IN JAPAN: June 2017

Supper hitchhiker come!

July, 2014

She stopped by my house during her awesome trip from Germany and stayed 2 nights in my place. I can't imagine at all from her looks but she is so powerful lady!(I mean she has full of vitality)
She started her trip from Germany and through Russia, Mongolia, China, and some South Asian countries and finally reached Japan. The awesome thing was she was using hitchhiking most of her way in each countries.

She came here with hitchhiking!

When she started hitchhiking to come here she was in far about 400 km from my place. She said that it probably takes 7 to 8 hours so I will be your place around 7 pm, but I wondered the does things go well like that.
I don't have hitchhiking experience but I thought it must be hard to find some drivers who allow the stranger get in their cars especially in Japan. I guessed most of Japanese people is not used to accepting the hitch hiker and no one help her. Usually, I have to have my kids go to bed by 10 pm, it is to be little bit trouble for my family if she arrived over that time. I was worried about that. However, she arrived 7:30 pm with a stranger driving a car! Awesome! She arrived almost just in time!
I asked her how was the hitchhiking. She said it was very easy, I just caught only 3 cars and everybody so kind!
Oh~, I didn't know the hitchhiking is possible in such a conservative country!

Humm, Japan is not bad as I thought.

That day when she arrived was my dog's birthday is 10th anniversary. We celebrated with her, she just arrived though. That was very nice.

In the morning just little bit trouble

Next day, I had to leave my house at 9:30am and I told her about that last night.
I guessed that she would wake up around 8 am and she would go out to somewhere, shopping, sightseeing, or something but she didn't wake up.

Knock, knock, knock At 8:30,but she didn't.

I started to vacuuming the floor with big noise to wake up her very naturally, but she didn't.

At 9 am..she didn't. I repeated the knocking...
but it seems no effect.

Oh no... it might be terrible, what should I do if she won't wake up before I leave.
Should I wake up her with using any ways? or
Should I leave without wake her up?
In the end, I opened the door of her room and woke her up.

It might be almost illegal but I had no choice. Then, I decided to let her stay in home. Of course although I had little bit worries, I chose to believe her.

I learnt one thing.
Usually,Japanese adults are very punctual in any situation but it's not same in the world.
I understood.
This is the Couchsurfing!
This is one of the cultural difference which I wanted to feel through Couchsurfing!

Because I'm going to experience same thing often in the future hosting.

Now I am used to it because this happen not only with her but some people also do same thing after this hosting.

do the homework together!

Enjoying the fire works!

Mutton

In the night of the day, we had good moment. We enjoyed Hanabi (small fireworks) in front of my house, and my wife and I enjoyed her travel story especially Mongolia one was very interesting. I heard that they use a lot of oil for cooking, and they love mutton.One day, she wanted to try beef to escape mutton life and she found the restaurant has the sign of beef. She ordered steak of course. However, the meal which the waiter brought her was Mutton! It's very funny! Even though she said she loves Mongolia.

Final day, I brought her to service area nearby. We promised to meet again in the future.
Then, She headed to west to go to South Korea despite the big Typhoon was coming. She reached the border line between south and north Korea, and she sent me a picture took with a north Korean soldier. Of course, She reached Mongolia again finally.

What a lady! Awesome!

Stopped the CS temporarily

Here is the another reason I stopped Couchsurfing temporarily.
This is another post also no associated at all with Couchsurfing experience.

I am sorry about that , but this time I post it in case for if there might be someone who are interested in architecture in Japan especially about houses and I would like to show you how is the house like my guests spending with us.

Building a new house!

2012, November - 2013, July

As soon as I finished third experience on Couchsurfing, I needed to build a new house immediately. I had had some trouble about a house stuffs I lived at that time between me and landlord for years, then I decided to leave here after fighting against landlord.

We already became pretty big family with welcomed new baby so we needed a house not an apartment room instead. By the way, there are only few rent houses (not including apartments rooms) for big family in Japan so it's a little bit hard task to find a house.

Also, nowadays Japanese house price and rate of loan have been getting down year by year so it was not difficult to buy or build a new house at least for people living in countryside like me than to find another lent house.

Fortunately, I found the nice land located in neighborhood, wide and long, location, formed, price, everything was perfect.

I bought this land first.

We opened a kind of traditional ritual called Ji-chin-sai before started building.
We did pray to have God of land allows we build a house this place, and the safe working. Each person dig the land just one shot with a holy traditional device in taking turn.

Then, I designed the house details with an architect.

I didn't want my new house to be alike as other ordinary Japanese houses, so we designed the house form to be square ( little bit rectangle ) and I chose black galvalume as the outside wall.

I didn't know well about houses when I started to plan to build a house, but I have seen the Japanese house's ability especially about air tightness is very much cheap than western houses after I studied about house.

