My name is Mari.

I came to Japan from the United States when I was young.

For a long time, I worked recruiting interpreters for foreign trading companies visiting Japan on business. I occasionally had to interpret myself, and those were fond memories from my time here.

In the past (and still in the future), it took a lot of time and effort for me to understand Japanese culture and customs and get used to what can sometimes feel like crazy. Of course, the hardest part was learning Japanese. Japanese vocabulary feels more complicated than other languages, and the characters are kanji, hiragana, and katakana. To be honest, I'm still not very good at reading and writing. So, I'm usually happier watching Netflix in English without my family's interruptions. Sake is great, but I'm 100 times happier drinking California wine, where I grew up.

Thank you for finding hostel john.

If you're a backpacking pilgrim, you're probably tired right now, or at least struggling to find a place to stay for tomorrow, the day after, or beyond. If this is your first time in Japan, you're probably unconsciously accumulating a great deal of stress, just like I was in the past.

I've traveled to many countries for work and travel, but I couldn't resume my own Shikoku pilgrimage after I fell ill midway through. Therefore, I can understand the feelings of pilgrims who come from faraway countries, and I always hope that you achieve your goals as much as possible and return to your country with fond memories of Japan. I would be happy if you tell your family how, without realizing it, you've come to understand and accept your experiences in Japan, even though they may seem completely different from Japan itself. I hope you become a global citizen!

My partner and I have been running Hostel John for five years.

「I want you to relax and recover from the fatigue of the day. I want couples to spend time together loving each other.」

While it varies from person to person, one thing I always found myself worrying about while walking on various trips was the fear of needing to use the restroom, even if I didn't feel the need. So, whenever I went to a restaurant, I made sure to go to the restroom, even if I didn't feel the need. (I made an effort.) That was one of my rules.

Looking back, I remember worrying about taking care of my feet, taking care of my body, worrying about wear and tear on my shoes, needing to wash my clothes, taking medicine, catching a cold, wanting to take a hot shower, wanting to sleep well, having something to eat, wanting to drink alcohol, where I'd stay the next day, and many other things, but I'll never forget how grateful I felt when the people I met along the way and the accommodations I stayed at helped me solve my problems.

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What are the facilities at Hostel John like? Please continue to look at this website to find out. The best thing about coming to Hostel John is meeting me.
If you're not good at talking, I won't talk to you, so don't worry, your time is important. I'm available to help with any problems you may have.

As I said at the beginning, I can converse normally with English-speaking people. Of course, those who learned English from Europe won't have any problems either. I usually think in English, so if you'd like me to speak to you in Japanese to help you learn it, please feel free to let me know. Perhaps your Japanese is better than mine, in which case please forgive my poor Japanese.

★ Please forgive me for the difficulty in making reservations during peak season (March 20th - May 20th). It's difficult to meet me during peak season, and I'm unable to provide any assistance. Please contact me now. Now!

★ I've had many unfortunate experiences in the past. Therefore, based on my experience, I will not assist with future reservations for guests I don't know (who haven't visited or stayed at the property) and haven't met yet. * This is because I might end up being the only one who doesn't show up, or I might receive complaints from other properties due to a bad guest. I ask for your understanding.