[Hatredcopter]

Host families being that distant from the school is quite common. When I did a homestay, I, as well as every other homestay student in the same program as me were commuting an upwards of 2+ hours a day. Japanese homes closer to major city centers are (usually) small and not suited for having an extra student staying in them. Most foreign students stay with families that live out in the suburbs. I don't really know any methods for "finding" a host family, because most host families are arranged for the student by the school or university. If you are able to find one on your own, I'd take it, even if you have a bit of a commute each day -- I know I certainly wouldn't have traded my stay with my host family for the convenience of living close to the school I went to.