'Host towns' across Japan to welcome athletes in 2020 Tokyo Games

I like how this sounds and how its inviting to the people coming over here to play or participate in the Olympics. However, I have been a part of these tour groups and it creates a tight schedule for these foreigners giving them little freedom to do as they please. I know for me personally, I just want to be left a lone when traveling so I can take on everything as I like in my own terms, its part of the fun and adventure. Japan has great ideas, Im not against it but they also do a very good job at babying people and making them feel awkward. Also, if your are dedicating a town to cheer for a country, its not sincere!

Its of course a great opportunity to form a good relationship with another county! Only if the respect is mutual. In other words, the other country has to be aware that this is supposed to form better ties between the countries!

As a foreigner here, I have been asked to do many events volunteer. At first I did them all but soon realized, its only a show for the people and they don't care about my feelings. Im exposing myself, my country but when I flip it and ask about Japan, everyone bows their heads and stops taking. Not fun and very humiliating!! Let people be and let them express what they want to do, or have a large menu of events and things for them to do in the city and let them wonder freely as they choose the events they want try.

Nicholas is correct. While the idea itself seems good, the reality, if not overseen, is that some of the communities perceptions of what a good idea is is not at all good for the people visiting. A former acquaintance of mine came to me in tears one day asking why she got terrible feedback in a questionnaire she made for a tour she worked hard to organize. I asked her the contents of the tour. She said they were bused out (at the visitors' expense) to her home town a ways away from the town we live in (which is near Osaka City) and they went chestnut picking on her friend's farm. They then had a BBQ party and made chestnut rice and other dishes, and stayed in her old house and neighbours houses for the night. The next day they did nothing but walk around the small town, then had Japanese style lunch, and a BBQ again that night, stayed again, and returned the next day. Some of the guests were furious to discover that they no longer had time to visit Kyoto or Nara or Osaka (their choice which they couldn't) and had not been told about the contents of what they would be doing, only that "guided tours would be provided and unique Japanese experiences with locals". I was a little shocked at what her idea of a good time for them was, given the proximity to Kobe, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, etc., and while she had achieved her goal of boosting things a little for her hometown, this is not at all what I or others would like on a first visit to Japan (adding that people who have been here for a long time but wanted to get away from the city, might). My honest response is why we are no longer acquaintances -- she would not listen and has since asked the city to advertise more tours to her hometown, although to her credit she's added more description.

Point is, what some of these municipalities have planned will likely be crazy tight schedules with a bunch of unnecessary stuff that THEY think others would/should like. I don't know any non-Japanese who enjoy any element of Japanese tours except the price, so I hope that these towns have some guidelines as to what's permitted and how there should be limits, and most importantly that the guests have a LOT of free time to relax and/or do other things they choose... like visiting big cities and major tourist spots.

That said, if they do a good job in what I see as a nice spin on the lack of housing/accomodation, the guests may very well walk away with experiences and exchanges they could not have otherwise. So there are some pluses if it's done well.

I agree, when I first came here my host family took me on a "bus tour of Japan" stopping at all the nice spots for FIVE MINUTES each, then back to the bus! I didn't even have time to go to the bathroom

Hope we get Estonia's women volleyball team and/or Russia's synchro swimming and/or high & long jump and sprint female athletes.

My City is a Host Town, can't recall for whom right now.

Should be good as we are in Tokyo prefecture.