the first time I did home-staying, so I was pretty sure the experience would be great. Especially judging from the first contacts we had which were pretty nice. Booking and all the considerations beforehand were taken care of in a pretty smooth way and communication was great. But – as often when I am on the road, the start always gets a bit messy. I don’t know. I always get lost in translation. The same case here. Being lost in the mixture between metro and JR, and arrived at some place somewhere else. I don’t even know how I ended there. No problem – Kana was at home and even on the way to her house, we were in touch, and she guided me through all the chaos that normally surrounds my travels until I finally arrive. Phew. What a start. The house itself is cozy and sweet, having space and rooms for the guests as well as for the family, and at least for me, it felt very comfortable. On one hand, I had my free time and my space, where I could do what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do my stuff, on the other hand, I was always free to have a chat with Kana, her guests and her husband. I never had the feeling I would disturb anyone, and the open-minded aura, that Kana radiates, makes you just comfortable to be around her. The place itself is close to Ochiai-Minami-Nagasaki Station, as subway station that is served by the Toei Oedo Line. From there, you can take the train into the direction of Nerima or Shinjuku, which makes the station quite a convenient place to travel from. You will find small convenient stores and a street restaurant next to the station, which makes it quite easy for you to get stuff for your daily life or just enjoy a fast dinner in the evening. The house is located near an elementary school, which has no effect on the guests so far, but is quite interesting as even from the outside you can witness differences of the Japanese school system to – for example – the European school system. All in all the area around Kanas house reflects the wonderful atmosphere you experience at her home. I absolutely enjoyed my stay there and - assumed the dog doesn't vote against it - I will come back some day.

In October 2018, I spent 7 days and nights with the family of Tomoyuki in the wonderful city of Akishima in Tokyo prefecture. I am already well acquainted to the area, as my very first home stay was in Tachikawa, a city close by, which I somehow fell in love with and which I try to visit every time I am in Japan. My home stay at Tomoyuki’s place still was more an “accident”, as the friend I wanted to visit in Kyoto became sick and couldn’t accommodate me. So when the urge to find a place in Kyoto or Osaka arose, it unfortunately turned out that there was no place for me to stay. Same in central Tokyo area … So I somehow had to find a place in a time frame of maybe four days before my plane was leaving for Japan. Tomoyuki was quick to react and immediately accepted my request, though from the beginning he told me that it was absolutely okay if I first checked if I liked the place or if I wanted to leave earlier. As said before the area was more or less well-known to me, so I had no doubt it would be a great stay and said “no worries”. My travel from Tachikawa station to Akishima went pretty smooth, and I had no problems to find the house. The way is easy to remember and Tomoyuki did a great job in describing it! Tomoyuki and his family weren’t there at that time, as they had to take care of some business, but left the keys in a place we agreed upon earlier. Surprisingly for me it turned out that I didn’t live in the families house, but had an own small apartment that was just located in the same house. The room was not all too big – at least for a big guy like me – but it was cozy and provided enough space for me and my luggage to feel comfortable. (At least I felt comfortable, can’t tell you what my luggage felt). After the first “shock” of being completely responsible for myself, it became apparent that everything still was taken care of. I had a bed, a toilet, a kitchen niche with cooking equipment and (most important) a place to put on my laptop computer and internet connectivity. I would like to express that this was pretty uncommon for me and I at the beginning felt a bit awkward. I mean – this was more like a holiday house, not a home stay in a common sense. It’s hard to explain and I don’t want you to get a wrong impression, but please understand that it is a different way of home-staying than you might be used to. I am more used to taking part in a family’s life – interact, help and be helped, but in this case it felt more like living next door to each other – like … let’s say … like neighbors. The first time I met Tomoyuki and his family in person I got quite a strong impression. All of them just radiate the energy of a heartwarming, wonderful family which you absolutely want to be part of. The boys are adorable and energetic, Tomoyuki is a great listener and a mind full of ideas and fun and his wife made the impression she was so amazed by the pure energy of the three other family members I from time to time wanted to pat her hand and explain to her that I felt the same. In an earlier review I talked about how I felt on my very first home-staying, being afraid of breaking into an existing family and disturbing them. Well … yeah … that was exactly the feeling