Activities that do not overwhelm the household budget with foreign students

Hi, this is Hosma. The following is a translation of the previous article “家計を圧迫しないアクティビティ” by Hosma using a translation app. Nowadays, the coronavirus is so fierce that events have been cancelled. I hope you will read it as if you could do something like this in normal times.
（どうも、Hosmaです。 以下は過去記事『家計を圧迫しないアクティビティ』を翻訳アプリを使ってHosmaが英訳したものです。今は、コロナウイルスが猛威を奮っているので、イベント類は軒並み中止になっていますね。平時にはこんなことが出来るのねという感覚で読んで頂けたらと思います。）

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When I become a host family, I sometimes enjoy activities with homestay students. However, if that puts a burden on the household budget and makes it impossible for the host family to continue, it would be a disaster.

So today, I would like to introduce you to activities that can be enjoyed by host families and homestay exchange students, at the lowest cost possible.

First of all, why don’t you sometimes get local information magazines in your home post?
It’s like a ward newsletter. Or I think that free paper such as “Pado” may come in.

If you look at it, along with the town news, details of various local experiences and events are described. The participation fee is much cheaper than the commercial one. In some cases, some are free.

If the homestay international student is an adult, why not visit a Japanese product factory, a beer factory, a brewery, or a winery? This is an activity that both the host family and the international students can take an interest in. You can also sample the beer at a beer factory, so it’s a pleasure to drink freshly-prepared food.

By the way, Hospa has been to a cheese factory, but the pieces of fresh Toro Toro cheese I got after the tour were shocking enough to think, “I ate such a delicious cheese for the first time!”

If you have a big park near your home, it’s a good idea to play sports that international students like. Soccer, basketball, running, badminton, tennis, etc. If you purchase only the first sports equipment, you can enjoy it regularly if you have a hobby with homestay students.

By the way, at home, we invite homestay international students to do futsal regularly. We talk to elementary and junior high school students who are also playing soccer in the park, install simple goals and courts, and play instant mini games. Sweat together can create a sense of solidarity!

Some of my kids even said they wanted to run together in my running. I was in trouble when he was running at a different speed than me who wanted to run for exercise. It is important that you have the same skills.

If you go home after the sport, you will end up in the shower time to sweat. Therefore, taking one directly to a public bath is one way to teach Japanese culture. Don’t forget to change your clothes and tell Japanese bath culture in advance!

It is also recommended to take a short walk to Yoyogi Park. We also have festivals here on a regular basis, and it’s fun just to take a walk. Especially the Rockabilly Rollers, who are famous for Regent style, will be interested in homestay students.

If you have children at your host family’s house, it may be a good idea to bring an international student with you on your parents’ visit day. Our children are still small, but there are athletic meet and visit days. I think that open class visits will provide a good experience by comparing the way your country does with the way Japanese classes proceed.

Festivals and bazaars may be good. Fairs are good, but the festivals of the neighborhood association are very affordable, which is economically helpful. Overseas, we open our garage at home and hold private bazaars (garage sale), but the Japanese version of bazaars is also a good experience. It is also a good opportunity to have them use Japanese to negotiate prices.

If you expand the antenna a little, there are activities that add to your daily life.
Take advantage of these opportunities to deepen your time of interaction with homestay students.

Hospa