Couch Surfing Kyoto
We waited anxiously at the suburban train station. The platform was deserted. We made our way to a pay phone, struggled to read the instructions, but eventually managed to call our host Shoji. We waited. We were in Kyoto, Japan. It was the middle of winter, late at night, pitch black and we were waiting for a complete stranger to pick us up and take us to stay at his house.
It may seem like a giant leap of faith, but this is the basic principle of Couch Surfing: put your trust in complete strangers and go stay at their houses, for free, anywhere in the world. The project started in America in 2004 and is now the world's largest hospitality exchange network.
With over two million members in 237 countries Couch Surfing internationally networks people and places, giving travellers a true cultural experience. Couch Surfing is free, with an expectation that you give back, although you are not obliged to do so. Couch Surfing’s creators aim to change not only the way we travel, but how we, as humans, relate to the world.
Like most things in life, Couch Surfing is not without its dangers. There have been the occasional incidents where solo female travellers have been subject to sexual harassment. Last year a man was sentenced to 10 years in jail for raping a Chinese woman who surfed with him in Leeds, England. It was the first and only incident of this kind in the website’s six year history. Last year’s records showed that of the 1.25 million stays which have been organized since 2004, 99.6 per cent of users considered their experiences as positive. Negative feedback usually concerns nothing more serious than a last minute cancellation.
We knew of these dangers when we first emailed Shoji. We had reserved beds at a backpackers in case things turned ugly, but our fears proved unwarranted and we quickly cancelled our reservations. Shoji turned out to be a friendly and excitable man in his early 40s. He drove us through a remote Kyoto suburb, pointing out local attractions in broken English as we went by.
We pulled up to a small traditional Japanese house; two storied, the floor lined with tatami mats, paper walls and sliding doors. Shoji didn’t live here. He lived with his wife and three daughters at a nearby residence. This was, I guess you could say, his “spare” house, used purely to host the hundreds of travellers who contact Shoji on their quest to experience the real Japan.
We took off our shoes and made our way into the guest house. That first night we shared a room with six other travellers; one young couple from Malaysia, an Australian pair in their forties, a solo American man and a woman from Hong Kong. Shoji provided us with maps and pointed out the best attractions, explained how to use the train system and told us where the best and cheapest restaurants were. We stayed at the guest house for over a week and didn’t pay a cent. Some nights we were alone and other times the house was full.
When we met Shoji he had been running the guest house for around six months. The communal sleeping arrangements consisted of traditional futons spread out over two levels, with anywhere from one to 20 guests staying on any given night.
The walls were adorned with messages written in marker pens. Despite the different languages each message was essentially the same thing; a heartfelt message of appreciation to the man who had welcomed them in. And of course, an offer to return the favour.
Throughout the guest house there are souvenir gifts and tokens of gratitude, Union Jack tea towels or koala bear key chains. Shoji has offers to stay in almost any country and city in the world, and yet he has never travelled further than Japan’s capital.
He’s a busy man, working on his family farm during the day and as a volunteer counsellor at a crisis call centre during the night. In his spare moments he ferries “surfers” to and from bus and train stations. He’s lost track of how many travellers he has hosted. On his profile there are positive references from over 200 Couch Surfing members, but word of his hospitality spreads quickly amongst other travellers.
It wasn’t until our last evening in Kyoto that Shoji had a chance to sit down and chat as a person rather than our surrogate travel guide. That evening we were with an Australian couple who were biking their way around the world, starting in London, and Couch Surfing the whole way. The woman raised the question we were all thinking, why did Shoji host these hundreds of people when he got nothing for it in return?
Shoji struggled to put an explanation into English.
“I love Kyoto, yes?” He asked us.
“Yes,” we replied.
He nodded.
“Want everyone else love Kyoto too,” he said with a smile.
Within Kyoto, online and Couch Surfing communities, Shoji’s house is famous. Countless travel blogs and guides describe positive experiences staying in the guest house. Kelsi Herman, from Korea says; “While searching for Shoji's house, I walked into a small tempura restaurant and immediately they pulled out a small map of Shoji's Couch Surfing house. Incredible. I knew right there that this place would be unforgettable. If you in Kyoto, make sure you stay with Shoji!”
My Stay at Shoji’s house was not my first encounter with Couch Surfing. A friend introduced me to the concept set up my online profile and helped me reach the first level of verification by “vouching” for me. Six months later I drove into the Auckland CBD to Base, a backpacker’s hostel. Here I loitered in my car nervously before picking up Tim, an American who had been teaching English around the world for the past two years. I took Tim for dinner and a drink with some friends and then on a mini mission up Mt Eden volcano to check out the view. I dropped him back at the hostel and we parted ways. Complete strangers, hanging out.
A few days later I met up with a girl named Trisha from Orange County and invited her to join my local pub quiz team. Every few weeks I receive emails from travellers keen to meet up for a drink, be shown the sights or just meet a New Zealand local.
After leaving Shoji’s Kyoto house we headed to Tokyo, here we met Jen and Nicola, introduced them to Couch Surfing and sent them to Shoji’s house. Three weeks later they came and stayed with us in New Zealand and we remain close friends.
- Fact Box: What is Couch Surfing?
- Couch Surfing is a free, internet based organisation that connects “surfers” with potential “couches” they can stay at.
- Members provide detailed information and pictures of themselves and of the sleeping accommodation they offer. The more information, the more trustworthy the host or guest.
- There is a personal “vouching system” where existing members vouch for friends who join or travellers they have met through Couch Surfing, and trust. The first basic safety step is to check if a person has been vouched for.
- Members looking for accommodation can search for hosts using parameters such as age, location, gender and activity level.
- Stays are consensual between the host and guest. The length, nature and terms of the stay are generally worked out in advance to the convenience of both parties.
- No monetary exchange takes place except for compensation of incurred expenses (e.g. food).
- Much like Trade Me, members can leave references about their host or guest.
- Instead of, or in addition to, accommodation, members also offer to provide guide services or travel-related advice.
- Couch Surfing's main focus is "social networking" and members organise activities such as camping trips, bar crawls, meetings, and sporting events.
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