Second Half Of The Ten Day Stay！

Halfway Through a Wonderful 10-Day Stay with a Taiwanese Family!
After the first half of their 10-day homestay with us, the Taiwanese family and we continued to enjoy a variety of activities together.

The day after exploring the historic town area, we headed to Mount Kinzan in the Oyama district for a hike. We left home early in the morning and reached the summit in about an hour and a half. At the top, we took photos at the "Oni-no-Kakehashi (Devil's Bridge)" and rested at the ruins of Kinzan Castle. The weather was perfect, allowing us to avoid the hottest parts of the day, and the pace was comfortable even for the young elementary school-aged son.

The following day, we took it a bit more leisurely to recover from the hike.

The next day, we left home at 6:30 AM and drove to the Japan Sea coast for a fishing trip! We met up with a fishing-enthusiast friend there. For the Taiwanese guests, this was their first time fishing. They tried various techniques like sabiki rigs, and despite the rainy forecast, we ended up having beautiful sunny weather - must be a sign of their good fortune!

We all enjoyed the stunning ocean scenery of blue skies, white clouds, and green mountains, a very different landscape from our home in Sasayama!

As lunchtime approached and we were getting hungry from the early start, we passed through Toyooka and Kinosaki Onsen on the way to Izushi Town, where we had Izushi soba noodles. Since one of the participants had a soba allergy, we went to a shop called "Hanamizuki" that offered other menu options as well.
It was a nice little side trip, as I was even able to meet up with a long time friend who was working in the area.

Back home, we cooked the fish we caught in various ways - sashimi, fried, simmered, and in soup. It was a wonderful experience for the guests to eat the very fish they had caught themselves. The fresh seafood was absolutely delicious!

As the 10-day homestay neared its end, the next day was a relaxing one. The son finished his homework, and in the afternoon, we visited Kozoji Temple, where they enjoyed walking in the river and ringing the temple bell, finding peace and coolness in the tranquil temple grounds.

On a whim, we also started learning Chinese on Duolingo that evening. The guests were kind enough to correct my pronunciation, which was tremendously helpful, making me wonder why I hadn't started this earlier in their stay.

The following day, we fulfilled a long-held wish of the guests - a hands-on pottery experience! We spent the morning at the Sue-no-Sato, then had a leisurely Korean lunch at Suraccan, chatting with the friendly shop owner. In the afternoon, the mother went shopping at the Kamamoto Yokocho, where you can see pottery from different artists in the area, finding some treasures she was excited about.

Back home, they packed their belongings, separating what would be carried back and what would be shipped. In the evening, we had a "movie night" watching a Japanese anime "One Piece," with the mother heroically translating the rapid Japanese dialogue into Taiwanese as we watched.

On the day of their departure, they bid farewell to the chickens, sent a box to Taiwan at the post office, and saw them off at Sasayamaguchi Station to catch their train to Kobe, where they would spend a few more days before returning to Taiwan.

After 10 days, they had become like part of our family, their presence now felt as a natural part of our home. We hope they make it safely back to Taiwan, despite the incoming typhoon. We look forward to seeing them again soon!

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