An average Singaporean guy with an above-average passion for travelling and meeting people. I thirst for adventure, aim to see places previously unexplored, and prefer to go off the beaten track; the type of person to try anything once.

There are many places all over the world which I wish to visit, naturally, but for now, my current travel goal to explore every single prefecture in Japan. To date, I have visited 37 out of the 47 prefectures, and moved through the country in several different ways, by rail, bus, car, and boat (one day, I will do so by bike). I have much to share about travelling around Japan in general, so I hope to be able to exchange stories with you!

I love hearing about what life is like in other parts of the world and delving into the languages, cultures, histories, and social affairs of foreign countries. (Also a bit of a geek when it comes to military things but we don't necessarily have to talk about that.) I relish the opportunity to understand how people from other countries view the world and their own nation's place in it, as well as what goes on domestically and how they go about their daily lives, but most of all I cherish the opportunity to get to know about their native cuisines! Every aspect of a nation can be tied to their food, glorious food.

Presently living in Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture. I won't be able to hang out with guests during the daytime from Tue-Sat as I have to work, but am certainly open to exploring and doing all kinds of activities together over the weekend.

Caveat emptor: I am (possibly like most other people around the world) an extraverted introvert. I mostly enjoy peace and quiet, and there are times when I can be somewhat talkative, but engage me on a topic I take great pleasure in and I guarantee I will just ramble on and on, heaping details over tangents over segues. If I get to a point where I start to bore you with my droning voice feel free to stop me (just please not by force). That said, I always do my best to adjust my sociability to fit people's preferences. We can chat up a storm, or we can chill in comfortable silence, I'm cool either way.

NAUI Scuba Diver license holder. Other special skills include binge-eating, sleeping, making bad life choices, procrastinating, and hip-hop dancing.

Just kidding, I can't dance to save my life. 100% talented in the other things though.

I am open-minded and interested to get up to just about anything. Really. Try me.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm here to make friends from all over the world and share my love for exploration. I've been on the receiving end of so much kindness during my own exploits, and this is my way of paying that generosity forward, by hosting travellers looking for something special to enhance their experience here in Ibaraki. I take great pleasure in looking after people, and it brings me joy to be able to spread warmth and inspire delight in others by harnessing compassion and understanding. I may not be native Japanese, but you can be sure I'll match up to their hospitality!

Interests

Way too many and varied. Yep, pretty much an average guy.

• animals
• cats
• dogs
• culture
• writing
• photography
• documentaries
• cooking
• recipes
• japanese food
• exercise
• running
• working out
• drinking
• pub crawls
• electronics
• drones
• technology
• anime
• movies
• video games
• reading
• traveling
• eating out
• music
• classical music
• electronic music
• guitar
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• mountaineering
• sailing
• american football
• swimming
• history
• languages
• military science
• hitchhiking
• volunteering
• road trips
• adventure travel
• historic sites
• beaches
• urban exploration
• youtube
• food
• nature

Music, Movies, and Books

The Beatles
Foo Fighters
Death Cab for Cutie
Muse
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Daft Punk
Linkin Park
Pendulum
Caravan Palace
Rammstein
Gorillaz
Metallica
Coldplay
Green Day
Guns N' Roses
My Chemical Romance
Iron Maiden
E.S. Posthumus
X-Japan
Radwimps
Angela Aki
Yonezu Kenshi
Yorushika
mili

I also chill out to jazz, indie, classical, and lo-fi hip-hop.

Ryu Murakami
Haruki Murakami
Malcolm Gladwell
George Orwell
Mitch Albom

I read tons of manga on the side.

Star Wars movies
Marvel movies
Lord of the Rings movies

Makoto Shinkai films are my latest obsession.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I camped and hitchhiked solo around southwestern Japan for 12 days, from Kagoshima to Mie. It was an exhausting but fulfilling experience. There was a lot of walking involved, but I saw so many beautiful sights around rural Japan and enjoyed being in the company of a few truly wonderful people.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can give excellent advice on places to see and things to do here in Ibaraki, the ins and outs of Japanese tourism, how to go about hitchhiking (in Japan in particular), and travelling solo in general. My native language is English, so I can teach that as well.

Regarding languages, I'm learning to speak German, French, Russian, and also sign language (ASL, JSL). I'm also keen to learn more self-help and self-healing practices to improve my physical and mental well-being.

I am eager to share adventures and travel stories, swap anecdotes about life in various parts of the world, and talk about places and countries worth checking out. We can swap cooking recipes too.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Lots and lots of travel stories, guides, and tips. I can also cook Japanese and Singaporean cuisine.

Countries I’ve Visited

China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, Singapore