Voices

To read voices from Japanese Host Families, please click here. (Written in Japanese)

Samal & Gouri

Ph.D Graduate in 2018 from Sri Lanka

I entered the university of Tokyo as a PhD student in department of civil engineering. My wife also entered the same department on same time under the same degree program. Having a kid of two and half years old by the time of entering, our lives would have been extremely harder without the kindness and care of our host family and the host family program. Here I brief some of those experiences and memories.

Skiing at Karuizawa

Riding Shinkansen (Japanese high speed rail) and skiing come to top in the “to-do” list of foreigners who lives in Japan for a shorter period of time. But it can be harder to succeed if you live alone (without a local help) due to the language and financial barriers. Our host family (Uchimura family) took us to the Karuizawa snow park which is 2 hours away from Tokyo. It was the first time for us to get both the experiences of riding Shinkansen and skiing.

Visiting ASOBono in Tokyo Dome City

This is an another unique experience we had with our host family. ASOBono is an indoor kids' playground where kids can enjoy so many toys and playing conditions. Kids can enjoy under an hourly based rate there and later you can rest at nearby recreational areas. Not only the kids but adults also can enjoy.

Visiting Arakawa amusement park

This is also a beautiful memory we had with our host family. Arakawa amusement park is not far away from the Tokyo university and you can have enjoyed lot even with or without kids. There is a big Ferris wheel where you can see around scenery such as the Sumida River or sunshine building and Mount Fuji in winter. Further there is a small zoo where small animal is such as rabbit or marmot lives.

These are few of the memories we had with our host family. Besides, being a Professor at Saitama university and a deputy manager of a private company Mr. and Mrs. Uchimura along with their beloved son helped us lot in negotiating hundreds of works related to our life in Japan. In addition, regular gatherings and visits organized by the host family program help international students lot to relax from their very busy academic schedules and discover places where you cannot go by individually. Finally, I reckon host family program is the best nonacademic program in the University of Tokyo which you all should join.

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