I had at this moment. Normally I am a pretty straight-forward person. I immediately know if I like someone or not. In this case it was hard for me to make out a point from where I could tell how I should (and could) react to the family. I missed the interaction in the beginning pretty much, especially as there was another guest doing stuff with the family I am used to doing with a home stay family: Going somewhere together, having dinner, playing and so on. I really got the feeling of “maybe they don’t like me”? In a short period of just a few days the building of a relation to the family accommodating you is not easiest. (And to be honest – that’s the reason I do home-staying for: Being with a family, getting some insight into the life of another culture, and maybe understanding how and why people in different countries are – or are not - different). I know: It can always be an on and off relationship before you finally find a way to connect. In this case it took maybe three, four days for us to bond, and after that things went pretty different. We did barbecue together, went to a public bath and I did a lot of stuff with the boys (they broke my record on Duolingo trying to learn English …). But that was just a short period. Three days later I already had to leave, which at that moment hit me quite hard, as I just had found a way of interaction and started to feel comfortable. So don’t get a wrong impression, please. This family is wonderful and heartwarming. It just maybe takes you a bit longer to really find a connection point. The house of Tomoyuki is located maybe a 5-10 minute walk away from Higashi-Nakagami station, where the local train between Akishima and Tachikawa is stopping. The next bigger hub is Tachikawa, from where you can take different lines towards Tokyo and other hubs in the greater Tokyo area. Notice that to central Tokyo it will take you somewhere between 30 and 50 minutes, depending on the train you take. And if you don’t want to enjoy the pulsating heart of Japans capital, you can spend your time exploring Akishima and/or Tachikawa. There are many places to see, and especially the Tachikawa Showa-Kinen-Park is a beauty in Spring, Summer and Autumn. Maybe you just want to go down the road and meet Japanese locals? Then the suburban area around Tomoyukis house will be the perfect spot for you. I for example met an elderly woman there. Her English was bad, my Japanese worse, so we understood each other perfectly and went to a shop near Higashi-Nakagami station, where she showed me some fruits and ingredients for Japanese cuisine. Another day I met a former box champion (at least he told me he was a box champion) now running a gym in Akishima. Though it was just a rather small stay, I made the acquaintance of quite a lot of people who were amazed to see a big European guy walking in the center of the suburbs trying to speak Japanese and of course they were eager to learn more about who I was and where I came from. A wonderful experience and especially the last evening at Tomoyukis house, meeting his Father and Mother and dining with the whole family exchanging wonderful and funny stories was the final highlight to my time in Akishima. But then again – on the next day I had to leave early on a 7-hour ride from Akishima to Fukuoka. And during that time it struck me that I, though I had felt weird in the beginning, already missed the small energetic family I left near Higashi-Nakagami station. I just didn’t have enough time around them. Which is a perfect reason to come back one day …

At the end of November 2017, I spent a couple of days and nights at the house of Emiko-san and her husband. It wasn’t the first time I did home-staying, so I was pretty sure the experience would be great. Especially judging from the first contacts we had which were pretty nice. Booking and all the considerations beforehand were taken care off in a pretty smooth way and communication was great. As always when I travel, things run pretty badly. I don’t know. Maybe it’s Karma or so, but on both the travel to and the travel away from Emiko’s house some small catastrophes happened, delaying my schedule and making it necessary for me to leave earlier. But in both ways Emiko was quick to adapt to the situation and support me, picking me up in Fukuoka and getting me back to the train station in Dazaifu when I had to leave. More on that later on. Emiko’s place is located in a suburban area, packed with small houses and – from my understanding – a typical element of a typical Japanese midsized town. Though there are a lot of people around, you barely hear any noise. The house is surprisingly big and all the rooms are tidy and well-maintained. The room I slept in was “small” for most Europeans, BUT had enough space for me and my luggage. Though I am a pretty big person and normally need a lot of space, I felt quite cozy there and never had any problem. Sometimes there are ravens partying at night in front of the window, but those moments are rare (not to say “raaaaw”). Emiko and her husband are both joyous people and always interested in talking and hearing stories. It’s just the right balance between the urge to stay informed about what the guests want to do and how they can assist and the feeling when it’s enough and the guests want to relax. I felt really comfortable around them. Especially as Emiko is a