My name is Joost, a graduate student who is currently travelling in Japan.

My friends describe me as a bright and friendly person. As for me, I like meeting new people and listen to their stories. I like living life and can sometimes be a bit silly; most of the time, I carry a Dango plushy with me.

I have been twice on exchange in my life:
- In Västerås, Sweden for half a year during my undergraduate studies.
- In Sendai, Japan, for the past half a year.
In both cases, I have met many new people from all over the world and made new, invaluable friends.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I want to meet the locals living in the city. The best part of a journey, the part I remember the most, is meeting people. Learning about how it is like living in a different place and a different situation interests me very much.

Furthermore, the story of how I discovered Couchsurfing was quite interesting: once, I went with a friend of mine to Oslo. We planned to camp in the forest north of Oslo, but our tent started to leak while it kept raining, raining and raining. After battling the water with our clothes, we finally managed to get through the night exhausted.
The next day, we got saved by a Couchsurfing host. Even though we weren't on Couchsurfing, we could stay at his place. He was really hospitable and it was a great stay.

Interests

As a Computer Science students, I love things that are related to science and technology.

Moreover, during my studies, I have been a chairman of the student association about everything related to Japan. Because of this, my interest in Japanese culture started to grow and I ended up doing an exchange there.

Of course, I also like traveling to different countries, exploring the different cultures and ways of life.

• technology
• movies
• traveling
• camping
• surfing
• science
• nature
• japanese culture

Music, Movies, and Books

I love to read light novels and other books. These can be (translated) Japanese light novels or can be fantasy/thriller books.

In terms of music, I don't really love a specific genre, but I like to listen to many different genres, such as classic rock, J-rock or Jazz.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hiking to a frozen waterfall.

Teach, Learn, Share

"When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new." - Dalai Lama

"For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness."

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories from my life and some friendly banter.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, Netherlands, Sweden