Japanese home visits
 

I have been doing some research on the home visits with Japanese families in their homes that you can do while traveling in Japan. Has anyone ever done this and if so can you tell me about the experience? We are thinking of doing this in Kyoto one evening.

Hi emd. Did you see the recent newsletter from Shizuko-san at gojapan.about.com? It featured a link to a thread about homestays. You might take a look at it. I scanned through it and saw the following link:
http://www.eiljapan.org/incoming/homestay/ihp.html

Thanks very much. I am having problems getting into that link, but my computer is a bit hosed up right now too; I'll keep trying.
I sent you and kuranosuke a message on a good restaurant- check it out, it is better than most JP places in the NVA area, imo.

Hi emd. I think the Kyoto tourist office can arrange short-term visits with local families, but I don't know anyone who has done it. How long will you be staying in Japan on this trip? Do you want to visit with locals in Kyoto - or other cities too?

There's a great international organization called SERVAS that is all about connecting travelers with local people, both for short visits (coffeee, day visits, dinner) or stays up to 2 or 3 nights. There are hosts all over Japan who would be happy to meet you. First you have to join though, and if you're just interested in a one night Kyoto visit, then it may not be the ideal option for you. Anyway, it's servas.org (main international site) and servas.or.jp (has English too) if you want to check it out.

Hi Mealea, I am glad you are back around here. I have many of your old posts printed out for our trip.
On this trip (leaving 4 wks from today) of 14 days I am traveling w/my 14 yr old son, and we have time for one evening w/a local family. I think Kyoto is the best place to do that for us as we have 7 nights there (w/some day trips). I will look into the info you supplied. Also, we are going back before the end of the year and I will keep the info for the second trip w/him.
We have met the man who will be my son's Japanese teacher in high school all 4 yrs (starting next year). We are already talking to him about my family hosting a Japanese high school boy in our home next fall for 2 wks, on an exchange program. And if we do that, then my son may spend time in Japan on an exchange program too, and really get to know some people there.

Mealea, I have been hoping to get some info from you on your recommendation last fall to another poster that he should visit Kibune and Kurama from Kyoto. I started researching that one little post of yours, and it has turned into a whole day of our trip. I will top the post so if you have any more info, please reply. And thank you for providing the spark for that day we will have- we love to hike and your recommendation helped us find a good place to do that outside of Kyoto.