Home stay - shared by Jim

I could write a book about the homestay but I will be brief (grateful applause from readers).

My homestay family of Masafumi Nishida (father, Panasonic engineer), Eri (mother and teacher at Senri High School) and Satoki (son, high school student) did a great job of keeping me entertained with interesting activities. My homestay family is shown standing in front of their house (not too big, not too small, just right!)

During my homestay I experienced:

*shopping at an upscale grocery, bakery and dessert store,
* joining the extended family (including grandfather Yasuo, grandmother Setsuko, and brother Hiroke) for a great evening of exotic (to me) food cooked at the table in the Yakinku style (sadly it takes more than that to make squid taste good), calligraphy, and (thank goodness for Hiroke the translating brother) spirited discussion,
*experiencing incredible generosity and hospitality not only from the host family but also from Masafumi’s parents,

Yasuo taught me a little calligraphy, and my writing of the word "dreams" could actually be read by others in the group,

Yasuo also gave me a beautiful ink brush drawing titled "Lakeside fresh breeze". Thank goodness I didn't have to write that in Japanese characters!

To be fair, this incredible Yakinku dinner (which translates to "bake meat") included a large amount of nicely marbled (Kobe-style) beef. So the octopus and squid were exotic components of a very satisfying meal.

*boating down the shallow but whitewater Hozugawa River (redundant as gawa means river but I am showing off ),
* a boiling public bath in Kyoto, as if I wasn’t already steaming in the ambient air temperature of 99,

* a wonderful bento box meal as part of a traditional lunch in a ryokan (Japanese inn) in Kyoto,
*a stroll through an absolutely beautiful Japanese garden,

* a wide ranging bike ride (next time I want a bigger bike!) through the back alleys and hinterland of Kyoto, including a spin through the incredible bamboo forest,
* many connections with kids, farmers, ice cream vendors, etc. during the bike ride,

*watching my homestay family have a life changing experience – eating frosted cinnamon Pop-Tarts for their first time, (ever tried Pop-Tarts with chopsticks?)

*trying to figure out where to put your clothes and towel while taking a shower (a continuing mystery),
*a visit with the neighbors of the Nishidas (note to next chaperon – learn how to make conversation in Japanese!)

*wading through a stream in the Setutukyou area to join friends of Eri for a holiday cook-out by the edge of a stream (no squid or octopus…they must have been holding back the good stuff!)
*visiting one of Eri’s colleagues who served some awesome white peaches (I’d like one right now!) and some high powered super sweet juice and delicious cakes,
*biking through the neighborhoods and the local market near the Nishida’s home,
*checking out a fireworks/bridal/”congratulations on your baby daughter” store on the way to the farewell dinner (not to say that this was the reason we were late…)
*trying to say funny phrases like “Wood Whittlers” and laughing together for a long time,
*eating several delicious meals prepared and served by Eri (next time I’m expecting those grits for breakfast!),
*working through our language barriers with an electronic translator in hand,
*a wonderful heartfelt connection with my homestay family, a connection that hopefully will bring us together again in the future, sooner rather than later.