There is so much to do and see and learn while in this country that is not my own – so much so that I can’t imagine limiting myself to just one sort of living experience.

My name is James, and I’m an American in my mid-20’s and have lived in Japan for a few years now. I got out of the English teaching gig because I didn’t want my Japanese skills to go to waste. Since then I’ve dabbled in translation and entertainment. I love music and performing and if you’re particularly astute you can catch me playing an instrument behind someone more important on TV or on stage.

In addition to music, I love stories, and learning. The best way I found to do that was to create a living situation that didn’t mean I was coming home to an empty home, neither listening nor sharing.

You could deal with the hassles of traditional Japanese real estate… with things like key money and high security deposits, needing to provide a guarantor, or being refused because you aren’t Japanese… thankfully these things are getting better, but it’s nice feeling like I’m bucking the system for the time being.

You could nonchalantly just pick some random guest house that pops up on your internet search, without really looking at location or price. But what I like about Oak House is that not only can you interact with others from outside Japan, but also with other Japanese people, which I feel is the most valuable thing to a real experience in Japan.

I’ve lived near isolated rice fields out in the sticks, in the city’s trendiest district, and in sleepy suburbs on the verge of waking up. Each situation had good points.

I just feel that, instead of doing one thing and living in one place, it’s been best for me to try out many different things, and gradually hone down where I eventually want to spend most of my time, doing something I really love. You can often surprise yourself with revelations!

I’ll be talking about new guest houses coming up, others that catch my eye, and sharing pictures that hopefully get across in one image just as much as I try to express with this pile of words. Thanks for reading!