Japan Fever Stirring Among Young Americans

AOI Yukari

“Now, young American people are very interested in Japan,” says AOI Yukari, Director of American Homestay International in Irvine, California. “Japan fever is also high in my town. My daughter Sarah, who was raised in the United States, reads ‘ONE PIECE’ and ‘Detective Conan’ in Japanese and English.”

“Even in ordinary bookstores, young people flock to the piles of translated Japanese manga. The other day when I went to the manga corner of a neighborhood bookstore with Sarah, I was spoken to by manga enthusiasts Karen and Bob. Karen used to watch ‘Sailor Moon’ and ‘Dragon Ball’ every day on TV when she was a kindergarten pupil and subsequently came to love Japan. She is now studying Japanese at university.”

“Bob loved Pikachu from the ‘Pocket Monsters’ when he was a boy and also became a big fan of Japan. He has never been to Japan, but he learnt Japanese by himself and speaks Japanese well now. He says he won at a Japanese speech contest last year.”

Karen and Bob, who have been raised on Japanese manga and animation, became Japanese lovers and have come to respect Japan since the time they discovered that all the popular animation was made in Japan. The number of this type of young American is rapidly increasing. “As both want to come to a better understanding of manga and animation in Japanese, they are learning Japanese every day and planning to visit Japan next year.”

New Style of Homestay Expected to Develop in Japan
Ms. Aoi has introduced more than 2,500 Japanese students to American host families over 12 years. Using the experience she has gained, she is launching a new program to enable Americans who are enthusiastic about Japan to experience home life in that country. She is now looking for Japanese host families.

“I know the number of Japanese who want to be host families is very limited. I believe the main purpose of Japanese students who stay at American homes is to learn English, and the purpose of Japanese host families is also to have an opportunity to learn English, rather than using it to earn an extra income. I took this into consideration when I created the program.”

“In other words, it is a program that American Japan-enthusiast can enjoy Japanese home life, while Japanese can experience “Jitaku ryuugaku” (Home English), which is more advanced than “Ekimae ryuugaku”(English near a train station). Of course, it will be a good opportunity for Americans to learn Japanese and about Japanese life,” Ms. Aoi says passionately.

The homestay period is scheduled to be 1~3 months and an English lesson is expected to be given for about one hour per day. American Homestay International will select guests and host families, paying most attention to the backgrounds of both. Japanese family members will be able to use this opportunity to learn English and culture from an American. The scope of this new concept of Japanese homestays is likely to be expanded to include guests from other countries including Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

Back to List Page