Around the world, one homestay at a time: adventures in Japan

Have you ever dreamed about travelling the world? Well that’s what one lucky competition winner, 22 year-old Denae gets to do. Denae was the winner of the Snap Gap competition we ran in conjunction with Student Universe and is travelling the world one homestay at a time. Her first stop off on her round the world tour was Japan where she told us about the beginning of what she described as an eye-opening experience.

The initial fear of unknown territory was counter balanced for Denae by having great local hosts on hand to give her advice and help her on her way. "I made my own ramen, accidentally ate grilled cartilage on a stick, and even got inspired enough by the fashionable Tokyoites to buy fancy socks", she said.

Having stayed with three hosts in Japan, Denae described what she liked most about the experience: "I loved having a secure place to relax in at the end of the day, and people who were genuinely excited to share culture to come home to. Whether it was something as active as dressing in a yukata and going to karaoke, or sitting in the living room together and watching the news, I had fun."

In spite of the initial language and cultural barriers, Denae found that each of her hosts made themselves available to help her to find her feet and navigate her way around Japan. Staying with a local meant they could give her guidance on the best places to visit in each city and guaranteed that she made memories she will never forget.

"I left [Japan] without a doubt that their hosting experience was about more than the money, it was a relief to know I had support wherever I went. For example, not only did Tomoko help me find my way around the city, but she also took the time to help me find ways to engage with it: she introduced me to a family friend, Saya, who took a Sunday afternoon to show me around one of the most eclectic districts of Tokyo."

"When I first learned about Homestay, I was concerned that I would lose independence by living in someone else's home. But the hosts understood that I had my own schedule while letting me know I was perfectly welcome to join in on some family time. And there was plenty to explore solo!"

Her adventures also meant that she had the opportunity to visit places she would never have seen if she had just stayed in a hotel. "I had never heard of Takatsuki before being placed in Chiaki’s homestay, but my time there put me in the perfect position to experience three very different cities in as many days."

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Denae's advice to others is that should you choose to stay in Takatsuki, take the time to explore it as well as the bigger nearby cities of Kyoto and Osaka. "Takatsuki is so much more relaxed and so you have all the time in the world to try all of its multicultural cafes."

Denae also suggests making the most of the local cuisine within your budget, be that going to restaurants where the locals eat, sampling dishes you cannot pronounce or simply browsing the convenience stores and supermarkets for interesting foods to try.

Denae's trip helped her discover a side to Japan that not many travellers get to see. "My time with my homestay hosts Tomoko, Chiaki, and Suzy helped me experience the relaxed suburb life as well as the excitement of the city.

Even though I had to direct a lot of my budget to transportation, I also gained priceless knowledge on how public transport worked which was another way to learn the local rhythm (you haven’t travelled until you’ve squished yourself into a Tokyo train car at rush hour!). And of course, there were plenty of wow moments in the tourist spots".

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Denae described how hiking through the red gates of Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari shrine in a steep climb one early morning was something that she would never forget. But she felt that some of her fondest memories during her trip actually came from the simple things. "A lot of my favorite times happened in the quieter moments, like spreading homemade jam on the delicious homemade bread Chiaki left out for breakfast or laughing with another homestay guest around Tomoko’s dinner table about the trip we took earlier that day."

With her first country and first three homestays done, we asked Denae how she felt as a first time user. "After only two weeks of staying with Homestay, I would encourage anyone considering it to go right ahead! It takes a lot of stress off to have someone to come home to at the end of the day and to speak with, as well as having a secure place that you can leave your things."

She did advise guests to be mindful of their location when booking and to get the most out of what you want from the experience but not to be put off by staying a little further out from the centre of the city. "Many of the suburbs outside of the city center have a charming character that you wouldn’t experience if you’d just stayed centrally. I found the sweetest pancake house down the road from Suzy’s home, and had such a good time getting to know the owners!"

Denae sums up her travel experience with some final words: "next time you’re ready for more of a personal touch, take a breather from the hostel/hotel circuit and have a look at Homestay. Somewhere, there’s a living room just waiting for you to flop onto its couch!"

We couldn't have put it better ourselves.

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Follow Denae's Snap Gap adventure here as we share her latest destinations or check out her Instagram account for photos as she explores the world, one homestay at a time. Next stop - Sydney, Australia!