❤️Beach Homestay 2min to Surf Japan
Overview
"Slow down, relaxing beach town from the busyness of Tokyo yet lots to do and see!" • Surfing beach w/ view of Mt. Fuji (2 min to beach) • 10KM beach bicycle to Enoshima Island • 20min Kamakura • 30min Hakone Hot Springs • 30min Yokohama • 50min Tokyo Easy communication w/ bilingual, Japanese-New Zealand & American couple. 欢迎中国人! Traditional Japanese tatami room looking over a Japanese Maple tree in garden. • Free bicycles use --cycle along beach to Enoshima Island. • Free surfboards+bodyboards. The space This is Your Home. Take off your shoes, pour a cup of tea, and relax. Homey, traditional Japanese house. Get the feel of Japan with friends. Wake up to the ambient daylight through Shoji paper doors. Start your morning with a bowl of our homemade Vegan Organic Miso Soup with seasonable veggies. Or help yourself to a bowl of granola. Feeling jet lagged? Make yourself at home to plenty of coffee and tea to jump start your day. Want to see all the sights? Here's a ready made itinerary :) Day 1 Lounge around with the cats or you might want to ask to be woken up for an early morning surf. You can use our surf and body boards and bikes freely. Yes, free of charge. Take a leisurely cycle along the beach to Enoshima Island. Spend the day immersed in one of Japan's 7 "power spots" as you walk around shrines, eat white bait dishes, flattened squid crackers and get a sunset view of Mt. Fuji over the ocean. Love Sake + craft beer? Chigasaki craft beer and Nihonshu are famous, yet only made in small quantities. Get your hands on the Shonan label beer by Kumazawa Brewing or try a sampling at Mokichi Foods Garden restaurant. Post-dinner Hot Spring: Take a free shuttle bus from Chigasaki station to our hot spring. Bring a towel with you or rent one. No tattoos. Day 2 Kamakura Picture yourself in "Slam Dunk" when you ride the Enoden Train Line from Fujisawa (3rd stations from Chigasaki towards Tokyo) . Get an all-day pass to take that shot, get off again at Hase to say hello to the Big Buddha, and Hase-Dera Temple. You can walk through the woods to ZenAriaBenTen to launder your money ;) washing your money brings you 10x more! Then make your way to either: A) Kita-Kamakura (JR line) for Enkakuji Temple Saturday 1PM Zazen meditation, Kenchoji temple, and Meigetsuin for hydrangeas. B) Kamakura station area Hachimongu Shrine and depending on the flower season, you can choose from so many temples! For dinner, try Shonan Yakitori (chicken) just around the corner from home. Day 3 Hakone hosts more than just the best hot springs in Japan! Take the JR train from Chigasaki going away from Tokyo direction to Odawara. Change the train to Hakoneyumoto there or get out of the station. You can check out the Odawara samurai castle before getting in the zigzag mountain climbing train to Hakoneyumoto. You can find several hot springs (onsen) that allow tattoos at the information centre. Just ask them with showing your tattoos. Hakone Open Air Museum where the sculptures moods change with the seasonal backdrop of mountains, see Picasso works rarely seen, and play in the labyrinth. Sail on lake on the colorful ship while viewing Mt. Fuji. And take the cable car to Uwakudani to eat hot spring steamed eggs and live an extra 7 years for every egg you eat! There's just so much more to write to see in Hakone! For dinner, eat like a local with a Teishoku set meal of main dish, rice, pickled vegetables at Kano Shokudou near Chigasaki station. Day 4 Yokohama Start early to make your own personalized Cup Noodle Ramen cups and custom ingredients. Very popular souvenirs and they are limited daily. Stroll around the Yokohama bay and the Sankeien traditional Japanese tea gardens featuring ponds, streaks and winding paths. Shop at Minato Mirai, the red brick warehouse then grab a bite at Hard Rock Cafe or go underground in the shopping centers for lesser known but fantastic restaurants from Sushi to YakiNiku. How is Japanese beer