Become a Host Family,
and exchange your culture with locals
to make the world a happier place with us!
Under the concept of “studying abroad in the city”;
we request foreigners living in Japan
to welcome Japanese children into their homes.
There are many people in this prefecture
who cannot “travel abroad to study” or “travel around the world”
because of time and money issues.
There are foreigners from about 200 countries living in Japan.
We do not have many opportunities to practice the English we learn at school.
Our idea is to connect with people from all over the world in our city.
Visiting those families and encountering different cultures are
excellent ways of studying “abroad”.
If you had a friend to say “hello” to in every country across the world,
you would know even a bit more about those countries,
If that becomes a commonplace,
the world truly would be happier.
Make Them a Part of Your Family
Provide them a room and bedding for sleeping.
Giving a Cooking Experience
for Three Meals
Cook dinner on the first day, then breakfast and lunch the next day with the guests.
Let them experience your country
Guests are interested in other cultures. Please let them experience your life as it is.
Example of a One-Night Two Day schedule
Day1
- 13:00〜
-
Join the host family at their homes
-The guest comes host home with their guardian.
-They probably nervous, please greet them with a “Hello”. - 14:00〜
-
Activitiy
-Host family will introduce their country -Whether it’s dancing, music, or an outdoor activity, the hosts will share their hobbies or skills together with the guest. - 17:00〜
-
Cooking experience・family dinner
-Cook a delicious family recipe together with the guest and enjoy it as a family. - 20:00〜
-
Conversation
-Enjoy an English conversation time after dinner with the host family. -Have fun talking with host family even through gestures.
Day2
- 8:00〜
-
Cooking Experience - Breakfast
-It may be interesting to ask the difference between a Japanese breakfast and a traditional breakfast in the host’s home country. - 9:00〜
-
Activity
-Enjoy the host's unique skills, hobbies, and social activities. - 11:00〜
-
Cooking Experiencing - Lunch
-Look back on the last two days of activities while talking about the fun memories and events, as this is the last meal together. - 13:00
-
Good-bye
-The guest’s guardian will come to pick them up.
Activity budget
Team Members
Hikari : Co-CEO
While attending the Faculty of Education at the University of the Ryukyus, he also studied abroad in eight Asian countries. He was exposed to the richness of nature and culture and the warmth of people in each country.In 2016, he founded the Ryukyu Mirai Corporation. He has worked on many educational and industrial promotion projects for local governments in the prefecture.He also launched “Homestay at home for foreigners living in the region” and “Hello World”. I want to contribute to world peace through international exchange services!
Tommy : Co-CEO
While a student at Keio University, he traveled the world as a backpacker. After graduating, he worked as a lawyer in Tokyo. While spending time in Berkeley as a visiting scholar, he decided he wanted to create a society where it was natural to have a friend from every country in the world! He loves homesteading and being around people!
Akira: Host Family Manager
Akira is a third-generation Nikkei, born and raised in Argentina. He graduated from the University of Buenos Aires in 2015 to become a lawyer. Since his grandparents were from Okinawa, he participated in a three-month training program for international exchange in Nakagusuku Village, where he learned about the Okinawan culture and Japanese language to form his multicultural identity.
After returning to Argentina, he earned a master's degree in administrative law and while working for the Argentine government's Ministry of Transportation, he decided to move to Okinawa with the dream of becoming a bridge between his two hometowns, Argentina and Okinawa. He is currently involved in the management of Machinaka Study Abroad and WorldClassroom.
Mayumi: Community Manager/ Host Family Advisor
Mayumi is a Community Manager/ Host Family Advisor at HelloWorld.
She is a native to Okinawa, a mother of two boys and a girl.
She studied early child development at Okinawa women's junior college and went on to work at a daycare and kindergarten.
She has lived in California, Arizona and Hawaii for 9 years in total and traveled throughout the United states.
Having had first-hand experience in the cultural Exchange program, she makes every effort to bring a positive experience to each host family and students alike here in Okinawa!
Nicole Raynor: Host Coordinator
Nicole is an American, born and raised in Northern California. She grew up near the Jelly Belly factory, and enjoyed volunteering at local homeless shelters as a teenager. Her faith in God and love for helping people led her to get her Bachelor's Degree in Biblical Counseling from Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky. Nicole married her husband, Jason, in 2009, both with a heart for the Japanese people. Their two daughters, Cloie and Riley, were born in the United States. In 2016, Nicole and her family moved to Okinawa to serve as missionaries and English teachers. The whole family has come to love and appreciate Okinawan island life, and Nicole has a passion for helping Japanese people perfect their English language skills.
Miwa Okada: Host Coordinator
Since she was a child, she’s been always interested in other cultures and languages. She studied English and Spanish at university and lived in Spain and the Netherlands for 5 years in total. Her stay in Europe opened her mind a lot and worked with about 1,000 foreigners in Japan doing culture exchange programs, which is her previous job. Thanks to that job, she realized that the world would be a more peaceful place if she had friends all over the world. She hopes this service becomes a chance for everyone to make this world happier place!
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is it okay not to be able to speak Japanese?
-
Yes, it is fine.Although not all children can speak English, The purpose of HelloWorld Home Stay is to enjoy trying new things and learning something in English, so please feel free to have conversations with the guests using gestures and have fun.
- What should we do for activities？
-
Please share about your country or things you like to do.ex. Traditional dancing like capoeira or hula.
Cooking your countries sweets.
Science experiment if you are scientist.
Play traditional board games. - Can I participate for a one day program instead of over night due to unavailability of a guest room ?
-
Of course! We would love to have you for our day-time activities!
NEWS
2024.05.29
MACHINAKA ENGLISH QUEST in Meiji-Jingu to be Held on June 16th, 2024 with Shibuya Ward
READ MORE →
2024.04.22
HelloWorld Unveils Product Rebranding: MACHINAKA ENGLISH QUEST
READ MORE →
2024.04.19
Awich and HelloWorld Launch Collaboration Project for Okinawa
READ MORE →
2024.04.02
Co-CEO Tomida Appointed as Director of PST Academy
READ MORE →
Note
● There are three meals, dinner on the first-day, and breakfast and lunch on the second-day.We will not have lunch on the first day, so please be sure to eat before gathering.
● The host family will be in charge of the homestay without our office staff.
We may just visit just to take some photographs or videos. We will use photos and videos taken by our office and host families for the marketing promotion of this program, but please inform us in advance if you do not approve the use of your photos on Facebook or other media.