Youth Hostelling

Article 9 – Youth Hostelling There are a few basic worries that some individuals have in regards to travelling, whether it be in a foreign country or one’s homeland. “I don’t have nearly enough money for accommodation. Hotels are so expensive.” “I don’t know a thing about the area I’d like to visit.” “All of my friends are busy and wouldn’t be able to join me.” Would the reader be surprised to know that there is a solution to these dilemmas? With youth hostelling, an individual or small group of young adults can visit a wide variety of places for a fraction of the cost associated with hotel hopping. I took advantage of just that, and utilized a few youth hostels while I was travelling about Japan, doing research and meeting people. Youth hostelling answered the above three questions well enough for me. As an exchange student on a tight budget, naturally I didn’t have much in the way of disposable funds. By staying at a youth hostel, I was able to stay for extended periods of time for what a night would cost me at an expensive hotel. Being able to research a place before going can make a tremendous difference in how well the trip goes. However, most English guide books only cover the truly famous places in Japan, and even so they don’t go into great detail about everything. There is also where a Youth Hostel can help; the owners are often veterans of the area and can attest to helping numerous other lost travelers solidify the day’s plans. Not only that, but they usually keep a library of books in the hostel just for that purpose. The third answers provided the most motivation for me. People who stay at Youth Hostels are more often than not world travelers. This makes for some great downtime conversation and provides a wonderful chance to meet new people and make friends. Every hostel tends to be different, as well. Some take on a certain theme, such as the hostel “Morinoki” in Otaru, a city in Hokkaido. Packed with books and built high up above the street, it had a sort of tree house feel to it. Another, “Shimin Katsuya” in Shirahama, a city in Wakayama, was very simple with a traditional garden pond laid right in the middle of the structure. It was all very interesting. Below are a few pictures that I took of the hostels I stayed at.