Homestay, October 14 and 15, 2006

I spent the past two days with a wonderful family in Chigasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture. I did not ask them for permission to put them on the Internet, so I will respect their privacy by not naming them. I will tell you that the homestay experience was wonderful. This family welcomed me into their home, so that I could see what their lives were like.

They fed me delicious food and took me wonderful places. They made me feel like a member of the family.

I climbed up a high hill to visit Odowara Castle and mandered around shinto shrines and photographed 3, 5, and 7 year old boys and girls dressed in beautiful kimonos for the celebration of the children's festival.

I ate juicy fruits, salty seasonings and lots of delicious raw fish.

I learned a technique for making beautiful collages out of torn paper, practiced my Kanji calligraphy and learned that it takes 11 separate steps to dress in a kimono!

We went to the biggest grocery store I have ever seen. Everything was beautifully displayed, including ther fresh fish.

Many of my fellow teachers and friends think that I have a lot of energy, but my beautiful hostess put me to shame with her whirlwind of activity. She cooked delicious meals and served as my sensei (teacher) for my Japanese culture lessons.

My host picked persimmons off the trees in the garden, drove me to many fascinating places and shared his books of Japanese Art and language.

What an amazing couple, and what a remarkable weekend. I'll let a few of the pictures tell the story.