I met my host sister Runa at Kokutaji HIgh School and we instantly bonded over our abysmal ping pong skills. As we walked around campus and got to know each other I was struck by how good her English was and many of my worries about the homestay began to disappear. I did not know it at the time but this was the start of what was going to be an amazing weekend. After the events at the school were done I got to meet her mother, father, and twelve year old brother when they all came to pick me up. As we began our car ride even more of my nerves went away because I could see how excited they were to have me and how much effort went into preparing for my visit.
Both Runa’s mother and father had downloaded translation apps onto their phones so that they could communicate with me more easily.
As we drove I learned that we were going to Runa’s grandparents house to spend the first night because her mother, who teaches kindergarten, had a graduation ceremony to do the next day. Once we got to her grandparent’s house we dropped off our stuff and got back in the car with her grandparents to go to dinner. Both of her grandparents were extremely kind and despite the language barrier her grandfather was also quite hilarious. For dinner we had takoyaki and okonomiyaki and both were very delicious. As we ate the family asked me so many questions about my family and what life is like in Hawaii. We communicated through a mixture of the translation app, Runa translating, and my bits and pieces of Japanese, but in the end always managed to get the message across somehow. After dinner we drove back to the house and we all hung out in the living room where I gave them the omiage that I had brought from Hawaii. I gave both Runa’s parents and her grandparents a Hawaii calendar and this lead to more discussions about Hawaii and what it is like to live there. Sitting on the floor around a table in their warm living room I already felt like one of the family. After that it was early to bed because we had a big day of exploring the next day.
The second day of my homestay started with a breakfast prepared by Runa’s grandmother. After that Runa showed me a game on her phone that she uses to practice her english and we all had a lot of fun playing that together, even her father and brother played. Once we all drug ourselves away from the cozy living room and got dressed we went out for a bit of sightseeing in the area around the house. First we walked to a park just up the street and Runa and I went on the swings, something I had not done in ages! Then they took me to a shrine where I got a piece of paper with my fortune on it and we spent a couple minutes trying to translate it into English. As we were walking to our next destination we walked past another park and had to stop for a few minutes to play on the swings again. When we were done there we walked to a traditional Japanese snack store where the candy and snacks were basically all less that 100 yen a piece.
Once we got back to the house from the store we had to refrain from immediately consuming all the candy we had bought because it was time to go out for lunch. For lunch we got udon from this amazing shop that made the udon right in front of you as you walked down the line to pay. We also got some tempura with our udon that was absolutely amazing! After lunch we went to Daiso (my third one this trip!) and did some shopping. Then we went back to the house and had to pack up our bags because Runa’s mother had just gotten back to her house after the graduation ceremony and we were going to meet her there. Once I said thank you and goodbye to Runa’s grandmother we piled into the car and drove to Runa’s house. Once we got there I was overjoyed to realize that Runa’s two dogs I had been hearing about were the sweetest and best dogs I had ever met. They were almost as excited as I was, it was beautiful! After I was allowed a few minutes to put my stuff down and play with the dogs we were off again. We drove to a mall about an hour from their house and they took me around to all the places they like to shop. We even went into an arcade where we played a fun fishing game that is one of their favorites. After all the shopping we got some ice cream, I got green tea flavor, and we returned to the car. We then drove to a sushi restaurant that we super busy because it was the day of a bunch of school graduations. We found out that the wait was 70 minutes and so we drove over to an outlet store nearby and did some more shopping until it was time for us to go back and eat. When we sat down I began to see why there was such a long wait and that the wait was 100% worth it. The restaurant was a conveyor belt sushi restaurant where different kinds of sushi are constantly traveling past you on a conveyor belt and you just grab what you want. You could also order specific things off the menu that would show up at the table via conveyor belt as well. The sushi was AMAZING, some of the best I had ever had and the plates quickly piled up at our table. Once we finished our sushi experience we drove back to the house and after playing with the dogs for a bit, I went to sleep.
In the morning we ate breakfast together and I had some melon pan breadsticks (I wasn’t bready for this magical new type of melon pan). Since I had mentioned to my host mother that I did origami and since she taught her kindergarteners some origami we all sat down to fold some together. I learned a new design and I taught them all how to make a design. Again I was struck by how much I really felt like a part of the family. Once we were done with the origami I made sure all my stuff was packed and we played a game on their Wii that I was completely awful at, but it was still tons of fun. While we played Runa’s mom kept bringing out different types of Japanese candy and snacks for us to eat. Once we finished our game we loaded up the car with all my stuff and drove out to a collection of stores by the ocean. Apparently that day there was some sort of event that involved people bringing their dogs and so there were dogs everywhere and it was wonderful. We meandered about looking at shops, enjoying the view, and we even got to see a street performer juggling fire. As we got in the car together one last time to drive back to the high school I realized that the moment where I would have to say goodbye to these wonderful people was growing nearer. Once we got to the school and I was reunited with the chaperones and other students I could see on the faces of everyone around that all of us had had an amazing two days and that saying goodbye was going to be even harder that any of us had imagined. I tried my best to thank my host family for all they had done for me but I don’t think I had the words to express my gratitude for this amazing thing that they had done for me. They brought me into their home and made me feel like a part of the family and somehow made me feel at home in this foreign country. I will never forget what they did for me in the two days I spent with them and will be forever grateful. They went from being a host family to family.
Origami
Sarah's host sister
The cutest dogs
Delicious Okonomiyaki and Takoyaki dinner
Game Time!
The host father is taking the picture.
At the park near by.
Cutest bird.
Conveyer belt sushi restaurant. How many sushi did we eat?
The nicest people I have ever met.
