Japanese Man Couch Surfs Across 500 Homes to Save Money While Traveling the Country

Shuraf Ishida was only 28 years old when he started couch surfing in strangers’ homes as he travelled across Japan.

The idea behind this strange lifestyle was born after he discovered his passion for travelling back in his university days after visiting Taiwan. Soon after graduating, Ishida managed to secure a job to save up money for travelling. However, for unknown reasons, he quit his job and has been sporting his new lifestyle for five years as he travelled across the country. Despite his savings dwindling, the now 33-year-old said he had no intention to return to work. Instead, he's trying to save as much money as possible to go on with his life.

With only a few belongings in his backpack, Ishida can mostly be found in crowded places holding a sign that reads “Please Let Me Stay Over Tonight!”. According to him, it's very rare that he doesn't find anyone willing to take him in. But when those rare instances happen, Ishida would simply phone the people who had let him stay over before.

When it comes to what he enjoys the most out of his lifestyle, Ishida said it was listening to strangers’ stories. He added that many homeowners who took him in would share their secrets and hardships they had to endure. Despite Ishida never showing empathy or offering words of encouragement, most homeowners seem to enjoy the interaction.

“It never bores me. It feels like reading a different novel every night,” said Ishida.

Criticism & support

Although what he did is technically not illegal, it does come with a lot of criticism. According to Ishida, many viewed him as taking advantage of others as he refused to work to fund his travelling needs.

However, over 90% of the people who had opened their homes to Ishida before said that his presence makes them feel less lonely.

One woman in her 20s recalled how her life was before meeting Ishida which involved a lot of excessive spending and drinking until she threw up.

“But when I'm with Ishida, it helps me get through the night. All I need to do is just lend him my house,” the woman said.

Since his lifestyle went viral, Ishida has somewhat become a local celebrity. It is reported that many homeowners are offering him a place to stay. Not only that, he also received interview offers from various news outlets.

Despite the fame, Ishida said he would hold to his lifestyle and continue to sleep at strangers’ homes. His main concern as of now is wanting to revisit previous homes he had spent the night in and trying to fit them into his busy schedule.

What do you think of Ishida's lifestyle?

---