Although it was never clearly stated as to what the lyrics to this song truly meant it’s hard to deny that truer words have never been spoken… at least when it comes to the weekend I spent with a Japanese host family. Now one of the nice options about a program like JCMU is that you are given a choice between signing on for a full time home stay or they have what’s called a weekend home stay. The weekend home stay entails of one weekend starting on Friday evening and lasting till Sunday at any given time designated by the host family and the hostee in which 2,000 odd yen (just over $25 in the US) will allow you the experience of a true Japanese family. In most cases this host family and the student get along well and meet up for lunch among other things on occasion, in my case however, I became Japanese if only for a little bit and received my very own Japanese family.
The weekend started off without a hitch. The family came to pick me up including host mother and the two boys, dad being a typical Japanese business man he was rarely seen at the house. The house was amazing, even more so by Japanese standards and I quickly found myself becoming at home as well as at ease with the family as we ate a dinner entitled “shabu shabu.”A dish hailing from Korea it is meat and veggies and noodles placed into a large pot of boiling water in the middle of the table and allows the whole family to participate as they uniquely create their own food with a choice of sauces and soups placed in front of them as well. We ate and chatted to our hearts content and afterwards we discussed plans for the weekend and ate the cake I’d bought as a souvenir/thank you gift for the family.
Saturday morning came and we discussed the day’s plans over breakfast. We decided we’d head over to a historical town nearby where we’d stop off at a famous café known for its amazing views as well as neat little pasta dishes for lunch before riding the rope train to the top of the mountain to view the castle ruins. Upon reaching the top of the mountain I was greeted with an amazing view of the Shiga prefecture and it’s surroundings as well as a step into the past with the ruins and the temple that lay there in its stead. After spending some time traversing the steps and taking in the great view we walked around the rest of the old merchant town which was like stepping back in time into a more historical Japan. A quick visit to another famous café known for its fresh banbuku pan and with a sweet treat in my stomach it was time to head home for a make your own sushi night comparable to that of taco night in the states.
Sunday included another look into a different time in history and a trip to a traditional Japanese onsen. Onsen translates to Japanese bath and for those of you who don’t know what a Japanese bathhouse is like let me give you a shortened and somewhat biased description. First you step into a locker room like that in any YMCA stateside where you will begin to take off all of your clothing. You are given a towel about the size of a hand towel for a purpose I never honestly figured out. We are greeted by showers and several other women sitting in about a foot or two of steaming hot water complete with birthday suits all bantering away happily. Now if you are Japanese you might get a glance from the other woman as you pass them by to first shower and then place yourself inside the warm waters to soak. If, however, you happen to be a lanky blonde like myself you will be greeted with gazes of awe struck silence upon your arrival. Welcome to Japan! Once they get used to your presence the stairs tend to die down and you too can enjoy the relaxed feeling that comes from being in two feet of water heated by volcanic rocks beneath the surface to such a degree that it will cause your skin to wrinkle within minutes and one must be weary of the fainting that is caused from overheating. Follow the Japanese lead correctly, though, and you are brought the relaxation of a lifetime as the stress and tension in your muscles literally melt away.
As my onsen experience ended my time with my family was slowly dwindling. Before I left them however I was told that I was always welcome back to visit that the boys had a blast I was even regarded as “onee-chan” once which in English translates to older sister. As I was saying goodbye I was told that this would always be my very own Japanese family…
