Hi everyone ! 😃
I’m Ariane, I'm 21 years old and I'm a french student in Paris. I will travel in Japan, during one month, this summer, to discover Japanese culinary practices.
I'm going to Japan from early July to mid-August as part of the Zellidja travel grant. It's a solo trip focusing on Japanese culinary landscapes and eating habits. I'm hoping to meet local restaurateurs and sleep in local homes to immerse myself in everyday eating habits.

I already did a solo trip last year, when I went to Uzbekistan for a month to discover Uzbek handicrafts.
I did 2 couchsurfing trips and stayed with local people, and it went really well. I loved the experience, so I applied for a second grant to travel again!

I plan to go through Tokyo - Kawaguchiko - Fukushima - Gifu... (but this itinerary is likely to change according to the opportunities).

I am a very independent, sociable person and I love meeting new people. If you can host me for one or two nights it will be amazing, and if you used to live in Japan, I would be happy to discuss it with you, any advice is good to take!
Thanks !😊
Ariane

/ sorry I'm moving from Paris at the end of the month, i can't welcome you this summer/

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I go couchsurfing because, as part of my research into consumer habits in Japan, it's much more interesting to be immersed in the everyday life of the locals and it allows me to avoid the tourist circuits. I'm looking for an authentic experience and it's always great to meet new people, even if it's only for a few days :).

But also the amount of the grant just allows me to buy a plane ticket, and staying with a local is what allows me to stay for 1 month and not just 1 or 2 weeks.

Interests

I love to play cricket, softball and chess :)

• design
• comics
• chess
• baseball
• cricket
• softball
• arts and crafts

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

2 years ago, i won an interrail ticket with 3 friends (which allows you to take all the trains for free in Europe) and we left for 20 days, visiting Eastern Europe for a month, it was an incredible adventure! I met really nice people, drew the cities I visited, that's what made me want to travel alone :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Uzbekistan

Countries I’ve Lived In

France