@home

アットホーム (attoho-mu) is a word that describes a home-like atmosphere: cozy, family-like, personal, and informal. It comes from the English “at home,” as in “make yourself comfortable as if you’re at home.” In Japan, you often see アットホーム in job ads, café descriptions, or school brochures, to suggest a warm, welcoming place that isn’t stiff or overly formal.

It’s not very common to visit each other’s homes in Japan. Home is a somewhat sacred, private space, reserved mainly for family.

Growing up in Japan, my parents loved to host ホームパーティ (home parties), something they brought back from America. Christmas was one of them. My mother and we four daughters would all cook and clean. We would all go out to invite guests. Our house in the middle of Tokyo was not very big, but it was designed so we could receive people.

Years later, a friend told me that one of those Christmas home parties had changed her life. Meeting new people from different generations, backgrounds, and even different countries shifted her perspective on the world and encouraged her to pursue a master’s degree in Germany. I was surprised to hear that—but also not so surprised, because I had heard before how much impact our home parties had on our Japanese friends.

For us, it was “normal.” Now, as I host Nihongo-yoku in my own home, I hope the lessons will have that same アットホーム feeling—where learning happens in a cozy, welcoming space that feels truly “at home” for everyone who walks in.