great cook and presents a lot of different, quite delicious meals of local cuisine, different Japanese styles and a lot of entertaining Japanese TV shows you can talk about while eating. I think we laughed quite a lot and it improved my knowledge of Japanese again. Emiko also does a lot of activities, but nevertheless takes her time to do something with her guests, at least when they are willing to do something. I for example was able to accompany her to the big Buddha statue of Nanzo-in, a temple complex in Sasaguri, where we spent a nice and interesting day exploring the area, enjoying the unique nature and the gigantic statue that depicts the dying Buddha at the edge of death. On another day, we visited Fukuoka where during that time some kind of light festival was taking place in the ruins of Fukuoka castle. A really magic and inspiring evening, that still lingers in my head. When Emiko doesn’t have got time to accompany one or you just want to do things on your own, she still is able to provide you with some helpful insights into the surrounding area, like the different places of Fukuoka, Dazaifu and other areas of Kyūshū (like, for example Kagoshima and Sakurajima). As mentioned before, Emiko’s house is located in a suburban environment, so it is not “all too” close to the next station, which is Nishitetsu Gojo station. It’s a 10-15 minutes walk from Emiko’s house. From there on you can take the local train to Dazaifu station (Terminus) or to Nishitetsu Futsukaichi, where you have to transfer to another Nishitetsu line towards Fukuoka Tenjin OR walk another 6-7 minutes to JR Futsukaichi station, from where you can take the train towards Fukuoka Hakata station. If you want to be transported right into the heart of Fukuoka, then Tenjin station might be your call. If you want to catch the next Shinkansen, then Hakata station is the place you want to choose. Of course you can go to Fukuoka and then change between both stations, but it’s a 30 minute walk from one station to the other (and I never used the bus, so I can’t give you an advice on that). But to be honest: there are a lot of places in Dazaifu to explore, a museum and a really big temple, so I think that – even if you just spend a few days at Emiko’s house – it will be totally worth it! A perfect place if you want to explore the main hubs of Southern Japan.

At the beginning of December I spent about a week at Chiaki’s home in Takatsuki between Osaka and Kyoto. As I had travelled Japan by that time for more than a month, there were plenty of situations and experiences I wanted to think and talk about and I wasn’t sure if I had found the right family to do so. But already the first contact with Chiaki proved that she had a perfect understanding of my situation and during our E-Mail exchange I became more and more confident that I had made the right decision to stay with her family during my last homestay of that particular travel. Chiaki provided me with a bunch of information regarding her home, especially the different ways how to get there and certain places of interest in the vicinity. That made it easy for me to get to the place and there, I eventually met a kind and funny woman and her family who made me feel comfortable from the first moment on. Chiaki and her husband both speak English, which made conversation pretty easy and they both provided assistance when I tried to learn new Japanese words to improve my rather simple Japanese step by step. Their son speaks little English, but nonetheless we were able to understand each other by using a mixture of English, Japanese and gestures. It was great to talk about the experiences I had in Japan, discuss them and maybe put them into a greater context. Together with other guests, Chiaki, her husband and I talked about a lot of different topics, ranging from jobs and hobbies up to history and politics. Most of those talks took place during the evenings, when we had dinner or afterwards. And the dinner was great! Chiaki is a great cook and every evening, we were preparing the table and parts of the food together, so I also had a great insight into cooking with Japanese families. But not only provided Chiaki me with delicious food, she also helped me when I had to send some stuff home, offering me a box for the goods and detailing to me some of the characteristics I had to be aware of when using Japan post. She really took much pride in making me feel at home. But it was not only her and her family who made me feel comfortable, also their house was a great place to stay. My room was spacious and very clean and the place itself was easily accessible by several bus lines and even on foot. Takatsuki station is a hub for JR trains going towards Kyoto or Osaka central stations, taking around 15-20 minutes in each direction. Via a smaller station near to JR station Hankyu Kyoto Main line is also accessible allowing travelers to proceed to Osaka (Umeda station) or Kyoto (Kawaramachi station) and all available stations in between, of course. But in the end, it was most fun to explore the immediate area and get in conversation with local people. And the fact that it didn’t take long for me to make friends with not only people I met in Takatsuki but also with some of the guests at the house is a clear signal for me to come back to my Japanese family in Takatsuki between Osaka and Kyoto one day.

