Oddities

Stayed for 5 years to save money for travel

TB (according to VnExpress) December 1, 2024 15:28

Shuraf Ishisa has slept in more than 500 different homes after quitting his job and selling all his belongings to travel.

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Shuraf Ishisa holds a sign asking to stay overnight at a stranger's house on the street in Japan for 5 years

The 33-year-old man kept only a few essential items in his backpack so he could travel around Japan with the money he had saved over many years.

On each trip, Ishisa said that room rental fees were the biggest expense, but he soon found free accommodation.

Every day Ishisa would stand in public areas for hours with a sign that read: Please let me stay tonight.

And Ishisa always found people willing to take him in. They were mostly lonely homeowners who needed someone to talk to.

The 33-year-old man used to be very shy and introverted. But everything changed when he went to Taiwan to meet friends and was treated to delicious food, when he was a student.

Ishisa became obsessed with traveling.

At 28, he quit his job to travel. Although his savings were running low, Ishisa had no intention of going back to work. Instead, he began to live a frugal lifestyle to gain experience.

Most people would ignore Ishisa's overnight stay sign. But there were always people willing to help.

On the rare occasions when no one says yes, he contacts previous hosts. Some even consider Ishisa friends after sharing their sleeping quarters and secrets over the course of many nights. This is also the most interesting part of the experience, as he gets to listen to the stories of his hosts' lives, which he claims is "like reading a different novel every night and never getting bored."

"It's interesting, every time I ask to stay overnight is like casting a fishing rod and waiting for a fish," Ishisa described his experience of asking to stay overnight for 5 years.

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Many strangers let Shuraf Ishisa stay overnight because they wanted someone to confide in.

Ishisa never sympathizes or offers words of encouragement, always hearing the secrets and hardships of his hosts. Instead, he listens and asks questions to make the interaction more authentic. He himself doesn't feel indebted to his hosts because "they provide a place to sleep, and he becomes a place to vent."

Ishisa’s story of sleeping at strangers’ houses for five years has received much criticism online. Many people think he is relying on the kindness of others to sustain his life instead of working.

But the hosts who have hosted Ishisa have found him “worth it.” More than 90% of the hosts are single, mostly men who are feeling lonely and looking for someone to talk to.

And Ishisa helped them escape from loneliness.

A 20-year-old woman who let Ishisa sleep over had spent lonely nights, constantly using alcohol or spending money to feel more comfortable.

"But Ishisa helped me through it. Just giving him a place to sleep and getting patient listening from a stranger in return was really worth it," she said.

As the story of "asking to sleep over" became more and more popular, Ishisa became famous. He started to be invited to sleep over by many people. However, he said he still wanted to accept invitations from strangers passing by.

TB (according to VnExpress)
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Stayed for 5 years to save money for travel