Signing up for a Nagomi Visit is a great way to learn about Japanese food and culture by visiting homes from Hokkaido to Okinawa. Join our unique volunteer based community where good genuine sharing happens all across Japan.
Nagomi Visit is a non-profit organization and not an online marketplace. We do not commodify our hosts and experiences. Our goal is for you to meet that friend or family you haven't met.
1200+ volunteer hosts are located all over Japan from cities to rural areas. See map below for specific locations.
Eat or cook at your host's home for about 2 or 3 hours. However, the hope is that there will be a next time where you meet again.
Many hosts have acquired much of their language skill from travel, study, or work. Each host may speak at different levels and speak other languages.
Since 2011 more than 8,000 families, couples, solo travelers of all ages from around the world have gone on Nagomi Visits.
We know the host and guest dynamic changes to a commercial one once money changes hands so the price is fixed to 5,500 yen just to cover operation costs.
When I booked the Nagomi Visit, everyone was very excited. No one was nervous or scared. Our children were comfortable with the host’s home and children in a matter of minutes. They could not communicate verbally, but they had fun folding origami together and engaging in physical humor. As a parent, I was amazed at how well the children got along and played together. The activity was very different than any other activity we did on our trip, but was perhaps the most special.
Gery from the US with family of six with four kids
I read about Nagomi Visit in an Instagram-Post and was immediately hooked, but when I told Felix about it, he was a bit skeptical. We are both not too outgoing, so visiting people you've never met, and whose language you don't speak, "just like that" probably felt a bit weird. Naru and Kaori met us as the train-station, well prepared with a map and additional info-material. They are a lovely couple and I wrote some emails with Naru beforehand, so I felt no need to be nervous. Just go for it and don't be afraid!
Cheryll from Germany with partner
My wife and I, being both culturally mixed (Europe and Africa), we were really interested to learn about the Japanese way of life. Actually we have 2 memorable moments. When we arrived at the train station, we were ahead of time so we went outside to get some shots of the surroundings. And while we were filming, our host arrived and recognized us. Such a lovely moment! Seeing the kids of our host, mastering the fidget spinners we offered them 2 hours earlier. It's impressive kids can pick up things so quickly.
Jean-Charbel from France with partner
From grandparents to kids, the whole family can enjoy
Traveling solo does not have to be lonely
Get off the beaten path with the help from friendly Nagomi Visit hosts
Go on a day trip and visit a farmhouse in the rural parts of Japan
Try new regional foods you won't find at a restaurant
Help prepare dinner in your host's kitchen
Stop by a nearby supermarket with your host
1000+ volunteer hosts are located all over Japan from cities to rural areas. Join Nagomi Visit and meet your host at various areas.
Abashiri, Asahikawa, Kitami, Kushiro, New Chitose Airport, Sapporo
Aizu Wakamatsu, Fukushima, Hirosaki, Sendai, Shin-Aomori, Soma, Yamagata, Yonezawa
Central Japan International Airport, Dogashima Bus Stop, Fujinomiya, Fukui, Gifu, Gotemba, Hamamatsu, Iida, Iiyama, Izukogen, Jyoetsu Myoko, Kanazawa, Kobuchizawa, Kofu, Lake Yamanakako, Matsumoto, Mikawa Anjo, Mishima, Nagano, Nagaoka, Nagiso, Nagoya, Niigata, Shizuoka, Takayama, Toyama, Toyohashi
Bitchu-Takahashi, Fukuyama, Hamada, Hiroshima, Kurashiki, Matsue, Obatake, Okayama, Onomichi, Tokuyama, Tottori
Imabari, Kochi, Matsuyama, Nakamura, Naruto, Oboke, Takamatsu, Tokushima
Aso, Beppu, Fukue Port, Hakata, Huis Ten Bosch, Kagoshima Airport, Kagoshimachuo, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Saga
Naha Airport, New Ishigaki Airport
Chichibu, Hamakanaya, Ikebukuro, Kaihin Makuhari, Kamakura, Kawagoe, Kumagaya, Mito, Narita Airport, Nasu-Shiobara, Odawara, Omiya, Oshima Airport, Sagamihara, Shibukawa, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Takao, Takasaki, Tokyo, Tsukuba, Ueno, Utsunomiya, Yokohama
Hikone, Himeji, Iga Ueno, Ise-shi, Kansai International Airport, Kobe, Kyoto, Namba, Nara, Osaka, Shin-Osaka, Wakayama, Yoshinoguchi
Meeting people for the first time may seem a bit awkward but the Nagomi Visit Team will give you the information you need to make the process not just easy but worthwhile so you can truly connect with your host.
Megumi worked in many areas of tourism before founding Nagomi Visit in 2011. She is a former scuba diving instructor, tour operations manager, and marketing sales manager for online Japan resource japan-guide.com. She has also worked as a cooking instructor at a well known nationwide cooking school.
Alisa’s passion for cultural understanding comes from her unique background as a Japanese American from Texas. She launched an internationally recognized website on Japanese culture in high school called Real Japan, worked in the web industry promoting Japanese products and tourism, and traveled to more than 70 countries.
In all her professional life, Akiko has been connecting people through food. From handling imports at a trading company, to setting up international buyers with producers of traditional Japanese foods, she has extensive experience promoting Japanese cuisine and its products to people from all over the world.
Nagomi Visit