Life As A Japanese Homestay Student

Ever wondered what it's like to live with a family of friendly strangers in a foreign country far away from home? Experience culture shock and not being able to communicate with anyone (except via body language) when you're miles and miles away in the countryside? As a Malaysian city girl, I got to do just that when I went to Japan for a week long homestay, and boy, was it different. This was my life - in pictures.

Welcome to Japan! Arrived at Narita International Airport and we (a group comprising of 20 or so students from all parts of Malaysia), got onto a bus and headed towards the capital city, Tokyo. With a population of 12 million people with 23 wards, Tokyo is a vibrant city of lights, people and entertainment.

The famous pedestrian crossing in Shibuya, one of the more famous wards in Tokyo. A survey conducted by The Discovery Channel in 2002, found that almost 55% of people imagine Shibuya's famous pedestrian crossing when they think of Japan.

The Shinkansen or bullet train - the fastest moving train the world. Moving at the speed of 200-300km/h, this was the train I took from Shinjuku train station in Tokyo to Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture where I was to meet my host family.

We were welcomed by this huge yellow banner at the station where we met our host families for the week. Fukushima prefecture is right next to Tokyo and was about 2 hours away on the Shinkansen. The children aka our host brothers and sisters, made the banner for us we were told they were very excited to meet us!

My two host sisters. Left, Kana, 10 and Hitomi who is 12. My first night in Koriyama was spent going to the local Jusco supermarket with the family and buying groceries for dinner. We bought glutinous rice balls with sweet and salty sauce for dessert and watched TV with our feet tucked under the heated and blanketed coffee table - like the ones seen on Japanese dramas!

One of the many perks of a Japanese supermarket - they even have an IDOL section! Yes parents, right next to the vegetables and fruits, your teenager can now browse the rows of hip-swiveling male idols as you browse the Fresh Produce section. Keychains, photos, posters, notebooks, stationery, stickers and magazines - you name it, we have his face on it. Only in Japan.

Celebrating Malaysia Day at Higashi High School with the rest of the Malaysian students in my prefecture. We played games, ate food from our countries and introduced ourselves to each other. I bonded with a girl named Mikiko who was also a fan of the same idol, Kamenashi Kazuya. Nothing in life is more satisfactory than fangirling with a real Japanese fangirl. We exchanged emails and promised to keep in touch.

The pride of Fukushima prefecture - Aizu-wakamatsu. This castle has a significant place in Japanese history as it is the home of the Byakkotai or White Tiger Corps. The Byakkotai were teenage samurai who fought in the Boshin war. Due to loyalty to their lord, they committed suicide when they saw that the castle on Imori Hill was on fire. Benito Mussolini heard of the story of the Byakkotai members who committed suicide, and was deeply impressed by their loyalty to their lord. In 1928, he donated a column from to be erected by the graves at Iimori Hill; this column remains there to the present day. Aizu-wakamatsu also served as a backdrop to idol Yamashita Tomohisa's movie Byakkotai in 2006.

The Akabeko, or red cow, is a traditional toy of the Aizu region in Japan. Aizu legend claims that the toys are based on a real cow that lived in the 9th century and showed its devotion to Buddha by willing its soul away or by refusing to leave the site of a temple it had helped to construct. The earliest akabeko toys were created in the late 16th or early 17th century. Over time, people came to believe that the toys could ward off illnesses. Akabeko has become one of Fukushima Prefecture's most famous crafts and a symbol of the Aizu region. In Aizu-wakamatsu, visitors are given an opportunity to paint their very own Akabeko.

A picture taken with the Fujiki family in the hills of Fukushima. A typical day in the Fujiki household started with me eating breakfast with the family then walking with Hitomi to junior high school where I would sit in class and pretend to understand. We would have lunch in the school and my host mother would pick me up to go shopping or visit a fellow Malaysian student's home. Japanese junior high school students start their day as early as 8am and come home at 5pm due to after-school activities. We would have dinner in front of TV and fangirl whenever an idol we like comes on.

Saying goodbye to everyone before we left for home. A big thank you to the Ministry of Education Malaysia for the big opportunity and experience. Where else would I have gone for fully-nude hot spring bath? Never will I ever forget the image of a naked old woman if it weren't for this experience, and for that, I am very grateful. Japan - a country of endless possibilities, technology and history.

- Nicole Yeong, DMC12