Share languages and culture with our family in Matsumoto, Japan

Details

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  Description

  We are a family of four living in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture.
  Our home is located in central Matsumoto, about a 10-minute walk from Matsumoto Station. Major sightseeing spots such as Matsumoto Castle, Nakamachi Street, and Nawate Street are also within walking distance.
  We are a married couple with two sons, aged 10 and 8. We both work, so weekdays can sometimes be busy, but we value spending time together as a family on our days off.
  We really enjoy international exchange and have welcomed international students and travellers into our home in the past. We greatly value the opportunity to learn from people with different cultures, backgrounds, and ways of thinking.
  
  【We especially welcome a woman who is kind to children and genuinely enjoys spending time with them.】
  Our children are active and cheerful. They often argue with each other, but they are also very close and are curious about other countries, cultures, and languages.
  We believe that being able to speak English will help broaden their world, so they have recently started attending English conversation classes. They seem to enjoy learning English very much.
  During your stay, we would like you to communicate with our children in English through play, games, everyday conversations, and simple daily activities.
  We would also be happy if you could share your culture, customs, hobbies, skills, or special interests with them. By meeting people from different backgrounds, we hope our children can discover new ways of thinking and develop a broader view of the world.
  
  At my wife’s request, we are currently accepting women only while our family becomes more comfortable and experienced with hosting people from overseas. We appreciate your understanding.
  
  We would also like you to help with everyday household tasks, such as cooking together, washing dishes after meals, tidying shared spaces, and doing some light cleaning.
  We are not looking for a housekeeper. We hope you will share daily life with us, naturally help with household tasks as a member of the family, and enjoy being part of our home.
  
  【About Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture】
  Matsumoto is a regional city located near the centre of Nagano Prefecture and surrounded by beautiful mountains.
  It is not a large city like Tokyo or Kyoto, but it is a peaceful place where you can experience Japanese nature, history, culture, and everyday local life.
  In the city centre, you can visit the National Treasure Matsumoto Castle, as well as Nakamachi Street and Nawate Street, which still retain the atmosphere of an old castle town. There are also local cafés, museums, art galleries, and nearby hot springs.
  Matsumoto is also a convenient gateway to Kamikochi and the Japanese Alps, making it a great base for hiking and enjoying beautiful mountain scenery. ⛰
  Public transport is less frequent than in larger cities, but many of the main sightseeing spots in central Matsumoto can be reached on foot.
  Matsumoto offers a good balance between convenience and the peaceful, relaxed atmosphere of a regional Japanese city. 🚌
  
  We live in an ordinary Japanese family home. Our house is not new, luxurious, or perfect. Our children can sometimes be noisy, and our English is limited.
  Even so, we are looking forward to sharing Japanese family life, local food, conversations, and cultural experiences with you.
  We warmly welcome a friendly and respectful guest who will enjoy living with our family and communicate openly with us.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Teaching

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house
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  Interests

  

  Movies & TV

  

  Animals

  

  Team sports

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Photography

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Nature

  

  Languages
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  At our home, you can experience everyday Japanese family life through conversations with us, shared meals, and time spent with our children. 🏠
  We would be very happy for you to learn about daily life in Matsumoto, as well as Japanese culture and customs, while also sharing your own culture and traditions with our family.
  We are not qualified Japanese teachers, but if you are studying Japanese, we would be happy to support your learning when we have time. As native Japanese speakers, we can help you learn not only the Japanese found in textbooks or online lessons, but also the natural, everyday language that people actually use.
  We may also cook simple Japanese home-style meals together, so you may have the chance to learn how to make some of them yourself.
  If you are interested and our schedules allow, you may also be able to join us when we spend time with friends or relatives. This could give you more opportunities to meet, talk with, and interact with a variety of Japanese people.
  During festival season, if the timing works, we may also be able to wear yukata and go to a local festival together.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  We would like to welcome someone who is interested in Japanese culture, respects others, and is willing to communicate actively with our family. 🗾
  
  【There are two main areas where we would like your help.】
  
  ★The first is giving our family, especially our children, regular opportunities to be exposed to English. 📒
  We have two elementary school-aged sons, and we would like you to spend time with them, have fun together, and communicate with them in English.
  Our children have only recently started attending English conversation classes, so they can still speak very little English. However, they seem to enjoy learning English and are having fun during their lessons.
  We hope you can help them become more familiar with English and gradually feel more confident using it through activities such as playing games, spending time together, going out, and teaching them useful everyday English.
  You do not need to be a professional English teacher. We are looking for someone who enjoys spending time with children, treats them kindly, and can speak to them patiently and gently without rushing them.
  
