When it comes to hospitality, the Japanese are champions. In Japan, hospitality is like an Olympic sport and requires rigorous cross training in fields such as politeness, modesty, unconditional giving and overall self-sacrifice. There is no better display of this hospitality than in the Japanese home stay, which it appears that most Japanese people have taken a college course in.
If you're a "gaijin," by all means arrange a home stay for yourself in Japan, because it is the closest thing you'll ever get to royalty in your life. You'll be waited on, fussed over, given the best seat at the table, the most delicious selection of food and the biggest portion. You'll be the first into the bath at night, even before the father, and your every request, no matter how big, will be painstakingly attended to. This is because the houseguest is all important. In the case of a house fire, the Japanese would get the guests out first, then jump into the fire themselves.
When I first came to Japan, I came as a college student on a one-month tour of Japan. We each had two home stays, a weekend stay and a four-day stay. Here are just a few of the "incredible home stay stories" that were told among our group.