Japanese Homestay IN Australia
Every winter (July-August in Australia) a group of Japanese high school students fly across the Pacific Ocean to share daily life with an Australian family for 3 weeks of friendship and discovery. Host families welcome their Japanese visitor as a family member- not as a tourist or guest. In this way, both sides can truly learn to understand one another. Because Australian students are in the middle of a school year during July-August, Japanese delegates will also have a chance to attend school with their host to experience school life!
Why Homestay?- Homestay is the best way of gaining mutual understanding and making friendships. On a sightseeing trip, you only make superficial contact with a country’s culture. But by sharing daily life with a family and creating new friendships, you can engage with a country’s culture on a deeper level.
- History
- Labo’s Homestay Exchange program with Australia began in 1982 with 50 Australian participants traveling to Japan. Since then, we have been operating this exchange program successfully, every year gaining more supporters and participants!
- Program Highlights
- Japanese students attend school with their hosts.
- Students are placed in a family with a child of the same gender and similar age.
- Host families are not expected to plan special trips or activities for their exchangees.
Students are anxious to share daily life with you and are encouraged to try all new experiences. - Labo members take part in six months of orientation activities prior to leaving Japan.
Preparation Process of Japanese Delegates- Nov.-Dec.: Orientation for the participants and their parents
- Dec.-Jan.: Labo Winter Camp
- March: Labo Exchange Inauguration Ceremony
- June: Monthly District Meetings , Weekend camps for all participants
- July: Send-off party , Overnight hotel stay, Final Orientation
Schedule
- Arrival
- The arrival program is held on the first day of arrival. Students will stay at a hotel for the night for homestay orientation. This will also give them a chance to recover from their long flight and to become accustomed to local time, weather, food and so on.
- Travel to Host Families
- Sydney group: For the group of students placed in the Sydney area, host families will meet them in Sydney and take them home.
ACT group: ACT and N.S.W. country delegates who need to travel on a domestic flight will be escorted by our Australian staff and will meet the host families at the destination airport. 
During Homestay - The students will attend high school along with their hosts. Host families must obtain the school principal’s approval prior to their arrival. For more information, please contact Price Travel Services.
- Departure
- The Labo delegates will gather for a few nights prior to their return to Japan. They will then reflect upon their experiences and prepare to head back home!
- Schedule for 2011
- Outbound: Sydney to Tokyo: December 17, 2011
Returning Tokyo to Sydney: January 7, 2012
Inbound: Arrive in Sydney: July 22, 2011
Depart Sydney: August 16, 2011
- Homestay Program IN Japan
- Mid December- Beginning of January for 3 weeks.
- If you’re interested in hosting a Japanese student please contact:
- Ayako Mitsui,
Mitsui Travel
147 King Street, Suite 403
Sydney, NSW
2000
AUSTRALIA
Phone: 02-9232-2720
Fax: 02-9232-2705
E-mail:ayako@mitsuitravel.com.au
Website: www.mitsuitravel.com.au - OR
- Labo International Exchange Foundation
Nishi-Shinjuku Mitsui Bldg. #16F
6-24-1 Nishi-Shinjuku
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023 JAPAN
Tel: (03) 5324-3430
E-mail: exchange@labo-global.co.jp
Comments from Japanese Participants- "“Smile” is always the key to make friends!"
"My host and I became like real sisters!"
"I had fun teaching Japanese calligraphy in one of the Japanese classes! I hope they still remember the Kanji’s I taught them."
"My host family spoke Chinese in the house so I took this opportunity to learn both English and Chinese. I was able to learn that language barrier is no obstacle if you give some effort to try to understand each other!"