Why? Because,

It was very important to get air flowing from outside to inside the room for old Japanese houses because to escape from hotness and humidity of summer of Japan.
Most part of Japan is not so much cold in winter so we can survive even if losing the warm air from inside house.
Most of Japanese carpentry and architects to be negative about new techniques and not realize the importance about air tightness.

I think those are the reasons.

Since I realized about that, I changed windows from single glass to double glass.

To be honest, I think using triple is the best but I couldn't use them because of the cost. These are from Germany or Sweden or Canada at that time so they were so expensive.

Anyway, I wanted to say is Europe and North American houses are great! And I have regret little bit about that.
I have often heard that Japanese stuffs are said very nice about cars, electronic devices. So, I thought the house is also same but it's not.
If I would get big money in the future, I wanted to build another house again as same level as western's one....

in the beginning.

almost used lumber

Nowadays, also in japan using heat insulators, even though these are not best one.

Choosing the stuffs using for kitchen and bathroom in the show rooms.

There were so many things which I had to decided, Rooms, Kitchen, Bathroom, floors, garden... we went a lot of show rooms for each one, almost every weekends for 6 month. It was very hard task with kids including just a baby, but it was also very fun at same time!

Almost there.

My kids joined the works to make gardens and outside steps!
They did drawing something on the step for the memories, their works are on step still now.

Finally, all of working have done!
It's almost one year from plan to done.

We settled down here and this house.

This place is a residential area but here has a lot of nature nearby, trees, rivers, birds, sometimes weasels and boars, of course many insects I don't like though.

After finishing this big project for my family, I hoped every Couchsurfer enjoy and feel the Japanese nature in here to know Japan more, and even now I do so.

We restarted Couchsurfing after a year this moment.

The third couchsurfer from United states!

August ,2012

He was the first guest who sent me a request for staying. Actually, I sent requests in the past 2 times because the city I lived at that time is not famous one even for Japanese such as doesn't have any sightseeing spots so that I had not gotten any requests from travelers in the beginning.

I remember that I was very happy when I received his request because not only this is the first time to receive the request from guest, but also his request was very polite. He wrote on the request how he would like to know about Japanese culture and lifestyle through staying with a family especially away from the cities and he said that I am more than happy to help with chores around the house.

This request was also near dates from finished last hosting, but this time my wife and I decided to welcome him as soon as I received it.

He came here after finished his 2 month travel within Taiwan which is his root country. He brought some gifts for us and one of them was sweets from Taiwan.

He stayed 2 nights on weekdays so we had not so much time to spend together but we talked in the nights about some interesting topics, TV dramas, musics, video games, especially talking about each other language was very interesting.

He taught me some English words and how to use these in the conversations,

in return I taught some useful Japanese while his traveling.

However, my wife and son was not same as me. They spent whole of 2 days with him enjoying shopping and badminton, and I think this is the high-light of his staying, they built the Gun-pla which he brought us as one of his gifts together.

Just in case if you don't know, the Gunpla is the plastic model toy of Gundam which is main character of so huge popular Japanese anime for over 35 years.

Done! Now type-MK-Ⅱ has been built by their great work! They built it very beautiful one. I'm not good at building Gunpla since I was child, so I'm proud of you guys.

Everybody, GOOD JOB!!

He spent us just 2 nights but we still remember him with this Gumpla memory. At last day, I brought him to Nala, and he started another Couchsurfing life some more days at there with another Japanese family. Thank you for coming!!

The Gumdam few days later.

Our defeat this time was chiefly caused by I had left it on a table with over optimistic estimate of our 2 years old daughter's ability .

I stopped the hosting on Couchsurfing temporary after spending with him for some reasons. It was almost 2 years.

French girls come!

July 2012

Second guest was 2 french girls.
This is the longest hosting experience ever. We spent the memorable 2 weeks with them!
However, the start was not good ...

This time, I offered them to stay at my house because their profile showed they are learning Japanese. I thought this would be great opportunity to do "language exchange" between English and Japanese if they come.

( At that time, as same as most Japanese people I'd thought all of western people speak English as same level as native speaker).

Actually, my wife disagreed little bit to host again because the dates are very close from first time to second time and she was pregnant the 4th child, so it was very tough task for her as looking back at that time. I'm sorry about that.. But I persuaded her somehow in the end.

In the day we confirmed to meet up, I got a message from them. They said that " Sorry we missed the bus from Tokyo to Osaka , so we can't come today. We will retry tomorrow"

What's?!?!

Hey! I already prepared the room which they will use and I asked my wife ( who don't want to do it) to cook dinner for them and I got her agreement somehow ! But you won't come today?!

This is really trouble for me....I have to apologize to my wife after I get back to my home.
I hope she won't get very angry about that....

Although they were not in time at next day as well, they came to our place anyway. We could meet finally.

The most surprising thing after we met was they speak Japanese very well than I thought. We used Japanese in most of days. I was not able to do " Language exchange " at all. But it's OK, not big deal.