During late November and early December of 2016, I spent around a week at Isabella’s home in Yao, Osaka prefecture. Already beforehand we had made contact via Homestay.com and continued exchanging details for the stay via e-mail. All went pretty fast and smooth. The house itself is rather easy to find, though google maps suggested a pretty weird route to get to it. It was due to this weird routing that I got lost and ended up being somewhere else. Locals of the area proved to be pretty helpful getting me back on track, and though she has two little kids to take care of, Isabella came to pick me up from a spot we decided to be the meeting place. She turned out to be a very humorous person and the fact that she is of European origin makes it quite interesting to talk with her. Her English proved to be outstanding and the range of topics we were able to talk about impressed me pretty much. I also met her kids, who are present all the time and at least I felt like they welcomed me to the family very fast. And though having children keeps her busy for a good amount of time, Isabella nevertheless assisted me in my daily plans, explained the area to me and showed me places of interest. The home itself is located in a more or less quiet residential neighborhood, with shops and restaurants in walking distance. The next train station is Kawachi-Yamamoto, operated by Kintetsu Railway and about 10 minutes on foot away. From there, you can access two lines, Shigi-line for Shigisanguchi and Osaka line for Kawachi-Kokubu, Yamato-Yagi and Nabari as well as Yao, Fuse and Osaka Uehommachi. Though I spent almost every day on small expeditions, I used the time at Isabella’s home mostly for resting from the travels I had done beforehand, and especially the balcony of my room proved to be the perfect spot for that. From there I had a great view on the city and mainly in the evenings, I enjoyed the scenery pretty much. So the days went by and when I finally had to leave, I felt a bit sad. But then again, I am looking forward to returning to Isabella’s place one day

During the midst of November I spent a week in Moriguchi, Osaka at Megumi’s home. Already beforehand we had exchanged some e-mails, and this first contact made me worry a bit that I may have made a mistake: the exchange of information was quite rudimentary and the whole process of making contact felt like it ran very slowly in the beginning. The lack of reviews on her page deepened this impression. It took a few e-mails until it was clear that each other was new to the site and then, like in a heartbeat, the understanding improved drastically. The e-mail exchange became regularly and I soon felt more and more comfortable, as I received a pretty good help regarding the directions and lines I had to take on my trip to her house. When I arrived at Osaka and had some problems finding the right way, Megumi immediately provided assistance though we just were connected by e-mail at that time. When we finally met, it turned out she was a wonderful and heartwarming person, who laughs a lot and radiates that kind of fun and happiness that makes you feel welcome and comforts you from the first moment onwards. Already in the beginning, we had some good laughs and joked around a lot. Though Megumi had told me her English wasn’t as good as it used to be in earlier days, it proved to be excellent and her husband also spoke some English, which made conversation every easy. Every morning Megumi provided me with a delicious breakfast and we talked about the daily plans or current news. In the evening, we continued talking or had dinner while we watched TV and so it felt like I became part of the family very fast and smoothly. The house was quite modern as well as clean and spacious, and so was my room. Though I spent a lot of time outside exploring Osaka city, I was happy to come home every evening, get into my room and oversleep on the next day. Exploring Osaka from Dainichi-station, a station just 5 minutes of walk away from Megumi’s house, is pretty easy using the Tanichmachi subway (from Dainichi station towards Yaominami station) or the Osaka Monorail (towards Kadoma-shi station and Osaka Airport). It should be noted though that using Tanimachi-line requires you to change trains in most cases. On the other hand, you can walk towards Umeda station, a hub station for several lines in about 18 minutes (or just go there by Tanimachi-line). A local place worth of exploration is Aeon Mall, a shopping mall which is situated in the direct vicinity to Tanimachi-station and which approximately requires half a day to be fully explored. In the end it wasn’t just the realization of the fact that I still hadn’t discovered all the shops at Aeon Mall that made me decide to come back some day. It was more the feeling that I won not only friends but a family in Moriguchi.

