Help! I'm looking for a pen pal for my son

[artfan]

he is 11 and is interested in having a pen friend. He would prefer someone from Japan. I have looked on the web but want to make sure it is safe for him. Does anyone have any ideas on how to go about this.

thanks

OH to make it more interesting he would prefer to write via snail mail.

[merwin]

1. Just avoid any mayors from Spokane, WA. :-)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. At age 11, most Japanese kids will not have started studying English

unless they attend one of the international schools, which are mostly for the children of expatriates, although some Japanese kids attend.

They start studying English in seventh grade, so by 13 or 14 they can write a letter.

When my brothers were that age, they had pen pals from England and Australia.

I could have told you where to send away for pen pals in the 1960s, but I'm not sure where to refer you now. :-)

[Rowdyboy]

3. This is probably not a good idea anymore, but when I was 16

(1970) I wrote a letter to the major newspaper of Athens, Greece, asking interested teens to write to me. Apparently they published it, because I got letters from 26 young Greek women and 1 young guy. I corresponded for quite a while with several of the girls and the guy.