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Nagomi Visit Guest Story: "My husband and daughter had been on one during a previous visit to Japan and recommended that I do it."

2023-10-16

Our hosts were amazing. They made contact early, stayed in touch throughout, and were super helpful with advice during our journey around Japan. They were easy to talk to in their home and made us feel very welcome.

Cooking and explanations about Japanese food Our occupations World travel experiences,yes, how to cook okonomiyaki and where we had traveled in Japan Religions in Japan Their daughters musical activities with her pan flute group. Farming in both our countries. Our extended families Japanese sport [my hosts] even demonstrated wrestling to us! The schooling system.

Yes, how to cook okonomiyaki The origin of the peace pan flutes That [my host's] company has invented the modern correction pen. This experience was at the end of our month in Japan so was more about consolidating our knowledge than adding to it.

Sesame tofu Pickled vegetables salad Tempura sardines Lotus root chips Okonomiyaki Fresh persimmon, and fruit jelly.

When [my host] played Amazing Grace for us on her pan flute

Our visit was only yesterday, we have messaged today, I am sure we will keep in touch.

My husband and daughter had been on one during a previous visit to Japan and recommended that I do it.

Nagomi Visit Guest Story: "one of the most memorable moments was being shown the family home’s tatami room and at-home shrine and area for ancestors."

2023-10-08

[My host] and her family were so kind and welcoming from the moment I was collected from the station. I could learn so much about Japanese culture and pick up some new Japanese words, while enjoying being welcomed into a Japanese family’s home for the evening. [My host] is curious about different cultures and is happy to answer any questions about Japan and Japanese culture.

We talked about [my host] and her family’s experience learning English. We also discussed different areas of Japan, Japanese food and eating and drinking culture. We discussed some of the differences between Japan and the UK. I was also treated to a casual tea ceremony by [my host]’s sister, which was amazing to me as I love Japanese tea!

I learned many new Japanese words, was encouraged to try new food and learned about the traditions and equipment used in a tea ceremony. It was such a special experience.

We ate such a range of different Japanese food - I really was treated to so much! We ate sashimi, Oden, karaage, yakitori, pork cutlet among other small tasty dishes. It was absolutely my favourite meal since arriving in Japan (and I was even given leftovers!)

Everything was incredible, but one of the most memorable moments was being shown the family home’s tatami room and at-home shrine and area for ancestors. It’s a rare experience as a non-Japanese person to this personal family home.

Yes, I hope I will keep in touch and be able to visit again, especially when I have other visitors from the UK..

Nagomi Visit Guest Story: "We tasted the real mochi! We also learned about the Japanese school system."

2023-09-02

Describe your host?
[My host] is a very kind, helpful and nice lady. She is a bakery teacher so she has a natural passion for cooking, in fact we cooked something together for the dinner and it was very funny. [My host] loves to travel a lot and see the world, and this makes her a curious person with many things to tell and with which it is nice to have a real cultural exchange.

What did you talk about during your Nagomi Visit?
During the dinner we talked about several things: Japanese and Italian cuisine, [my host]'s job and [my host]'s sons, the countries that she visited in Europe and our journey in Japan. There were also some curiosities about Japanese and Italian habits.

Did you make any new discoveries?
We tasted the real mochi! We also learned about the Japanese school system.

What did you eat?
Hosomaki, cold soba, corn and edamame tempura, an appetizer with eggplant (I don't remember the name), mochi dessert and matcha tea.

If you participated with others, what were their thoughts about the Nagomi Visit?
My husband is excited about Nagomi Visit, he liked it and it is an experience he would like to do again.

What was your most memorable moment?
It was fun to shoot some polaroids together.

Do you still keep in touch with your host?
We told [my host] that when she comes to Italy we will be happy to have her as our guest and she will also be happy to meet us again when we will return to Japan.

Nagomi Visit Guest Story: "I think I will always remember the flavor of the umeshu."

2023-07-14

Describe your host?
My hosts were a couple who loved to travel, and to make friends from other countries. He laughed at everything in a joyful and relaxed way. She made practicing English her hobby, and not just American or UK English, but world Englishes from all over. They were warm and welcoming and I enjoyed my time with them thoroughly.

What did you talk about during your Nagomi Visit?
They taught me how to make temaki, and explained how they make their own umeshu. I talked about my experiences teaching Japanese students, and we discussed cultural differences between Japan and the USA, chiefly the difference in uncertainty avoidance. She talked about her experience volunteering at the Olympics. They told me about trips they had taken, and their plans for an upcoming trip to Cambodia. They showed me around their home. I asked them what I should be sure to see in Tokyo, and they drove me over to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building to enjoy the view from the south observatory.

Did you make any new discoveries?
Not only had I never tasted umeshu, but I had never heard of it. It tasted wonderful. And she spoke about meeting a friend from an Arab-speaking country, and how his English had completely different uncertainty avoidance from other English speakers.

What did you eat?
I ate temaki, as well as agedashidofu, a spinach salad with sesame seeds and a radish salad. Afterward, we had cherries.

What was your most memorable moment?
I think I will always remember the flavor of the umeshu.