My second time I did homestaying was with Yoko-san and Aki-san in Minamidai in Shinjuku. Our first E-Mail exchange was shortly after my booking, and Yoko was quite quick to respond to every question I had. Unfortunately on the day of my arrival, she had to work, so she explained me all the details how to get to her house and what I had to be aware of beforehand. Aki-san was already waiting for me and took much pride in explaining me everything. Though he said he didn’t know any English, he was doing his best in providing me with all the information I needed – and actually did a pretty good job. So I immediately lost my insecurity how to talk to him. His Japanese was easy enough for me to understand and he knew enough English words to explain the house and the surrounding area. When Yoko came home, she also greeted me and prepared dinner, which was quite delicious, and while I ate, we had our first talks, in which both Yoko and Aki showed great interest in the places I had been before and where I wanted to go. They took much effort in supporting me in my daily plans by giving suggestions and ideas where to go and which trains or buses were to take. It is sad that our schedules differed so much, so we couldn’t spend much time talking, but when we did, I was surprised by how much Aki-san knew about history. That didn’t include just the history of Japan, but also the United States, Europe and Asian countries. I wish my teacher had been of so much enthusiasm for his subject as Aki-san! But not only that. Aki-san also predicted travelling times of trains, busses and even express trains with upmost accuracy, which impressed me even more. When I wanted to go somewhere, he knew when I had to start at the house to reach my destination in time and just out of curiosity, I checked if he was right. He was. Everytime. And his breakfast is delicious, too! Talking to Yoko was fun, too. We had many good laughs! Yokos and Akis house is located in a more or less residential neighborhood but still very close to one of the main roads. That means that on one hand, you have got some useful places in the vicinity; a supermarket, a 24-hour-store and some restaurants and food shops, but then again you just need to take Keio-busses 32, 33 and 35 to reach Shinjuku station in a short time. On the other hand, in takes a short walk of approximately 5-10 minutes to reach Honancho station from where Marunouchi subway trains are departing towards Nakano-sakaue, a metro hub. In the evening, I was happy to get back to the house and take a rest from my excursions. My room was spacious and cozy, so I enjoyed the time at home as well as being on the road and I am sure that when I someday come back to Shinjuku, I will get in touch with Yoko and Aki and see if they maybe have got a room for me.

In November 2016, I spent four days and three nights at the house of Tomoko-san and her family. It was the first time that I tried homestaying somewhere else than at places I already had been to before and with persons I already knew for a long time, so I was quite nervous and uncertain if I really had made the right decision. After all, it was me who would be breaking into an existing family. What if my presence would be considered a burden? However, already the first e-mail swept away my concerns. Tomoko was very friendly and helpful, supplying me with what can be considered an all-round carefree package of information: Which train or bus was to take from where to where and how much would it cost, if there were some places I was interested in and if she should reserve some tickets for me, if I had some food allergies, and so on. On the other hand she responded to every of my questions in a quick and comprehensive way which took away my fear I somehow could commit a blunder that would make me feel ashamed for the rest of my life. When we met in Japan this impression deepened. Tomoko is a really great person, humorous and full of joyous interest towards the stories of her guests. She shows a lot of affection for what she is doing, which results in the fact that you know you’re in another person’s house, but then again you really feel you are at home. She really did her best to assist me in my daily plans. She showed me parts of the Tachikawa area and explained to me those hubs from where on I could reach the destinations that were of interest to me. If she did not know something, she would find out incredibly fast. Her English was always great, and together with her open-minded nature she provided an extremely calming support. I also met her daughter, who too had good knowledge of English and her cats, who did not speak English, but nevertheless were present all time and took the same pride in making the guests feel comfortable as did their human housemates. The house itself is located in a rather quiet area in Tachikawa, and even if the noise of cars is audible from time to time, it’s not like you really feel harassed by it. But speaking of transportation: Nishi-Kunitachi station (for Nambu line towards Tachiklawa or Kawasaki) is about a 5-minute walk away from the house and in the opposite direction you can reach Tachikawa station in about 15 minutes on foot, from where you can access Nambu Line, Chou Line, Tamatoshi Monorail and various buses. However I figured the ultimately best way to explore the area was on foot, which will lead you to Showa-Kinen-Park sooner or later, where you can enjoy the early afternoon near to a JGSDF air base – helicopter noise all-inclusive. So, I spend the time with Tomoko-san and her family with plenty of good food, a lot of fun and laughter, as well as long discussions and the impression that it’s not so difficult to be at home in a foreign country. A perfect start for me into homestaying and assuming the cats do not vote against it, I will surely come back.