My Host Family

I moved into my host family's house today. Meeting my okaasan (mom) for the first time was pretty cool. She drove me back with my huge suitcases and I tried to understand her speaking at 100 mph (well maybe km/h here) as we're on the way home. I manage to make out maybe 30% of what she's saying, and just smile and nod for the rest of it. The house is pretty big, and I get my own room which is pretty nice. My host sister is 31, and my host mom is 72. My sister recently moved out of the house since she works in Osaka, which is like an hour away. So that means I get her room which is pretty sweet. The stairs here are pretty steep and narrow, and all the floors are wooden. Some of the doors are sliding doors but most here have hinges. My bed consists of a frame with a wooden mat on it, and then a 2 inch thick "mattress" which is more comfortable than I thought it would be.


Me and my Okaasan when she came to pick me up.


Brian and his host mom.


Pat and her host parents.



Erin and her family.


Sandy and her mom.


Nate + his Okaasan.


My bed before it's made.


Afterwards.



My desk and bookshelf.


After I unpack all my stuff.


The balcony outside my window.


The view from my balcony.



Another angle.


My host family and me :).


The dining room.


And the living room.




My host sister took me around a temple about 5 minutes from our house.






The bamboo forest in the mountains next to the temple.


A statue at the temple.


The entrance to a nearby shrine.

Well it's been a pretty eventful weekend so far, there's a BBQ tomorrow with some Japanese students, and then class on Monday.

Check out the rest of my picture gallery from my host family.