made? Kirin Yokohama Beer factory gives brewery tours. You learn the history of beer brewing and its production processes. Smart brewery students finish the tour with a tasting of freshly brewed beer. What about Tokyo? We commute to Tokyo for work. It's 55 minutes on just one direct train. ¥1000~ one way. You can ride the train with Eugene to his work area: Roppongi Hills. Check our Mori Hills and the variety of art exhibitions. Delicious vegetarian restaurants in there. Rush across Shibuya Scramble-- the most people crossing in the world! Walk along to Harajuku for young fashion and Harajuku Koen Park for people watching. The cheapest view in Tokyo is not Tokyo Tower or Sky Tree. It's the Shinjuku Metropolitan Building. Overlook Tokyo for FREE! Akihabara for your anime, electronics and game needs. Rock down to electric avenue! Just want to take things slowly? Great! The beach is 2 minutes away. Rest, read, swim, surf, gaze at Mt. Fuji... Explore local restaurants--Chigasaki has friendly locals dining! Many of our homestay guests stay for 7-10 days just to slow down and live our local lifestyle. Learning Japanese? We speak both Japanese and English at home. Request which language you prefer. Staying with us a while? There are free daily Japanese lessons at our local culture center. Our home is professionally cleaned before you check-in by Noda-San. She speaks some English and is very friendly :) Guest access • Downstairs bedroom • Family/living room • Kitchen • Laundry washer (hang dry) • Garden • Bath • Car Park (1) • Surf boards • Bicycles Interaction with guests Introvert or extrovert? We connect with our guests. Of course, you have freedom to come and go in quiet solitude, as you please. I'm an ambivert (introvert and extrovert mix) and he's an introvert. Easy communication: We are both fully bilingual and bi-cultural (Japanese-New Zealand-American) so you can ask every cultural question you want! Zen meditation: I often attend easy Zen meditation at the temple in Kamakura on Saturday 1PM. Wanna go? Eating: Your schedule and our schedules vary, so use the kitchen freely! Breakfast? We eat organic vegan miso soup for breakfast. You can join us. Because your schedule is free, you can pour yourself a bowl of granola anytime. Feel free to buy groceries and keep in the fridge if you'd like to cook your own meals. Sometimes we have dinner together like Japanese Nabe hot pot soup in winter. Tea or coffee? Help yourselves to a variety of teas or a slow drip coffee. Let's have a chat at the Tea Table sitting on cushions in the family room overlooking the maple tree. Surfing? Surf check is 6AM. Morning is best to join us for a surf. Of course, you can go by yourself anytime (waves are better in the morning). Free surfboards & bicycles. Getting to the house? I can meet you at the station or give you taxi directions if you are independent. It's a 2KM walk (18 min walk according to maps) from Chigasaki station or a ¥810 taxi ride. Got Rolling suitcases? Poor with maps? One taxi ride on me! We will pay you back for your first taxi ride from Chigasaki Station south exit (with receipt) ¥800. Most days I'm available to get you settled and you can have freedom to come and go as you please with a key. Other things to note Never get lost :) We will pay for your first taxi ride from Chigasaki Station south exit to our home (¥800) with receipt. Japanese are sensitive to foreign voices. Please be quiet when walking around the neighborhood. Kids over 2 years old count as extra guests @ 2000 yen/night/person • Surfing suburb in Kamakura area • 2 min. to beach! • Easy commute to Tokyo/Yokohama • Traditional paper doors & tatami • Surfing beach w/ view of Mt. Fuji (2 min to beach) • Cycling/running path (2 min) • Private access to garden CONVENIENT • 20 min. to Kamakura temples, • 30 min. to Hakone Hot Springs or Yokohama • 50 min. to Tokyo + Shibuya (1 train), • 10 KM bicycle ride along beach path to Enoshima Island EASY COMMUNICATION • Fully bilingual