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This time of the year, a few years back, I found myself in the tiny town of Kakuda, staying at the home of a proper Japanese family. This homestay experience aimed to foster stronger connections between the Japanese countryside and international students. Homestay is reappearing now as a choice for solo travelers seeking cultural immersion. Let me tell you how it went.

As part of my Japanese class at university, a trip was organized wherein two international students would be assigned to a family in Kakuda village for a week. The chosen location was intentionally remote in the countryside, providing locals with a rare opportunity to engage with foreigners. We would wake up, help at the chores, entertain the kids, cook, eat, learn Japanese and exchange aspects of our native cultures with our hosts. The itinerary also included visits to the local school, learning traditional crafts, attending a soiree, and observing local art performances – an ideal approach to cultural immersion, wouldn’t you agree?

I was assigned to a charming family consisting of two parents, two daughters, two grandparents, and two cats, all living in a spacious yet cluttered wooden house situated in the middle of their ancestral rice fields. While the father worked at a local factory, both he and his wife, along with the grandparents, took care of the field work. Despite none of the adults or the daughters being proficient in English, we found ways to communicate. I even picked up on the Tohoku-ben, the regional accent, characterized by the suffix “-ppe” at the end of sentences, like “iku-ppe” instead of “ikimashou” (meaning “let’s go”). Since Tohoku is one of the poorest and less developed regions of Japan, a lot of people felt ashamed of their accent and tried to hide it when moving to Tokyo, in stark contrast to Osaka people who proudly carry their accent.  

A significant aspect of our cultural exchange revolved around food. Each morning, we would help the mother to prepare meals. A typical Japanese breakfast included rice and a slice of salmon or fried cabbage with soybeans, served in a set of small plates. On one occasion, I prepared a Greek meal for them, with eggplants with tomato sauce and cheese, along with a Greek salad. When the mother noticed me using raw bell peppers and onions for the salad, she quietly suggested switching the onion variety, as the grandpa disliked them. It has happened a lot of times to me that Japanese people just plainly refuse to eat raw vegetables; they prefer them cooked. The father took time to explain the intricate details of rice collection, washing, and polishing, even demonstrating the use of a special machine for polishing their own rice produce. The grandpa shared insights about high-quality potato shochu, a distilled spirit, and discussed his role as a wild boar hunter in the area (a conversation quite uncomfortable, I must admit).

One noteworthy aspect was the family’s strong emphasis on the privacy of their home, steadfastly refusing to share any pictures of its interior online—a rarity in today’s digital age. Conversely, a surprising custom was the practice of all family members bathing in the same water. The process involved showering first to cleanse oneself and then soaking in the hot bathtub, maintained at a warm temperature, similar to an onsen pool. A cover was placed on the tub to keep the water clean for the next person. As a guest, they offered me the opportunity to bathe first after the children, but I politely declined, explaining that in my culture, we tend to take showers instead of baths.

Kakuda (角田市) is a small town in Miyagi prefecture, nestled in the Tohoku region of northern Japan. With a population of fewer than 30,000 people, the town boasts both industrial and agricultural establishments, historically renowned for its silk production. The city’s motto, is the 5-me: Kome-Mame-Ume-Yume-Hime (米豆梅夢姫), which signifies the city of rice, beans, plums, dreams, and princesses. The first three elements are evidently associated with the town’s robust local produce, particularly Miyagi’s renowned rice.

The term “Dreams” in the motto alludes to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Space Center located in Kakuda. This center serves as a hub for research and development in rocket engines, housing an important propulsion laboratory, and preparing engines for the H-IIA and other launch vehicles. The space center, open for free visitation, showcases various exhibits, from rocket models at scale to mechanical parts of experiments and the signatures of renowned astronauts.

The H-IIA, a reliable expendable launch system managed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for JAXA, has been operational since 2001, successfully completing 45 launches, including satellite deployments into geostationary and lunar orbits. Typically launching from Tanegashima Island in southern Japan (I always planned to be there to watch a launch but didn’t make it), the H-IIA plays a pivotal role in space exploration. Additionally, the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), known as Kounotori, functions as an expendable, automated cargo spacecraft, vital for resupplying the Kibō Japanese Experiment Module and the International Space Station (ISS). Post the Space Shuttle’s retirement, the HTV stands as the sole vehicle capable of transferring new International Standard Payload Racks (ISPRs) and disposing of old ISPRs, fitting the tunnels between modules in the US Orbital Segment.

