地域をより知ることができる民泊

[From June Issue 2014]

“Private lodging” – accommodation in a private residence – is getting an increasing amount of repeat custom. Many start out as regional exchange or development schemes to supplement the incomes of families whose livelihood is based on the farming, fishing or forestry industries. Recently they’ve been attracting attention because of their charm; they provide something that can’t be found on a typical sightseeing trip.
“The charm of private lodging lies in becoming better acquainted with a region through interactions with locals,” says KAWAGUCHI Susumu, “Shiosai-juku” in Goto, Nagasaki Prefecture, has been operating for three years. Made with local produce, his regional dishes are extremely popular. Another big attraction of private lodging is the real-life experience you have with locals.
Since Goto is next to the ocean, fishing and messing about on the beach are popular activities to experience. While visitors to Shiosai-juku are mostly in their 50s or 60s, more and more schools are giving children the opportunity to get a taste of staying at a private residence as part of an educational program. For children who have no opportunity to spend time by the seaside in the course of their everyday lives, finding out about the diversity of sea creatures can be the catalyst for raising awareness about the Earth’s environment. Visitors from overseas are still rare, but Kawaguchi expects that the number of Korean tourists will increase if the Catholic church in Goto is registered as a World Heritage Site.

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Yururiya

At “Yururiya” and “Tomaryanse” residential lodgings, in the village of Asuka, Nara Prefecture, roughly half of the visitors are Japanese and half foreign. Owner ERA Yoko says she wants them to come with the mindset of someone who’s about to do a homestay.
She sometimes has a hard time communicating in English. “One winter’s day, I thought the bathroom was too cold, so I left the shower running in order to warm it up before some high school students from Singapore took their bath. They must have thought it was customary in Japan to leave the shower running. They left it running for a long time after their bath. It was very difficult for me to explain this later,” Era laughs.
A popular activity is to get a hands-on experience of farming by doing things like harvesting rice and vegetables. If it’s not possible to do any farming because of the rain, visitors prepare food – sushi wrapped in rolls of seaweed, and so forth – with her. Foreign visitors are especially pleased to get the chance to experience making Japanese dishes. Era says she feels very sad when people who have stayed for more than two days leave, as they begin to feel like family. She often continues friendships with them by swapping email addresses.
As well as being cheap, private lodgings provide foreigners with a chance to get a taste of the Japanese lifestyle, and for this reason they may become popular in the future. They also offer Japanese city dwellers an invaluable experience.

Text: TSUCHIYA Emi[2014年6月号掲載記事]

民家に宿泊する「民泊」のリピーターが増えています。民泊の多くは、地域の交流・発展のため、また農業、林業、漁業を営む家が副収入を得るために始めます。最近では観光旅行では味わえない魅力が注目を集めています。
「地元の人たちと交流し、その土地のことをより深く知ることができるのが民泊の魅力です」。長崎県の五島で、3年前から「潮騒塾」を運営している川口進さんは言います。地元の食材を使った田舎料理は大人気です。また、地元の人と一緒に行う実生活体験は民泊のもう一つの目玉です。
五島は海に囲まれているため、漁体験や磯遊び体験が人気です。潮騒塾の利用者は50~60代の人がメインですが、最近では教育の一環として子どもたちに民泊体験をさせる学校も増えています。普段海で遊ぶ機会がない子どもたちにとって、海に住む生物の多様性は地球環境を考えるきっかけになるからです。外国人の利用者はまだ少ないですが、五島にあるカトリック教会が世界遺産に登録されれば韓国からの観光客が増えると川口さんは予想しています。

奈良県明日香村の民泊「ゆるりや」と「とまりゃんせ」には、日本人と外国人の宿泊客が半々の割合で泊まりに来ます。経営する恵良容子さんは、ホームステイに来るような気持ちで来てほしいと言います。
英語でのコミュニケーションに苦労することもあります。「ある冬の日、浴室が寒いだろうとシンガポールの高校生がお風呂に入る直前にシャワーからお湯を出して、浴室を温めてあげていました。そうしたら、日本ではシャワーは出しっぱなしにするものだと思ったようです。お風呂から上がった後も、ずっとシャワーを出しっぱなしにしていました。後から英語で説明するのが大変でした」と恵良さんは笑います。
人気があるのはお米や野菜の収穫などを行う農作業の体験です。雨で農作業ができないときは屋内で巻き寿司などを一緒に作ります。日本料理を作る体験は外国人旅行客に特に喜ばれます。宿泊が二泊以上になると本当の家族のように親密になるので、別れるときはとても寂しいと恵良さんは言います。メールアドレスを交換して、その後もつきあいが続くことがよくあります。
宿泊費が安いうえに、日本人の生活を一緒に味わうことができる民泊は外国人の旅行客の間で今後人気が出るかもしれません。都会に住む日本人にとっても貴重な体験を提供してくれます。

文:土屋えみ

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