Community Spotlight [Tokyo]: Yagi

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Community Spotlight [Tokyo]: Yagi

Community Spotlight.png

 

Hello everyone,

 

I hope you are having a great day.

 

I know many of you enjoy our Community Spotlight series here in the CC and so I thought, as part of the Host Community Tour, you would enjoy hearing and meeting some of the great people I meet along the way. 

 

I’ve been staying with a fantastic host in Tokyo and over a beautiful (and most importantly delicious) breakfast, I asked him a few questions.

 

Introducing…Yagi. Yagi's listing is a private room in his home. 

 

Yagi.png

 

Yagi
Toyko, Japan

 

How long have you been a host for and why did you start?

I started at the end of September 2018, so about 6 months. I started because I left the company I was working for. I was going to look for a new job, but I also wanted to start a new business. Since I didn’t have the money, I thought the best thing would be to do something in the house, and that Airbnb would be the best. It allows me to stay at home and do my business work and other projects, and as I own my house, I can share my first floor with the guests. It works for me! I did all the DIY myself and remodelled it in the Japanese style. I enjoyed all the shopping!

 

What’s your favourite part of your home?

The view from the windows in the morning. The house is located by the riverside, it’s a quiet place–there are no cars. In the morning, the sun shines through, all the shades come through the window. If you open up the sliding doors, it shows the green, in the Autumn [Fall] you see the reds, the spring there is the sakura, lots of pinks. There are lots of people passing by walking and it makes me feel like I should go out, take a walk. Many of my guests wake up early and take a walk, they say it’s a nice neighbourhood.

 

Bedroom.jpg

 

Why do you enjoy hosting?

To see the guests smile. I meet people from abroad, different countries, they have many values and culture. I serve them breakfast and they like the food and I talk about the Japanese culture and they are just into it. I recommended a place to a guy and he went and he liked it. It’s fun dealing with the people, and I’m enthused to make people happy. That’s what I do.  

 

Sitting room.jpg

 

As a host what’s your vision for the future?  

Since I started up, only 6 months ago, I'm don't really know what other hosts are doing. I chatted with some hosts online and they have some of the same worries as me, it seems like the quality in Japan might not be as high as in other countries. It seems like it is more homely, less professional. I’ve been approached to be part of Airbnb Plus, so I have to learn how to be more professional. I would love to be a good example for other hosts in Japan and I would like to have a higher standard.

 

Do you have a top hosting tip?

Be yourself and treat your guests like family. As we are Japanese, we have to know about the country, about our culture. We have to have enough information to give to the guests, because guests want to know about Japan’s culture. It’s good to have good local knowledge.

 

Any fun facts?

I am a shy guy. Once I started speaking English, I started to be more talkative. This is what my friend told me. In Japan, when I meet my Japanese friends, I don’t talk much, I don’t know why. When I talk to a native English speaker, I start talking. If you are bored, then just talk to me!

 

 

I had such a wonderful time staying in Yagi's home and getting to know more about Japan and why he loves hosting. It is clear that he cares a lot about making sure his guests have a great stay and I think he is very proud to be Japanese. 

 

Please do share your comments and thoughts here, I am sure Yagi would love to read your comments. Plus, have you ever been to Japan? If not, what kind of experience would you like if you visited?

 

I hope you enjoyed Yagi's spotlight. 

 

Thanks,
Lizzie

 


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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

39 Replies 39
Amos18
Level 7
Nairobi, Kenya

I admires how the Japanesse houses appears to be simply built but the combination of art in it is expressed in a thousand dimentions

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

So true @Amos18. There is definitely a sense of elegance and beauty to the architecture. 


--------------------


Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

Alexandra316
Level 10
Lincoln, Canada

@LizzieLooks like a beautiful place, and that breakfast looks amazing! 

Helen427
Level 10
Auckland, New Zealand

Alexandra @Amos0@Ria@Kimberly @Lawrene0@Lizzie and @Yagi0

@

 

I've been invited to Japan many times but have yet to make it there..one day.

 

How many of you know that Japan grows Kiwifruit?

 

And that there gardens are modelled on places of cultural significance?

 

Lizzie, glad to see you must have made yourself at home before you took the photo, or did @Yagi0 not straighten out the bed/ futon to maybe it look more "homely"???

@

 

 

@Yagi, is the bed a futon? If so what fabric is the mattress made out of? I've a futon and futon mattress which is wool / cotton mix which makes it nice and warm for winter and cooler months. Have any of you in CC slept on futons? Did you like it?
Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

haha @Helen427,  I take full responsibility for the bed. This was taken on the 2nd or third day. Sorry about my photography skills. 🙂 

 

@Yagi1, are you able to provide Helen with a few more details about the bed, I know it was very comfortable and the duvet was very snug, which I like because I'm always cold. 

 

Personally with futons, I feel like there is a wide range of quality, some you can feel the wooden slats underneath you and others feel like a mattress bed, so it's one to be careful with. I've got a futon bed in my home and I slightly regret buying it, but with two topper covers on it, it is quite pleasant.  Do you have one?

 

 


--------------------


Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

Hi @Lizzie and all... I'm not an expert about futons, but as you pointed out, there is an enormous range of quality.  In my host home, my (host) sister and I both had beds.  Our parents slept on a traditional futon--which was rolled up and put away during the day, as this room was used for meeting purposes.  The floor in that room was also tatami, which allows the floor underneath to breathe.  If you buy even the most luxurious futon, you can NOT keep it on the floor all the time or you will have real problems.  Serious problems.  Not kidding.  It has to be rolled up to give the floor and hopefully a tatami underneath-- a rest--yes, more breathing.  And if you have a bed on the floor, you absolutely, with no exceptions, have the floor clean at all times.  That's DAILY.  I don't know how my mom kept the house so incredibly together, cooked all of the meals, and also had a full-time job at the family's electric company. 

