Returning to Japan Later in the Year, and Learning the Hostel Business

As so many other backpacking travelers, I have thought about?opening my own hostel in the future. I have a?list of things I like and dislike in hostels, after staying in so many of them. Owning one would also be a fun way to keep the travel spirit alive, by welcoming people from all over the world. I do realize that?while it?looks fun on the surface, there are many other details about the hostel business that I’m unaware off.

I had the chance to chat with the owner while staying in Travellers’ Guesthouse in Osaka. It was an eye-opening conversation about the various facets of the business. I have toyed with the idea of volunteering at a hostel somewhere in exchange for accommodation (since I can’t legally get paid while on a tourist visa) to acquire some experience. It didn’t occur to me at the time, but as I thought about this conversation in the following days, I realized that Osaka would be the perfect place to do it. I had fallen in love in Japan the moment I stepped out of the airport, and I already wanted to?go back?in December to watch my River Plate play in the FIFA Club World Cup. Since living in Japan for two months was an important decision, I didn’t want to make a rushed one. I used the following week to really think it through.

When I arrived in Tokyo a week later I had already made up my mind, I would go back to Japan from mid-November to mid-January, and volunteer at the Traveler’s House?in exchange for a private room (not inside the hostel). I did a skype interview and even had to send me resume (CV). This was the first lesson: even though it is?a volunteer position, you still have to do your due diligence when hiring. In the end we were able to agree with the dates and other terms. I felt really excited and happy right away, and I am now trying to learn some basic Japanese to better adapt to the country.

I look forward to this new adventure of getting to know Japan better, and finding out if this hostel business thing is really something I’d like to pursue once this trip is over.