*October 2023 update: I’m in Japan for the unforeseeable future due to the war back home. Traveling while looking for a job so I can just stay here.

(日本語ができます）

I'm a writer currently traveling the far east and documenting my trip on my blog:

Kesem.co.uk

You can also verify me on instagram: @kesemsan

Some facts about me:

I'm 28 years old. Non smoker. Vaccinated 4x, never had COVID.

I’ve been traveling since February 2023. 3 months in Korea, 7 months (33 prefectures) in Japan and counting. I once worked as an itinerary planner for tourists in Japan.

I hold a multidisciplinary BA in arts and humanities from Tel-Aviv University (my majors being literature, psychoanalysis, art, and cinema) and an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia.

I love anything Japanese, Greek, and Roman. I want to live in Japan, but Athens between 479-404 B.C would've been amazing.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Traveling the world and writing about it are my two biggest dreams. I'm trying to become a published writer, but until then, money is a bit tight... plus, couchsurfing is a great way of meeting locals! They always have the best tips about the area, and I enjoy getting to know them.

Interests

• writing
• traveling
• hiking
• art
• food
• museum

Music, Movies, and Books

Books, movies, paintings, sculptures - art is the reason I live and breathe, and nothing makes me as happy as seeing and producing art.

Movies:
- My favourite movie is 2001: A Space Odyssey. I will never forget the first time I watched it. My mom asked me afterwards if I’d seen God.
- I also love Some Like It Hot, Carol, Gravity, The Tree of Life, Breathless, The Favourite, All About Eve, Inside Out, Wall-E, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Truman Show, Mean Girls, The Devil Wears Prada, Legally Blonde, The Princess Diaries, Confessions of a Shopaholic, and G.B.F. (It’s a Wonderful Life gets an honourable mention because the ending always makes me weep, but it’s also way too capitalist and Christian for my liking.)

TV shows:
- My favourite TV show is a tie between Twin Peaks and Ugly Betty. The former is a work of art. The latter, I can quote entire scenes from, and watch every year on my birthday.
- I also love SpongeBob, Mad Men, Sex and the City, Orange is the New Black, Veep, Black Mirror, The Good Place, The Wire, Project Runway, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Fleabag, The Prisoner, Death Note, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, The Other Two (which shares eerie similarities with my life), and the first season of Hacks and Girls5Eva.

Books:
- My favourite book… tough call. But no book makes me laugh, have fun, and cry as much as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was the first book I read in English, at twelve years old.
- I also love Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, 1984, Norwegian Wood, The Fountainhead, She: A History of Adventure, Gone Girl, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Into the Wild, and Emma.

Video games:
- Super Mario Galaxy 1&2, Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, Super Mario Bros 3, Pokémon B/W 1&2, Pokémon S/M, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 8, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

A near-death experience on Mount Dounzan in Shodoshima.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I used to teach English, so I enjoy language exchange.

I can give you tips about Japan and South Korea, if you're interested in visiting places tourists never go to.

Some of my best friends on this trip have been made through couchsurfing. I’d love to hang out together. Sightseeing, drinking, cooking together, playing video games, going to an Onsen, and just learning about each other’s life and making memories.

Countries I’ve Visited

France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Seychelles, South Korea, Spain, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Israel, United Kingdom