Homestay while vegetarian?

I plan on doing study abroad for a year at Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata. However, I'm a vegetarian, and have been for the great majority of my life for both ethical and religious reasons. I am desperately looking to do a homestay over staying at the dorms, but I know this would be very difficult at the strict level of vegetarianism I practice now.

I've always dreamed of going to Japan, and doing a homestay is important enough to me that I'd be willing to sacrifice somethings. I've thought it over and I'd be willing to follow an "ignorance is bliss" policy when it comes to stocks and broths. I know I wouldn't be able to stomach any "chunks" of beef, pork, or poultry, nor would I want to in the first place. MAYBE I could bring myself to sacrifice my stance of shellfish and some instances of fish, but I'd have to "practice" in advance to make sure I could stomach it (I'm very much disgusted by the idea of killing and eating flesh, and I've gotten sick before from unfortunate incidents at restaurants, so it would be a tough and long road ahead).

What I'm wondering is, would sacrificing something that's such a huge part of me still be enough to find a homestay family and not be a hassle or cause tension? Vegetarians are advised to stay in the dorms at this school, though the homestay questionnaire still asks about any vegetarianism in depth, as well as whether it's for religious reasons or not. It would be ideal to find a nice vegetarian Buddhist family to stay with, since that's how I was brought up when my mom converted, but I know the chances of that. I want to be flexible and open to new things, and I really just want to have a good experience without being a problem for my potential homestay family. Advice?

Though the birthplace of macrobiotics, not many people in Kyoto are vegans or even loose vegetarians. The chances of a homestay family being 100% are very low.

As such, housing and feeding a strict vegetarian would be a huge burden because the average menu of a Kansai family involves most of the things you do not eat and feeding you would not only involve having to learn how to prepare vegetarian meals (to ensure you don't get sick from lack of nutrition) but would mean seriously elevated grocery bills because calorie for calorie, vegetables are much more expensive than meat.

That said, you could try to negotiate so that a family is set up with a fixed menu and you agree to eat basically the same thing for the entire duration of your stay.

I understand your dilemma as the value of the homestay is immeasurable for someone looking to learn the language. I remember when I did a homestay, I was actually rejected by every family but one and ended up having to live 90 minutes from school because of this very issue.

Just one thought from me, have you considered how you'll react to a host family eating something you'd consider to be distasteful in front of you? I don't know how big an issue this is for you, but it probably wouldn't go down terribly well if you stared at your hosts looking like you're going to be sick as they tuck into a steak, or shrimp head, or some such.

I take it that you are a buddhist. Consult a temple of your sect and see if you will be able to live on the temple as a trainee and still attend college. May not be homestay but as a last resort it may be possible.

It would be ideal to find a nice vegetarian Buddhist family to stay with, since that's how I was brought up

jesscz,

As implied by others, most if not all Japanese Buddhist families aren't vegetarians. It's mainly the monks in religious training at temples who strictly dine on vegetarian dishes, but even for them, once they go back home they return to meat-eaters.

So finding a Buddhist family who can share your thoughts toward Budda and finding a family who share your diet are two different things.

That said, the Japanese in general have a better understanding towards those who are vegetarian by religion than those who are vegetarian by policy.