CouchSurfing in Japan

To plagiarize, www.couchsurfing.org is a volunteer-based worldwide network connecting travelers with members of local communities. From their website, "We believe that people who are different than us are good, trustworthy, and inspiring. And every day we're sharing our cultures, hospitality, and adventures with each other."

I heard about CouchSurfing two years ago at Macalester College, but unfortunately I did not have the resources or space to host surfers, the means or courage to travel, or the trust of strangers. Fortunately, on a trip to Chicago, a friend introduced me to the website www.airbnb.com, a similar service where people rent their homes to travelers. While airbnb isn't as specific as CouchSurfing when it comes to cultural/international exchange, I had such a wonderful time with our hosts on bike tours of the city and eating together at local restaurants. Then, traveling became more about enjoying the people than enjoying the views and tourist attractions (although, I still enjoy that part too).

I decided to start hosting surfers recently and for selfish purposes...do we really take action for any other reason? I can't say, really, I don't know anything about philosophy...some altruism stuff or something. I wanted to speak English with people, learn Japanese, fulfill my duty of internationalization in Japan by bringing foreigners and travelers to my city, and show people how cool the town I'm living in is.

So far, I have hosted two surfers, both who have inspired me, taught me, made me wonder, and helped me think more holistically about the world. In other words, they have fulfilled my selfish motivations for hosting, and then some. My most recent couch surfer was a Japanese man: a musician, world hitchhiker and philosopher. He wore a rainbow colored hat, baggy pants, and sandals, and carried a guitar that rivaled his height. Maybe he looked like a Japanese hippy, but this man had traveled to 65 countries. At some point in his life, he lived and worked in Tokyo, commuting to work every day being pushed on trains (have you seen these train pushers?):

Anyway, the way he engaged us in conversation, the way he was willing to communicate with us in English and share his knowledge of the Japanese language and culture, and his vivacity for life really made an impression on me. He visited on a Wednesday, and graced our English circle with the song "Hello, Goodbye" by the Beatles while the class sang along. When I dropped him off at Panorama Park (a stop from the Hokkaido Expy), he thanked me graciously, and as I pulled away, he stood and waved, both arms over his head, until I pulled out of the lot (I thought he had maybe forgotten something in the car and was trying to flag me down) but no, he was just gracefully waving his arms in a thankful goodbye.

In the next month, I will be hosting two more surfers, Hokkaido wanderers who, for one reason or another, want to come to my quiet village and share a few days with me. I am becoming a better host, a better communicator, more trusting and global and brave to travel myself. I have been inspired by descriptions of many countries, and the ease of which these CouchSurfers travel, often with no car, phone, money, etc. They make me want to travel the world too!