  ★The second area is helping with everyday household tasks, such as preparing meals, washing dishes after meals, tidying shared spaces, vacuuming, and doing laundry.
  We are not looking for a housekeeper. We would like you to take part in everyday household tasks with us as a member of the family.
  
  【Example weekday schedule】
  Morning（6:30–7:30）：
  Prepare breakfast with us, eat breakfast with the children, and see them off to school. 🍴
  Daytime（7:30–16:30）：
  You will generally be free to spend this time as you wish. On some days, we may ask you to help with grocery shopping or other small tasks, but we will always let you know in advance. 🛍
  Late afternoon to evening（16:30–20:30）：
  After the children return home from school, we would like you to spend time with them until we return from work. This may include speaking with them in English, playing together, and keeping them company while they do their homework.
  After that, we would like you to help with preparing dinner and doing some light tidying. After dinner, we can relax together in the living room. 📺
  
  The maximum amount of help will be five hours per day, five days per week, with two days off. We are currently planning for Thursday and Friday to be the regular days off, but we would like to discuss and confirm the days off with you in advance, depending on both your plans and our family schedule.
  
  The schedule may change depending on our work and family plans. Also, from late July to late August and from mid-March to early April, the children are on school holidays, so the schedule will be different from the weekday example above.
  We will always discuss the tasks and daily schedule with you clearly in advance.
  
  Spending time with our children and helping with everyday household tasks are important parts of this exchange. We would therefore like to welcome someone who understands this and is willing to take an active part in our family life.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  Japanese: Fluent
  English: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  We are native Japanese speakers, so all conversations within our home are in Japanese. If you would like to learn Japanese, we would be happy to help you practise and improve your Japanese during your stay. 【Our English ability】 Husband： He can understand the general meaning of some everyday conversations, but his speaking ability is very basic. Please think of his English as beginner-level. He communicates through simple words, gestures, facial expressions, and translation apps. Even when words are difficult, he enjoys connecting with people from the heart. Wife： She can understand simple everyday conversations and express basic ideas in English. However, she mainly communicates using gestures and translation apps. Our two sons： They can currently understand and speak very little English. They have only recently started learning and are still beginners.
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  Accommodation

  You will have your own small private Western-style room in our family home. The room is equipped with a futon, air conditioning, hangers, a chest of drawers for your clothes, and a desk.
  You may share our hair dryer and hair straightener with the family.
  
  【Meals】
  On weekdays, we will provide breakfast and dinner, and we would like everyone to eat together whenever possible. We will also ask you to help us prepare the meals.
  For lunch, we will provide basic ingredients, and you can prepare your own meal. You are also welcome to eat out, but if you choose to do so for personal reasons, you will need to cover the cost yourself.
  On weekends and holidays, we will generally provide three meals a day. However, if you choose to eat out, you will need to pay for your own meal.
  Meal arrangements may be different during our children’s school holidays, but in general, you will not need to pay for food during your stay.
  
  【Dietary requirements】
  Please let us know in advance if you have any allergies or dietary restrictions.
  As we are a family with two growing elementary school-aged children, our meals mainly consist of Japanese home-style dishes made with meat or fish. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate halal or vegan diets.
  For vegetarians, we may be able to prepare a limited number of simple tofu-based dishes. However, the variety will be very limited, so please prepare any additional food or ingredients you may need yourself.

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  What else ...

  In your free time, you can explore Matsumoto Castle, Nakamachi Street, Nawate Street, local cafés, museums, and nearby hot springs. Matsumoto is also a convenient base for day trips to Kamikochi, the Japanese Alps, and other parts of Nagano Prefecture.
  
  When our work and family schedules allow, we may be able to go sightseeing together. We may also be able to take you somewhere by car, so please feel free to tell us if there is a place you would like to visit. 🚙 You can also borrow a bicycle during your stay. 🚲
  
  As we are both working parents, our work and family schedules may sometimes change unexpectedly. We are therefore looking for someone who can be flexible with schedule changes and is also comfortable enjoying their free time alone during the day.
  
  Please respect our family’s privacy, keep the shared spaces clean and tidy, and do not enter the family’s private rooms. Smoking is not permitted anywhere on the property.
  
  Open and honest communication is important to us. We hope to build a relationship where everyone feels comfortable discussing schedules, concerns, or any problems that may arise during the stay.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  One

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  My animals / pets

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