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.
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.
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.
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
