Homestay Q & A

What is Homestay?

It is a program that offers you an opportunity to experience Japanese culture and Japanese lifestyle through staying and living with a Japanese family.

Will my Japanese be improved if I stay with a host family?

Yes, that is for sure. You will not only speak Japanese with classmates school but also get lots of chances to practice Japanese at your host family. You will soon see the improvement in your Japanese learning.

As I cannot speak Japanese well, I am worried about staying with a Japanese family ...

You do not need to worry about it at all ! The host family has already understood that you cannot speak Japanese well at first when they accept you to stay with them. Besides, most of the host families are fairly experienced in hosting international students. So you really do not need to worry.

Do all of the host families have the experience of hosting foreign students?

Not all but most families have the experience of hosting international students. If it is the first time for a family to host foreign students, the staff of our institute will carefully orient the family through the ways of hosting international students.

What is the everyday schedule like ?

Please refer to the following tables.

	Class A.M.	Class P.M.	The typical conversations between a student and the members of a host family
6:00 7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00 7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00	Wake up Breakfast To school Class9:10 | | | | | | 12:40 Lunch Free time Shopping Sightseeing Go home Dinner Chatting Homework Take a bath Go to bed	Wake up Breakfast Free time Shopping Sightseeing To school Lunch Class1:30| | | | | | | 5:00 Go home Dinner Chatting Homework Take a bath Go to bed	「What is your schedule today?」 「Where are you going?」 「What time will you come home?」 「It's a fine day today, isn't it?」 「What did you learn today?」 「What did you do today?」 「What did you eat for lunch?」 「Do you like the food?」 「Do you have the same food in your country？」 「How much is it?」 「Do you have a TV program like this in your country？」

How long does it take to go to school from the host family's house？

It depends on the location of the host family's house. It usually takes 50 - 60 minutes.

Where are usually the host family's houses located？

They are located in the Tokyo Area, Kanagawa Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture and Saitama Prefecture.

Are there any host families living near from the school？

Though our school is located in the central areas of Tokyo, most host families live in the suburban area of Tokyo. And taking 90-120 minutes to go to school or work is quite normal for the people living in suburban areas of Tokyo.

How much is the fare from a host family's house to the school？

It depends on the location of the host family's house. As for a one-way ticket, it usually costs about \500 to \700. If you buy a monthly pass, it usually costs \15,000 to \20,000 per month.

Is there a bed in the bedroom？

Usually, there is a bed in western style room. In a Japanese style room, usually you sleep on a "FUTON"(a Japanese mattress) spread on the "Tatami". However, there will be a bed even in a Japanese style room.

Is there a shower in the house？

Most families have a shower and a bathtub in the bathroom, but some will only have a bathtub. Japanese usually go into the bathtub at night, but take a shower in the morning.

What kind of dishes will be served at the host families' homes？

The host family will provide you 2 meals (breakfast and dinner) on weekdays, and 3 meals( lunch included) on weekends.
Breakfast ・・・Western food---bread, coffee, tea, eggs, fruit, yogurt etc.
Japanese food---steamed rice, miso soup, broiled fish, and Japanese pickles etc.
Lunch ・・・There are a lot of restaurants or eating places around our school.
You can have everything from Japanese noodles to hamburgers.
Dinner ・・・spagetti, curry rice, boiled & broiled fishes, vegetable salad, vinegary dishes etc.

What is the typical structure of a host family？

There are various types of families. For example,

• Mother, father, children （elementary, junior high school, high school, and college students）
• Mother and father
• Mother and children
• Grandmother, grandfather, mother, father, and children

What are the characteristics of host families?

Each host family has its own characteristics. For example.

Type of host family	Characteristics
Father and mother are in their 20s or 30s.	＊You will be able to stay with the family like you are just visiting one of your friends` home. ＊As the age of you and the age of your home stay` father and mother are close, it's easy to find common topics to talk about.
Father and mother are in their 40s or 50s.	＊The children of this type of host family are usually teenagers or in their 20s. So they tend to be busy with their work, study or part-time jobs.
Father and mother are in their 60s or 70s.	＊The parents in this type of families are rich in life experience. Even though you may not speak perfect Japanese, they will have patience to listen to you. ＊The children in this type of families are usually independent from their parents. The father and mother will treat you like their own child.

May I use the internet at the host family's home?

It depends on the families. Some families have a computer. Some do not. However, you can always use the computers at our institute.

Host families are usually what kind of people ?

They are people eager to communicate with the international students. They are also people who are learning foreign languages, like English, Chinese or Korean. They may also like traveling and may have traveled to many different countries

When should I apply for homestay？

The sooner the better. The earlier you apply, the more chance we will have to find a family that will suit yyou.

How long can I stay with the host family？

Minimum stay is 2 weeks. Of course, you can even stay for 6-months or every 1 year

When can I start staying with my host family?

Your lesson starts on a Monday. So, you can start your stay from Saturday, that is 2 days before your lesson starts.

For questions, please Contact us.