General Host Family Advice!

[hplinkett]

Hey folks!

So I'm packin' up and leavin' for Japan in 2 weeks, and I couldn't be more excited! One of my friends and I will be staying in apartments near Kanazawa Institute of Technology, where we'll be taking classes for 6 weeks. As part of the program, we spend one weekend with a host family. Frankly, that's the part I'm most nervous about!

So, my intention is to start a general thread where people can post any and all advice they have toward staying with a host family (dining etiquette, how to refer to the host family members, gift ideas, making sure to shut the bathroom door, etc.). Hopefully someone can help put my anxiety to rest and help out any future travelers as well.

Apologies in advance if there's already been a similar post! (I searched a bit to try and make sure!)

Thanks, and happy posting!

-H. Plinkett

[becki_kanou]

Basically, just try to be polite and friendly and use as much Japanese as you can.

Call your home-stay parents お父さん (otousan) and お母さん(okaasan) and any home-stay siblings by their name + さん [san] (you can also use ちゃん [chan] for girls, or 君 [kun] for boys, if they're significantly younger than you).

As for gifts, something small that represents your home town/ home country is good; eg: stickers, pencils, postcards, key rings or non-perishable snacks from your local area. Just remember not to give anything in multiples of four. Bringing pictures of your family, pets, friends, school, and town is also a good idea and can be a great conversation starter.

[coco]

I think you might be interested in these threads.
Places to visit near Kanazawa?
Gift ideas for host family
Host family life...
Japanese homestay
Gifts for Hosts?
Japanese Table Manners

[two_heads_talking]

Apologies in advance if there's already been a similar post! (I searched a bit to try and make sure!)

Thanks, and happy posting!

-H. Plinkett

it's ok, cocosan saved your search-fu by posting up 6 posts that are similar.

[Mike Cash]

Perhaps this belongs in a Wiki.