Do you still keep in touch with your host?
It happened yesterday, but I have already corresponded with them by email and LINE. They tell me they send New Year's greetings, and we took one picture together in which they wore dragon hats so they could help me welcome in 2024.

Why did you go on a Nagomi Visit?
I learned about Nagomi visits back in 2017 and thought the idea was wonderful. I am a college professor and hope someday to bring students to Japan with me for a study away trip. If that happens, I intend to assign them to go on at least one Nagomi visit.

Nagomi Visit is finally back after three years!

2023-07-13

After three years of tough decisions, we are finally back to help you meet locals all across Japan.

Since we restarted on July 3rd, we are already receiving host requests from all over the world, and there have already been a few Nagomi Visits within the first week of starting.

We are currently running on donations from our passionate hosts and grants we received from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Nippon Foundation because we had to shut down for three years due to COVID.

We hope to become a sustainable organization again with your participation. Fingers crossed!

Temporarily stopping Nagomi Visit due to Coronavirus COVID-19（新型コロナウイルス感染症の流行に伴い、一時的に活動を停止します）

2020-03-05

We have decided to stop Nagomi Visit operations temporarily due to the Coronavirus COVID-19. We will restart Nagomi Visit again when the situation gets better and people can join Nagomi Visit with peace of mind.

During this period users will no longer be able to:

1. Send new requests
2. Register as a new host

If you are already going on a Nagomi Visit you will be able to join as planned. We, the Nagomi Visit team are here to help you at anytime.

Here you can find the Guidelines for Cancellations due to the New Coronavirus and Infection Prevention Measures during a Nagomi Visit .

新型コロナウイルス感染症の世界的な流行に伴い、一時的にホームビジットを停止することに致しました。今後、事態が収束して多くの皆さんが安心してNAGOMI VISITでの交流を楽しめるような環境になり次第、活動を再開したい考えです。

1. ゲストとして参加したい人が、新たにリクエストを送ること
2. ホストして参加したい人が登録手続きをすること

なお、既にマッチングが確定している場合には事務局は通常通りの対応を致します。実施やキャンセルに関わるガイドライン も合わせてご確認ください。 （NAGOMI VISITの日本語HPへリンクします）

Guidelines for Cancellations due to the New Coronavirus and Infection Prevention Measures during a Nagomi Visit

2020-02-22

To Participants of Nagomi Visit

Some hosts and guests may be wondering whether their Nagomi Visit should be canceled due to the spread of the new coronavirus.

You can find the Guidelines for Cancellations due to the New Coronavirus and Infection Prevention Measures during a Nagomi Visit below.

We hope that both hosts and guests will be able to use these messages from Nagomi Visit as necessary so that each others' situations and feelings can be completely understood.

February 21st, 2020

What is it like to Nagomi Visit with a baby?

2019-03-18

We asked Golo, Susann and their 18-month-old daughter Ida who visited Japan for the first time from Germany and decided to go on two Nagomi Visits. One in the Tokyo metropolitan area with a family of four with kids age 3 and 8 and another family of four with kids age 2 and 3 in the suburbs of Tokyo in Saitama Prefecture.

Each Nagomi Visit is unique and this is Golo and his family’s Nagomi experiences.

1. When you decided to book a Nagomi Visit how did the other members of your family react? Were they excited? Worried?

I found out about Nagomi Visit on a travel website and was immediately thrilled. My wife feels very much the same about traveling and meeting locals, so it wasn't at all difficult to convince her that we should try it out. We were both positively surprised how many answers we got following our request, and the hardest part was to actually choose but two of them.

2. How long did it take for your daughter to warm up to the host's home and family? If so, how did they interact with the hosts?

My daughter was a bit shy at that time (18 months old), so she didn't really get into contact with the kids. Instead, she played with their toys (which they gladly allowed) and kept close to Mum and Dad. She loved trying on the baby yukata our second host family provided. She also loved watching the moon from the first host family's balcony together with their daughter.

3. Did your daughter enjoy any part of the meal the host made?

When we visited Japan, temperatures peaked at about 38°C. Our daughter didn't like the heat, so she generally ate only little. It wasn't very different at the host family, but both my wife and I enjoyed the food a lot.

4. What was the Nagomi experience like as a parent with your daughter?

It was great - I couldn't have expected more.

5. Did having your daughter help foster conversation or help you notice things you may have not if you went with just adults?

Sure. As with other German parents, you automatically start talking about your kids. The first host family allowed Ida to participate in the tea ceremony, which she enjoyed a lot. And their elder daughter was so proud helping out that you could feel that Ida wanted to do the same.



6. Was participating in a Nagomi Visit different from other travel activities with your daughter? Was it more relaxing since you are in a home with similar age kids and toys? Or did it make you nervous?

Both my wife and I have travelled widely (and also to Asian countries), so we weren't nervous. We were greeted in such a friendly way that any rest of nervousness would have disappeared immediately anyway. Both Nagomi Visits were really quite relaxing as we could get out of the heat and let our daughter play in safe surroundings. As I said above, it was more the toys than the kids she was interested in.



7. Why did you decide to go on more than one Nagomi Visit and what did your family gain from meeting more than one Nagomi host?

