日本で留学生迎える方法は、まず最初にAFS日本協会に登録を行う必要があります。ホストファミリーを行うための条件としては、異文化交流を通じ公正で平和な世界の実現を目指すといった協会の精神に共感したうえで、留学生を家族の一員として温かく迎え入れることができる家庭であることとなっています。英語がしゃべれない、家が狭い、同世代の子供がいないなどといった心配もあるかもしれませんが、このようなことに心配は必要ありません。夫婦二人だけの家庭や、両親どちらが単身赴任中であっても、ホストファミリーになることができます。生活習慣や文化的な背景の異なる留学生の生活することができる柔軟性や意欲があれば問題ないということです。
[読み続ける]Coming to Japan on a Working Holiday Visa
“I came to Japan on a working holiday scheme and I’m enjoying working and traveling,” says English language teacher Ada TSO. “I’d recommend working holidays to people who’ve just graduated from college and to those who want to start a completely new life. I myself quit a job to come to Japan because I wanted to live and work here while I was still young.”
[読み続ける]Japanese Maps and the Meaning of Place-Names
Do you know that the kanji “日本” and “日” (ni / nichi / hi) means “day” and/or “sunshine”? Do you also know that “本” (hon / moto) means “book,” but also “origin,” and/or “home”? In brief, together “日本” means “the origin of sunshine.” This is why Japan is often referred to, in English, as “the land of the rising Sun.”
[読み続ける]Finding Your Way Around
While most Japanese do not speak English, they do know some basic English words. When you ask them the way to a station, they will only understand if you use the English word “station.”However, when you lose your way and try asking “Where am I?” few Japanese will understand what you are saying. Instead, you should ask in Japanese, “Koko wa doko desuka?” Furthermore, big city streets in Japan are very complicated, so it is recommended that you bring a map whenever you visit a new place.
[読み続ける]