Japanese/English • Bi-cultural: Yuji (Japanese) lived in New Zealand for 16 years, Soness (American) in Japan 20 years) • Co-working (fast internet & video studio) Our Space: Traditional-style Japanese home with Tatami, paper doors, and Ofuro. Your host, Tohoku earthquake surviving cat, will bring you good luck ;) Traditional Japanese house 2 Story house. Master bedroom upstairs, part-time clinic office, downstairs your room, living room, and kitchen. Small garden with seasonal trees: Japanese maple, Biwa fruit, and flowering trees and plants. About your family: Yuji-- Job: Physiotherapist / Personal Trainer From: Aizu-wakamatsu, Fukushima; moved to New Zealand at 16 years old; Traveled around the world as a river guide. 16 years abroad. Sports: Karate (black belt--practices weekly), surfing, snowboarding, rugby, rock-climbing, gym, rafting, Character: zen peaceful & happy Soness-- Job: Trains TEDx speakers + TED & three-time TEDx Speaker + voiceover for anime From: USA (Florida & Pennsylvania); moved to Japan 20 years ago Interests: surf, snow, skate, online course development, online marketing, Zazen meditation on Saturdays in Kamakura Quirky: cooks 3 meals a day in a rice cooker. Character: happy & positive Nadia & Nikki-- Job: Boss Cats (supervising Soness at work) From: Fukushima, Tohoku Interests: playing with toys, walking about, sleeping Characters: friendly & intuitive (guests call her Nurse Cat) Quirky: missing teeth. Survived Tohoku earthquake and nuclear power plant Your home access: There are lots of blankets and a double and single futon. Feel free to use the internet and bikes freely. We have extra surfboards/bodyboards you can use, too. The downstairs bedroom, living, kitchen, and surfboard shed. I can meet you at the station or give you taxi directions if you are independent. It's a 2KM walk from Chigasaki station or a taxi ride. Most days I'm available to get you settled and you can have the freedom to come and go as you please with a key. Restaurants in your neighborhood: • Vegetarian-friendly: Mexican, South Indian, Serendipity Cafe, Rachien Smoothie, Italian, fusion cuisine, wine bars, Thai, soba (fish broth) • Japanese: Soba, horse sashimi, Yakitori, sushi, sashimi, izakaya (tapas style bar), ramen, okonomiyaki Hot spring Rysenjinoyu just a 4KM bicycle ride only (or a shuttle bus from the station during daytime). *Additional guests (2-4): 2,000 yen/per person/night. ** Please have your air travel tickets and visa confirmed before requesting a reservation. I work from home from 9AM. I know, my Japanese Aunty thinks to work from home means "unemployed" but really, I coach TEDx speakers around the world, so calls and emails take place from 9AM. Thanks for understanding that I'm not just hanging out on the internet playing games :)
House Rules
**** Please note that we only accept requests from guests who are certain of their travel dates - Please only get in touch if you are sure of the dates that you are looking for accommodation **** 1. Please respect the neighbors as noise travels quickly through Japanese walls. 2. Please be quiet walking through the neighborhood as Japanese call police when they hear "foreign" voices. 3. No smoking inside or near the house. 4. Do not feed the cats people food. Wheat products: I have a life-threatening allergy to wheat. It is often in rye, barley, oats, soy sauce, malt, flour, and gluten, including sauces, gravies, breads, cereals, and foods made with these ingredients. This is similar to a peanut allergy because if I breathe (such as toast in an oven) or touch a surface (a plate or table that has cake) that has wheat, I will have anaphylaxis. Please do not bring these items into the house. Thank you for understanding.
Amenities
Local Amenities
Rooms
• 6 Tatami size • Ensuite: 10m² available for 2 extra guests ¥2000/each • Double sized futon + 3 single futons • Down pillows & comforters • Garden view • Half closet • Towels, hair dryer, toiletries in common bath • No other guests