I had an amazing three months staying with Miki. I have so many great memories of meeting local people, seeing interesting sights and most importantly finding out about Japanese culture. Miki’s house is in the beautiful countryside and there are so many places to visit nearby. I travelled around mainly by bike which was really easy and was the best way to take in the atmosphere of Meiwa. Although it is quite rural all of the essential amenities are nearby and I never found a problem trying to find anything I needed. Ise and Matsusaka are really close and they are really convenient for anything I couldn’t find in the local area. When I wanted to go to a big city like Osaka, Nagoya or Kyoto it was easy to get there for a day trip. It only takes a few hours by train to get to all of the big sites in Kansai from Meiwa. Everyone in the neighborhood was really polite, friendly and welcoming. I got many chances to spend time with local people and make some great friends whom I definitely plan on coming to visit again! Every now and then were events held by the local town committee or in the surrounding area. It was interesting to see all of the local and unique festivals which are often looked over by tourists. Miki’s vision of creating a place where all different cultures can mix and learn to understand each other is very inspiring. I hope that people can continue to learn from each other at the house and it was really nice to see the difference that the cultural exchange is making to the local community. I have learnt so much from staying with Miki and I would love to come and visit again.