HOMESTAY!!!

Rebecca Carbajal

HOMESTAY! My FAVORITE part of this trip. 
After visiting the university, we were all so fortune to be welcomed into the home of a traditional style Japanese family in the town of Asakura. I joined the Umeno Family for one night. I had grandparents, a mom, two brothers, and a dog! Their home was gorgeous!! They were a family of carpenters and built the home 50 years ago. They had many different trees including plum trees that the grandpa takes care of and prunes each year. He is also known for a special kind of mochi that he taught us how to make. Our host mom made us at least 25 traditional Japanese dishes that all came from their garden! It was delicious. They even took us to the Onsen, a natural hot spring from the mountains. The littlest brother taught us origami. They didn’t speak an ounce of English but that was the best part. We were able to connect with them even though we could not communicate through our languages. This was an incredible experience that I will never forget and I am so grateful for my host family and the culture and traditions that they showed me.