Yamazoe Home Stay

In front of the amazing black rocks that go on and on with an unseen river below. NOT human-made.

One thing I did before I came to Nara that I am proud of and satisfied with is my preparations. One preparation being communication o various interests and goals.

Where I slept, in a tatami room with a wood table.

Taking a tour of the local tea factory.

Since I did this in advance it gave faculty and advisors time to help me make my goals a reality. One such goal was to experience life outside of the normal college scene. So getting to know non-college students was a must for me.

This past Monday and Tuesday I had a homestay in Yamazoe village which is quite different from Nara city though it`s only about 40 minutes away by car.

The size of the place, the scenery, products produced and the personality of the area were a great relaxing time. I especially liked the sheep raising culture that exists in Yamazoe.

The lifestyle seems less fast paced and definitely not a huge tourist draw, which is a relief from Nara Citiy`s large tourist base.

A view of recently cut tea fields in Yamazoe.

Don`t leave Yamazoe without some sheep meat, or tea though or you will definitely be missing out.

Under the Kaki (Persimmon) tree near a local shrine.

I visited a tea factory, tea fields and farmers, and also learned about the local recycling program and recycling efforts among other experiences.

I would highly encourage others planning to study abroad to supplement their studies with outside NON-college student teacher relationships as well as it was such a rich experience and also

In front of a large tea field while it is being cut.

pretty intensive in the Japanese language since people outside of the college scene often don`t speak any or much English so you are forced to constantly speak strictly Japanese as compared to at the dorms or at school where you can either speak a mix or straight English at times.

A view of my homestay family`s house.

It can get stressful only speaking Japanese but if you coordinate a short homestay, you can gain proficiency and not be too overwhelmed at the same time.

Bamboo forest near the local shrine.

Behind me is the amazing mountain scenery of Yamazoe area.

Making mochi a traditional rice flour sweet.

I know when I came back to classes after my homestay I actually was much more proficient.