 

Maybe not so romantic (probably not the right word... historic?  no...sleeping in some kind of other history?), but above-floor beds are a LOT easier!

 

Sleep well,

 

 

 

Kim
Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Thanks for your great tips here @Kimberly54, it's very interesting to hear about this, even for those not hosting in Japan. 

 

I think we got a futon because we thought it would be useful to save space, because it can be folded up into a chair/sofa, but it is funny how much we leave it up. I can't remember the last time we folded it up! 🙂 

 

 


--------------------


Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

Hi @Lizzie,  Here's the problem:  The entire lower surface (bed or chair or sofa--I bought one of these as well...same thought as you had) is in constant contact with the floor.  Your new "friends" will start with dust, then other things (small insects, etc) that can somehow find their way into your home, and then MOLD... you are now sleeping amongst them!  Disaster.  Even if you vacuum, you will soon be lost.  The futon MUST come up. 

 

And most of these fold-ups aren't very comfortable. 

 

If anyone thinks futons are groovy (and they ARE), you have to buy into the whole amazing daily ritual that goes with them--and the sound reasons behind them.  I don't know why the Japanese go through all of this work, but they do, and I think it's very cool. 

 

Best,

 

Kim

@Kimberly54 

Similar to Japan, Koreans also traditionally slept on thick floor mattresses which have to be folded and put away during the day - every day, and (after cleaning the floors) brought out in the evening before going to bed. 

 

Why? I'm sure there are many reasons but the top 2 things that come to mind are space and cleanliness.

 

Homes in Korea (and Japan) are relatively smaller and spaces are multi-function. If you have a bed taking up half the room, the space is not getting any use all day when people aren't sleeping. Recently with western life-styles becoming widespread we are seeing a change in house layouts and furniture. Nowadays majority of people live in high-rise apartments, homes are more spacious and families are smaller, but in the past (even just 50~60 years ago, my parents' generation) it was quite common to have a family of 6~8 people living in a 80 m2 home - so with the kitchen, bathroom and other common spaces, this means bedrooms are really small. 

 

Also, even with the influence of western life-styles, we (at least based on the observations of my own family and friends) like to keep the bed clean and separate from other "daily" activities. Throwing your coat/jacket/sweater that you wore all day outside on the bed? or your bag or back pack? or climbing into bed while still wearing clothes/socks you wore all day? is unimaginable. The bed is a sort of "clean" sanctuary. So I'd assume keeping the floor mattress and blankets/bedding stored away and at the end of the day putting away your things, tidying up, and clearing the floor to get ready for bed would be seen as a daily ritual and a normal part of everyday life 🙂 

 

@Jessica-and-Henry0, I didn't spell it out as clearly as you did, but I was trying to say the same thing.  Space and daily cleanliness--to an order of magnitude that many other cultures might not grasp.  And not just disrespecting the sanctuary of the bed by introducing things from outside, but not leaving the bed in contact with the floor.  This is a BIG NO.  The whole bed-on-the-floor issue is one that someone really has to embrace. 

 

Aside from living in Japan, my step-mom is Korean.  I get it.

 

Best,

 

Kim

@Helen427  I am answering to your question. @Lizzie 

 

(Kiwifruit)

Japan grows Kiwifruit. mainly,  in Gunma, Tochigi, Yamanashi Prefecture.

 

(Garden)

Japanese Garden is influence from Nature and religous thems. From ancient times the Japanese had a design tradition which involved composition with stones and water. They also made gardens, but what form they took is not known. The history of surviving Japanese gardens is of the introduction of Buddhist and Taoist ideas from China, in the 7th century AD, and of how these garden design ideas were adapted to the context of Japan and its ancient religion (Shinto). Since knowledge of Japanese gardens began to reach the west, they have become amazingly popular so that there are now far more Japanese gardens outside Japan than Chinese gardens outside China. In some ways, this parallels the

popularity of Zen Buddhism outside Japan - and it should be remembered that Buddhism has been a profound influence on Japanese gardens.

 

(FUTON)

This bed is FUTON made out of Polyester/ Cotton mix. Futon Mattress is made out of  Polyester. very confofortable.

 

Thanks.

 

 

As always.........another great community spotlight @Lizzie 

 

@Yagi1   Your home and guest room look so welcoming and cozy. I host a lot of exchange students and many of them plan a weekend trip to Japan. If any of my guests ask about Tokyo, I'll be sure to point them in your direction 🙂 

 

Henry and I are headed to Fukuoka in May with a group of our friends. Japan is a favorite destination of ours for weekend foodie trips! 

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Aww it's great to hear you are heading to Japan  soon @Jessica-and-Henry0. I hope you and your friends have a super time. Have you got many plans so far? 


--------------------


Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

Hello @Jessica-and-Henry0  thanks for your comment. yes, I am sure you can enjoy my guest house. I accept from 1 to 4 people. looking forward to meeting with you and your exchange student in the future!  in fact, I've had hosted exchange student from South Korea last month. they are very nice!

 

@Yagi1 

If Henry and I ever plan a trip to Tokyo we will definitely look you up 🙂 As hosts, we haven't  had a guest from Japan yet.... and would definitely welcome the opportunity.  

 

@Lizzie 

Henry and I usually visit Japan at least 2~3 times each year..... whenever we are able to get good deals on flights 🙂 I'm sure Henry will be on the lookout to hop over to Japan again sometime after September. We've found that summer is a bit too hot & humid so we try to avoid travelling in July~August.