Our original plan was to do even more Nagomi Visits in all the places we visited, but given our limited time in Japan we were quite happy to settle on only two. With hindsight, though, we should have taken them in two different cities, though, as we missed out on two afternoons in Tokyo. Given that there is so much to see, this was not the best choice. Apart from that, both Nagomi Visits were great. We had a lot of fun with the first family, taking pictures of the kids during the tea ceremony or creating Japanese sweets and origami on our own. The food was excellent, too. The second family was super friendly, too, and we were immediately on the same wavelength. It is always good to meet locals, so if we ever get back to Japan, we will certainly do another Nagomi Visit.

Ready to go on a Nagomi Visit? Start booking here. Need tips or advice? Read Tips for going on a Nagomi Visit with young kids or ask the Nagomi Visit Team!

What is it like to Nagomi Visit with teenagers?

2019-03-17

We asked Diana and her family from Canada, along with their son's best friend who were traveling to Japan for the first time. Their son is 15 and in high school, and his best friend is 16. They met one of our hosts in Hyogo Prefecture near Himeji and Kobe who are a family of 4 with a 6 and 1-year-old son.

Each Nagomi Visit is unique and this is Diana and her family’s Nagomi experience.

1. When you decided to book a Nagomi Visit how did the other members of your family react? Were they excited? Worried?

They were excited. They really liked the idea of visiting a family and experiencing “real life”

2. How long did it take for your son and his friend to warm up to the host's home and family? If so, how did they interact with the hosts?

My son and friend were 16 so they warmed up right away with the host family and played with the little boys. We brought them mini hockey sticks as gifts and showed them how to play hockey with them.

3. Did your son and his friend enjoy any part of the meal the host made?

They enjoyed all parts of the meal but it felt very special to have Tempura made fresh. I also have allergies to wheat flour and they made special tempura for me with corn starch. They really made us feel special. Even the presentation in bento boxes was beautiful

4. What was the Nagomi experience like as a parent with your son and son's friend?

As a parent it was great to see the boys playing with each other even though they didn’t speak the same language. They had a lot of fun.

5. Did having your son and son's friend help foster conversation or help you notice things you may have not if you went with just adults?

Having the boys definitely helped us interact with the little boys better. It also gave us lots to talk about, comparing school and activities of the kids.

6. Was participating in a Nagomi Visit different from other travel activities with your son? Was it more relaxing since you are in a home? Or did it make you nervous?

It was nice to socialize with a family and was relaxing. We like to travel and it was so nice to experience more than just being a tourist. We were not nervous and it was one of the highlights of our trip, both before and after.

Ready to go on a Nagomi Visit? Start booking here. Need tips or advice? Read 10 Ways to Enjoy a Nagomi Visit or ask the Nagomi Visit Team!

What is it like to Nagomi Visit as a big family with 4 kids?

2019-03-16

A big family of 6 from the US Nagomi Visited one of our hosts in Chiba Prefecture, part of the greater Tokyo area. With 4 kids of the ages 4, 8, 10, and 11, they wanted to meet another family with children about the same ages. The host they met has 3 kids of the ages 4, 8, and 9. Their host requested to meet a little early around 3PM instead of the usual 6PM because one of their kids is still a bit too young to stay up too late so the Nagomi fun started a little earlier.

1. When you decided to book a Nagomi Visit how did the other members of your family react? Were they excited? Worried?

When I booked the nagomi visit, everyone was very excited. No one was nervous or scared. Sawako also made the visit stress free for us by meeting us at the train station and walking us back as well.

2. How long did it take for your kids to warm up to the host's home and family? If so, how did they interact with the hosts?

Our children were comfortable with the host’s home and children in a matter of minutes. They could not communicate verbally, but they had fun folding origami together and engaging in physical humor.

3. Did your kids enjoy any part of the meal the host made?

Our kids did not recognize some of the food, and thus avoided about half of the offerings. However, everybody was able to find plenty to eat. I would not want the host to attempt to serve more American style food as that would detract from the purpose of the visit, which I see is a sharing of cultures.

4. What was the Nagomi experience like as a parent with your kids?

The nagomi experience was wonderful. We will certainly do it again when we return to Japan. We also have maintained contact with the family and are friends. They are welcoming, kind, and generous. We will certainly visit with them again. As a parent, I was amazed at how well the children got along and played together.

5. Did having your kids help foster conversation or help you notice things you may have not if you went with just adults?

Watching the kids interact was fun, but I’m not sure if the children’s presence enhanced my ability to appreciate the visit or not.



6. Was participating in a Nagomi Visit different from other travel activities with your kids. Was it more relaxing since you are in a home with similar age kids and toys? Or did it make you nervous?

The activity was very different than any other activity we did on our trip, but was perhaps the most special. We enjoy meeting people, and we admire Japanese culture. So, being able to spend time with a Japanese family was an amazing opportunity for our family. I think our children would have also enjoyed spending a half day in a Japanese school.

Ready to go on a Nagomi Visit? Start booking here. Need tips or advice? Read Tips for going on a Nagomi Visit with young kids or ask the Nagomi Visit Team!