CURRENT MISSION

grassroots internationalization and mind-expansion

ABOUT ME

I believe that the key to a happy life is curiosity and a mustering-up of the courage to do the things we're afraid of. I'm trying to embody these two qualities and I hope that maybe in opening my home to you I can help you in some way along your life journey.

I live in the beautiful green hillside of Yoshino (Nara prefecture) and am located just about 20 minutes from Yoshino Yama, perhaps the best place in all of Japan to view the cherry blossoms and the leaves change in between seasons! I live in the countryside, but most people who visit me come here with the intent to see what this sort of life is like. It's quite different from what you see in the big cities and in my opinion coming out here really broadens your understanding of Japan. It's really beautiful out here. There are a few good restaurants around my house, plenty of onsens (bathhouses, my favorite of which is nearby my house and looks out upon the mountains), loads of hiking trails (one with a waterfall just walking distance away), and perhaps the cleanest blue river that I have ever seen in my life. I could also introduce you to some really cool locals if you're interested. This whole area is brimming with history, as this area, Yamato, was the cradle for modern Japanese civilization. You could throw a rock and hit about 20 UNESCO sites in Nara, hehe.

I do work 5 days a week and it is a little difficult to get around out here without a car (though there is a bus), but I could definitely hang/help you out in whatever way you'd like after work and on the weekends. Most people come on the weekends though, as this is when I'm able to be most present. Nara city, Osaka, and Kyoto are all just 1,1.5, and 2 hours away, respectively.

PHILOSOPHY

zoom out to a scale outside of yourself and life will make much more sense.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I discovered CS on a world voyage I took last year after graduating from my University. I met a man from Nepal through CS and ended up staying with him and his family for 3 months in Kathmandu. During this time, I met many other CSers passing through Kathmandu, and now, I feel like it is my turn to return the favor to the world by opening up my doors for a while and to help people experience the beauty of Japan.

Interests

Photography, hiking, travel, books, music, clouds, swimming in places where I'm probably not allowed to, etc.

• books
• photography
• beauty
• walking
• gardening
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• swimming
• history
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: Anything by Khalil Gibran, Walden Pond, Nietzsche, Jonathan Livingston Seagull,

Movies: Synecdoche New York, Khadak, Spirited Away

Music: Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Frusciante, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Budos Band, Menahan Street Band, Oum Kalthoum

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

sitting on top of Angkor Watt and watching the sun set over the ancient ruins, hearing the call to prayer of Cairo's mosques while riding on a camel, sipping tea in a Japanese garden

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, Egypt, France, India, Japan, Kenya, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, South Korea, Tanzania, Thailand, Turks and Caicos Islands

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Japan, United States

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