My travels have changed dramatically since I started using Airbnb.
At first, it was just to save money on expensive hotels, but living in the same building as locals has completely transformed the purpose and way I enjoy my travels.
I became very interested in the lifestyles and customs of other countries, which are completely different from Japan.
The first time I rented a condominium was in Hong Kong.
As you know, Hong Kong is a very small city, but it has an enormous population.
Every time I went, I was always amazed at how so many people lived there.
Until then, I had always rented hotels, so I had no idea what Hong Kong was really like.
The first time I rented a condominium in Hong Kong, it was a culture shock.
My room was in a multi-tenant building, housing many tenants and youth hostels.
It was designed like the Chungking Mansions, which are quite famous among backpackers in Hong Kong.
The room was uniquely Hong Kong-style and much smaller than I’ve ever seen in Japan.
The thing that surprised me the most was that the extremely small toilet had an attached shower.
Of course, the toilet flooded when I took a shower.
I had been renting this room for a month, so I became very worried about the future.
The owner of the room was Chinese and could hardly speak English.
I had a hard time getting in touch with her when I checked in, and was unable to enter the room for about two hours.
When I finally managed to get in touch with her, I was very surprised to find that she couldn’t speak English.
I had rented rooms for short periods before, but this was the first time I had ever rented a room with an owner who couldn’t speak English.
My one-month life in Hong Kong began with extreme anxiety about the future.
To be continued
