In March, Makubetsu junior high and high school students have the opportunity to go abroad. The town will help pay for the expenses and take care of all the logistics. Once students arrive at their destination they will start a "home stay" at the home of a family with children close to their age. It is a great opportunity. A chance not to be missed!However, many Japanese students and their families choose not to take advantage of this opportunity. They feel as if they could not return the favor. This demonstrates a big difference in the cultures of the two countries. I am under the impression that families in the home stay country are much less likely to skip out on such an opportunity because they wouldn't be able to return the favor of providing a student from abroad with the proper hospitality.
I can't claim to know all the reasons why Japanese families would feel that they could not take on a student for home stay. I know that the daily lives of the average Japanese student are probably quite different from those of their counterparts abroad. Japanese students seem to be extremely busy, or at least that is my impression. After school many stay at the school until 5, 6 or 7pm for various club and sports activities. If they are not at the school many of them are at cram schools called "juku" to study for high school or university entrance examinations. Some go to English conversation schools at night. They are away from home just as long if not longer than their working parents.
Not only are the students and their families busy, they feel as if their homes are too small to take on a guest. Contrast this to an American family. They might open up a bedroom for the guest or if they couldn't do that, they might invite them to sleep on the floor or a couch. This is something that I am guessing Japanese families don't feel they can do. But more than that, I imagine that it is because they take their children's education so seriously. I imagine that they think that there is no way they could fit taking care of another child when their own children are never home, always away for sports, clubs, or educational activities. Skipping those activities for a few days is probably not something that crosses their minds. It would put their children behind the others. Their children have to get the best scores that they can get on entrance exams so that they can beat out other applicants for limited spots available at the schools of their choice.
This makes Study Abroad programs between Japan and other nations rather difficult. Especially when it involves a reciprocal study trip to the Japan. These difficulties don't seem to stop them from happening however. It seems as if most cities and towns have some sort of international relationship and many of those involve some sort of international visits.
