Two Families At The Same Timing?!

The summer holidays are coming to an end as Obon (the Bon Festival) has passed here in Japan. It's probably time for parents to start back-to-school preparation for their children. Busy time!😆
The atmosphere in Tamba Sasayama has also shifted towards autumn after the Dekansho Festival is finished. Our summer homestay is nearing its end as well.

This time, we had a very interesting homestay experience with our  friend's husband and their 3-year-old daughter, followed by a mother and son from Taiwan, and then our friend and her older daughter joined them later.

A major earthquake had occurred in Miyazaki shortly before their arrival, and there was a heightened alert for a Nankai Trough earthquake. Considering that the husband works in a lifeline industry, there was a chance that their visit be canceled. Thankfully, they all were able to arrive safely as planned. 😊

Up until now, our guests were always families or mothers with their children. This was the first time we had a father and a young daughter staying with us. We know the wife, but this was our first time meeting her husband. We were wondering what he was like, if he could manage cooking and laundry, etc. But he turned out to be such a kind and sweet dad!

Of course, his daughter wanted her mom at night, but she was completely fine during the day. Her dad managed everything from meal preparation to showers and naps, keeping up with her usual schedule. We were so impressed!

A few days later, a mother and son from Taiwan arrived. 🛬
It was the first time we had different guests arriving during another guest's stay, so I was a bit unsure how things would work out. But there were no problems at all! They all got along so well and had great time.

The son from Taiwan loves photography, especially taking pictures of birds. He was incredibly skilled for an elementary school student. His main language is Taiwanese, and he understands a little English, so we spoke English with him. His mother is learning Japanese, so we communicated in Japanese. When the son didn't understand something, the mother would translate it into Taiwanese for him, making for a fascinating conversation with three languages! 😆

The day after the Taiwanese family arrived, the wife and their older daughter joined them. We all went to Kuromame no Yakata buffet for lunch (again! 😂) and that night, our friend brought fireworks for everyone to enjoy. 🎇 It was the first time for the Taiwanese family to try Senko Hanabi (typical Japanese sparkler), so we had a lot of fun talking about the differences between fireworks in Taiwan and Japan, as well as different cultural events. Interestingly, both our friend and the Taiwanese mother are elementary school teachers, so they also had a lot to talk about regarding education. It was a wonderful coincidence!

The next day, our friend's family was leaving, so we all went to a nearby okonomiyaki restaurant for the Taiwanese guests' first experience with okonomiyaki (and takoyaki). Even though they had only been here for a few days, everyone had become so close. There was nothing to worry about. 😅

Both families had an amazing time together, and we were so happy to have met such wonderful people. 🥰