Nagomi Visit
2025-03-21
Describe your host?[My host] was so sweet and her son was so cute. They met us at the train station with a sign with our names on it. [My host] drove us to her apartment and made us miso katsu and okonomiyaki. It was so delicious. We talked about many topics like food and travel. We chatted for a few hours before having to leave. Her son waited for us to get on the train and screamed "mata ne" as we left. Such a wonderful experience.
What did you talk about during your Nagomi Visit?We talked about our jobs, travel and life in a small town in Japan. [My host] lived in Australia and New Zealand and I'm from the US and my friends is from Brazil. We talked about how Japanese influenced our lives because I grew up in Hawaii and learned Japanese in school and had contact with many Japanese tourists. [My friend] is from Sao Paulo which has the largest group of ethnic Japanese people outside of Japan so he was familiar with many things Japanese.
Did you make any new discoveries?[My host] explained that her son's name was composed of two "light" kanjis. She chose this because she wanted him to be filled with light. He was very genki and rambunctious and we had fun playing with him and his toys.
What did you eat?Okonomoyaki which we helped make. So yummy. Miso katsu which apparently was a specialty of the area and dark miso soup with fried tofu. When we left [my host] gave us a donut that she made to eat later.
If you participated with others, what were their thoughts about the Nagomi Visit?I think this is such a smart concept. Many tourist just see the big cities and the touristy things and never interact with the locals. This gave us insight into how real Japanese people live their daily lives.
What was your most memorable moment?Probably when [my host] and her son greeted us at the train station with a sign. That was really cute.