The 2002 FIFA World Cup, which comes to a close Sunday, offered local municipalities throughout Japan an opportunity to hold various exchange programs with visitors from in and out of the country during the one-month event.
Although Tokyo did not host any of the World Cup matches, an organization in the city's Itabashi Ward did host a number of visitors. The Itabashi Culture and International Exchange Foundation, an affiliate of the ward office, set up 14 foreign visitors with home stays with local families. As it is a volunteer program, visitors did not have to pay for room and board.
"We think the home-stay program has been successful and are very glad that many local families applied to become host families, despite initial media reports that hooligans were coming," said Kenji Suzuki, director of the international exchange section at the ward office.