At the beginning, I had thought they have some plans what they want to do in this area absolutely in the beginning because we can go from here to Kyoto, Osaka ,Nara... these are very popular cities for travelers as you know. These cities have rich historical stuffs like Japanese castle, old temples, big Buddha etc. I had imagined they will go to sightseeing every day using my place as a base.
However, they said that they don't have particularly plans for sightseeing and they seemed not curious about those things, indeed. But it's not good for my family because my wife needs some times for good rest in a day because she was pregnant and I have to go to my work in day time.
Umm... second trouble is here. What should I do...then I suggested them to visit Arima onsen for next day....

We spent first few days like that. They visited some places in Osaka , Kyoto, also Arima onsen too, as they are a traveler, but after over those days they were getting to become like a part of my family. They spend in my house whole day some time without me. That's mean we allowed they do so.

One day I brought them and my son to Nara while I'm doing my sales working, then they and my son ( he was just 7 years old at that time ) did sightseeing Nara half- day. Yes, I know it sounds unbelievable thing a father let his child go somewhere with strangers , but it was very natural thing for us at that time already.

In other days, they taught my kids how to cook the crepes, then they cooked together. We did enjoy this special foods after that !

Through this awesome 2 weeks, I felt they really became my family member.
We are keeping in touch even 5 years passed now.

Thanks Couchsurfing for giving me such a great opportunity to meet such wonderful girls!

Welcome !

Our first guest from Montreal,Canada !

July, 2012

I heard about Couchsurfing from one of my pen pal at 2011. It was 1 year later since I started learning English. I had been learning English through the exchange emails with my pen pals,mostly. After I finished to learn basic grammars and words, I just wanted to use them in real conversations to improve my skill as next step (my English still isn't good even now, though...).

So, I thought Couchsurfing is the best way for my learning English and, of course it seems very fun to connect other countries people at my place.
That is why I started to Couchsurfing as a host.

Finally,meet up for the first time

Anyway, my first guest came to my place. It was the first Couchsurfing experience for both my family and them so we did contact a lot before we met.
Talked about Jobs, families, English skills, where my house is located, what do they want at my place..etc and the most important thing about meet up place and time.

We met up at nearest station from my house, I went there to pick them up with my daughters. I remember that I was so nervous because it was also first time for me to use English by myself with foreigners in real talking.
It sounds might be weird for you but generally, most of Japanese people including me can't have conversations with English because we can't speak, not " don't speak ". So we (Japanese) afraid the situation to use English than the situation to meet new people.

Get to know each other culture

After stopped by my house to put their luggage, we went to Sushi restaurant to have dinner.
It was really funny when they tried to eat Uni (urchin) is the most expensive and popular one in Sushi, for the first time, their faces are....anyway surprised :)
Don't worry , Although I am a Japanese I don't like Uni so much.

They stayed just one night, so we didn't have much time but we had a great time exchanging on our different cultures through the conversations in the night.
We talked about using the way of slippers in the rooms, how and when take bath usually, Americans and Chinese, anime of Hayao Miyazaki, Tengus and other mythical creatures.
He said, one of the reason they come to Japan is to see 3 mythical creatures,
Tengus...

Kappas..

And... I forgot the last one, sorry.

I was so surprised they know Doragonball and Totolo very well because I didn't know that how Japanese anime is famous in the world at that time.
Also I heard they take only shower not get into the bathtub,moreover they take shower in the morning not in the night. This is the difference of culture. It's never happened in Japan usually. Also, I didn't know Montreal people speak French in usually, I think this thing is not known well in Japan.
Good to know everything!

They played with my kids super well and even with my dog a! despite they were already tired with their long trip, I really appreciate about that.
It was also first time to meet other country people for my children, of course.
Language seems doesn't matter for children.
I was relieved to see my children seemed not afraid to contact my guests despite the kids couldn't speak English at all. I got a confidence we can continue the Couchsurfing by seeing that.

Next day, We went to Arima onsen which is very famous onsen town in Japan, located nearby my place. We spent half a day enjoying the hot baths.

Although it was just one and half day, this was really awesome Couchsurfing experience!
They are not married couple at that time (5 years ago), but now, they have became a family and have their adorable daughter! We can connect even now, How great!

IN JAPAN

Nice couple from Montreal, Canada !

Day 1: Be friends!

Day 2: Sushi

Day 3: Mt.Rokko and Arima onsen town

Supper hitchhiker come!

She came here with hitchhiking!

In the morning just little bit trouble

Mutton

Restart the Couchsurfing since 2014

Stopped the CS temporarily

Building a new house!

Stopped Couchsurfing temporarily

A Baby was born!

The third couchsurfer from United states!

French girls come!

Welcome !

Our first guest from Montreal,Canada !

Finally,meet up for the first time

Get to know each other culture

Hello there !

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