The reference to “Princess” in the city’s motto represents Princess Muu (牟宇姫), the second daughter of Prince Date Masamune (you can read about him in my article about Matsushima). She is usually depicted with a crescent moon symbolizing the Date clan and a flying crane, the symbol of the Ishikawa clan to which she was married off to. Princess Muu was known for her affinity for writing and ink brushes. Legend has it that Lord Ishikawa was so enamored with the young princess that he penned 329 letters to her.

Apart from exploring the space center and delving into the history of the Date clan, we engaged in a flurry of other events during our trip. The committee organized a cultural exchange dinner at a local restaurant, featuring short presentations by both international students and locals. During my turn, I briefly shared information about Olympia and the Olympic flame, particularly relevant as the flame had recently passed through Tohoku. The daughters of my host family captivated everyone with a performance of the dance from the viral children’s song, “Paprika” (they were absolutely adorable!). Additionally, we witnessed a local dance featuring a Tengu spirit accompanied by taiko drums, believed to bring abundance and prosperity when performed.

One memorable outing took us to an ox farm, where the owner enthusiastically and proudly spoke about his cattle. He explained the meticulous process of tagging each animal with an ID, allowing consumer. Additionally, we visited the town of Yamamotocho, which had been devastated by the 2011 tsunami, and witnessed the lingering remnants of the destruction a decade later (you can read the full article here).

We, the international students, dedicated a day to visiting the local elementary school, which was relatively small, hosting approximately 10 students per class. During our time there, we participated in an English lesson led by a Canadian teacher who, admittedly, seemed to feel a bit isolated in the town. As part of their educational routine, students took turns serving lunch and cleaning up the classroom themselves. Each day, a different student puts on a large chef hat and serves soup to the rest of their classmates. It’s such a big responsibility, so their performance is top notch! We joined the students at their small desks, sharing a simple lunch together. Despite the teachers and parents’ best efforts to provide a great educational experience, I could observe the challenges faced by a countryside school, drawing parallels to my own upbringing in a rural town. This is precisely why events like our homestay hold great significance and prove immensely helpful in offering young students in the countryside a fresh perspective.

Another day was dedicated to mastering the art of soba making. Soba noodles, a fundamental element of Japanese cuisine, are deceptively simple in their ingredients, yet crafting a perfect batch requires skill. We visited a soba restaurant, the Yamanouchi Bunko (そば処 山の内分校), which apparently is open only twice a month. Isn’t that curious? We were divided into teams and started the process of mixing, kneading, and, most importantly, cutting the noodles under the guidance of the skilled soba masters. In the end, both our handmade noodles and those crafted by the restaurant staff were served in a hearty meal. Dare to guess who won?

Finally, my host family escorted me to the town’s most cherished recent addition: a museum dedicated to ema (絵馬, wooden votive plates) focused on silk production, situated within the precincts of Fukuo-ji temple. The museum houses an impressive collection of 23,477 votive ema specifically dedicated to the silkworm cult, marking the first instance of a national important tangible folk cultural property designation for the entire Miyagi prefecture. “Sericulture” involves the cultivation of silkworms, the primary source for silk, and the harvesting of their cocoons. Japan’s silk gained global recognition for its exceptional quality, transforming into a vital industry. For over two centuries, sericulture ema have been devoted to Fukuo-ji Temple, garnering the faith of the local community in the hopes of ensuring successful sericulture. Rats were natural enemies for silkworm farmers as they posed a threat to the precious silkworms, but it was believed that “rats hate centipedes.” Given that God Bishamon’s messenger is a centipede, this temple and its associated faith evolved from this connection.

In conclusion, my visit to Kakuda was a wonderful experience filled with new friendships and cultural discoveries. From sharing meals to learning local traditions, every moment was special. I still send postcards to my host family and observe their lives via Instagram. If a road brings you to Miyagi, consider making a stop for a visit. Tell me what you thought of the trip in the comments. If you liked this article, share it with your friends. You can also follow this blog, follow me on Instagram or Facebook, to never miss a post. Until next time!

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