My stay with host family in Osaka, Japan

The apprehension of meeting my host family in Osaka will remain crystal clear in my mind as it was the most nervous moment throughout my trip in Japan. I could still remember worrying over simple things such as removing my shoes, taking a bath and so on. And I had mixed emotions when I met my Okasan at the Shinkansen station.

The minute I stepped into the house, I was greeted warmly by the house dog named Poochie and we became good friends instantly. The houses there are smaller as compared to those in Malaysia but they still exude the comfort and coziness of a home. During dinner time, I became anxious as I was afraid of making mistakes. The notion of learning from mistakes then evaporated from my mind.

I could feel the intensity increasing immensely whereby I needed to be aware of my every single move but very quickly, my host family put my heart at ease. I ended up enjoying every single meal during my entire stay. They were kind and hospitable and made my stay enjoyable. Among the many types of Japanese dishes prepared by my host mother, I also tasted some popular food like Okonomiyaki, also known as Japanese pizza and Soba, thin Japanese noodles made from buckwheat, served either chilled with a dipping sauce or in hot broth as a noodle soup.

Besides attending school and going to Universal Studio, I got to visit places where I had hands-on experiences. The first place was a soap making shop where my host mother works in. I made my first soap there and brought it back to Malaysia.

Next was a special shop that served Japanese tofu. The interesting fact about this tofu shop is that the shop remains the way it was, preserving the structure of previous century. In addition, there was a collection of antiques. The shop owner allowed us to take a look upstairs where the collection was kept and I was fascinated with the traditional kimono, Japanese musical instruments and paintings. There were also varieties of cups and pots on display.

The last place was the mochi shop where I was given the opportunity to make mochi (Japanese rice cake) and attempted tasks like pounding the rice, preparing the ingredients and stuffing the red bean paste.

The time spent with my host family was the best experience in my life and I even tried on a real kimono. But the most important part of all is the bond that I’ve established with my host family. I will never forget them and cherish the unforgettable moment I had during the entire home stay. It was blissful, educational and fun. God bless my host family.