For visitors to Japan, a ride on the subway or the high-speed shinkansen can take you to almost any corner of the country. But those who want to learn about the daily lives of the Japanese rather than look at temples may find it difficult to gain access to the sanctuary of a Japanese home.
Enter Nagomi Visit, a nonprofit matchmaking service targeted at tourists or foreigners living in Japan who want to visit a Japanese family for some home-cooked fare. Co-founder Megumi Kusunoki had traveled to Denmark and was impressed by the warm welcome from a local family who invited her into their home. She wanted to share this experience with visitors in Japan, a country where people don't customarily invite complete strangers into their home, and so she set up the business with former colleague Alisa Sanada.
The kanji character for nagomi is another reading for wa, a Chinese character that not only means Japan but also "to befriend": a goal that the organization has in mind.