Home stay Volunteer information
>>Information about homestay program
-- Calendar for Homestay Families
-- Volunteer to be a host family
(we have enough families,
but would appreciate backups.)
-- Summary
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Home Stay Program Overview (updated April 14)
As part of the 50th Anniversary visit to San Jose, a large number of Junior High School students will be visiting here from Friday April 27 until Tuesday morning, May 1. We would like to get at least 25 families to host these young visitors and give them a taste of American life. Click on the link at the left to volunteer your family or to get more information.
The youth will be coming on the same charter flight from Japan, arriving at San José's Mineta International Airport, scheduled to be at 9:20 AM. Close to 300 (at last count) private citizens, former exchange students, government officials and businessmen are scheduled to come her for this celebration. In fact, people from San José will be visiting Okayama later this year.
On arrival day, after leaving the airport, the plan is to go to the San José City Hall for a ceremony and after, many will go to the downtown Fairmont hotel. Later in the afternoon, we have invited the group to the Japanese Friendship garden near the south end of Kelly Park (map) beginning at 4:30 pm. As you may know, this garden is inspired by and has many design attributes of the world famous Kurakoen Garden in Okayama. After a greeting at the Teahouse in the Garden, there will be a tour of the garden. We encourage you to attend the event even if you are not a homestay family.
About 5 pm, the homestay youth will gather and meet their host families. They are free to go with you at that time.
The purpose of this visit is to get to understand life in America, with the exception of Monday, there are no required events for the homestay youth to attend. Feel free to have fun with them in any good way.
Just in case, we want you to know about some events going on in relation to the visit. After the greeting at the Friendship Garden, many of the visitors will be going across the street to the San José Giants baseball stadium for a barbeque dinner and some baseball. Attendance at this event is optional for the homestay youth. This is a paid event. You are invited. The cost of BBQ and a reserved seat at the 7 PM game is $21. (Includes a beer with the BBQ). We believe the Okayama Mayor will throw the first pitch!
The homestay youth can attend a pizza party and performance
of the Jazz group, Hiroshima, if they want. Their attendance is being
sponsored by the Nikkei Matsuri 30 anniversary committee. The music will
be in the Campbell Community Center on Saturday evening. Attendance at
this event is optional.This event is free for the youth visitors, otherwise
a paid event. The host families that bring the youth will drop them off
at the pizza place and pick them up after the concert.
On Sunday, the San José Japan Town annual Nikkei Matsuri will be
taking place and in the late afternoon, members of the Okayama Junior
Orchestra will be performing with the San José Youth Symphony.
Attendance at this event is optional for the homestay youth. The concert
is at the San Jose Repertory Theater at 7 PM. Tickets are needed, but
they are free. Contact us for more information.
On Monday, since so many families have work and school,
we recommend that your hosted youth participate in a school visit tour
beginning at 8:30 AM from the Kelly Park parking lot.
Later in the day, the youth will be available to spend their last evening
with you. They will leave San José on Tuesday morning from the
Kelly Park meeting point, also about 8:30. They will travel to San Francisco
where their charter plane will be leaving on Wednesday morning.