Couchsurfing- Kamata, Tokyo- Japan

Address: Kamata, Tokyo


Wow, our second experience at couchsurfing and we were really lucky again in having a very kind and trustworthy person to stay with. After an initial mix up in finding the meeting point, we were greeted by our host, who I shall call 'Takaharu', who carrying a guitar on his back, looked just like a musician as he said he was on his profile. We walked about 10-15 minutes back to his flat which was also close to another train station. We got the shock of our lives when we stepped into his place- it was absolutely TINY! I mean, we knew that people lived in small apartments in Tokyo due to the high density living but the size of the whole place would struggle to meet my expectations of the size of one bedroom, let alone to fulfil all the services of a flat with all the usual amenities. There was a bed and table which folded up into the wall but Takaharu preferred to sleep on a proper bed which took up about a third of the whole space. The 'kitchen' was merely a small sink and a stove built into the wall, and the toilet was almost the size of a toilet on a plane! We were initially at a loss as to how three grown adults could live in this minute box for a whole week, and indeed, we soon had the firm idea to leave the next day and spend a lot of money on staying at a hostel. However with Takaharu generously giving up his bed for us and sleeping on the floor, we awoke the next morning calmer and deciding to give it a decent go.


And so glad we did, as our week in Tokyo would not have been so memorable and enjoyable without the hospitality and friendliness that Takaharu showed us. We were able to experience just how it was like to live in a seriously restricted space from a local's point of view, and come home to relax as he did after a busy day. Thanks, Couchsurfing for another great experience!

Rating: 9/10