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"Travelers don't know anything about Sapporo."

The other day, a foreign guest told me.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, USA, he has traveled to 30 countries around the world, and this year he is a strong 3-year-old young man who has traveled through Japan on foot for three months.
He replied that Sapporo was "relaxing compared to other local cities in Japan."
On the other hand, he told me, "Even if I talk to other travelers about Sapporo, they don't know anything about Sapporo."

Certainly, foreign guests who come to stay at our guesthouse come to see the "snow" in Sapporo, which is surprisingly rainy in winter, and the "flower field" in Furano, which involuntarily takes pictures in summer, but Japan. The more foreign guests (mostly Westerners) staying in Japan for a long time, the less they know about Sapporo.
The reasons for this are the unique means of transportation for foreign guests staying for a long time and the gathering of information in advance.
They traveled all over Japan with a JR pass (a ticket that allows JR trains all over Japan to ride for several weeks), and based in each local city, they have never met a "scenery" that they have never met. I am freely enjoying the journey of meeting people. Many guests come by train from Tokyo to Sapporo in one day over 1 hours.
Some travelers check the information thoroughly in advance, but most of them collect information locally without checking the information in advance.
It looks like a haphazard trip compared to a pre-planned tour, but the excitement of not knowing what will happen is also the real pleasure of the trip.

He went on to say, "But this is an opportunity! What is the most frequently asked question for guests? Where should I eat?" You can introduce your favorite restaurant. That's why guests always go to that store because they don't know anything. Knowing nothing about Sapporo means that there is a chance to propose that Sapporo is such a city, isn't it? " Said to.

This perspective was interesting.
Even if we think about what kind of inn we should make and how we can make it even better, our horizons will only narrow.Regardless of the design or function, it tends to be compared with other guesthouses.But his point of view of thinking about guesthouses from the whole "city" of Sapporo taught us what the original "inn" should be.

What should I think about now and what should I do from now on?
The answer was to the guests staying at our guesthouse.

Awareness and discoveries in a small conversation with the guest.
That's why working in a guesthouse is so interesting.
The reason why you can experience this kind of experience is that the guest house values ​​the value of "exchange" that other accommodation facilities (hotels and inns) do not have other than "cheapness".There is interaction between the guests staying at the hotel, and interaction between our staff and guests is held every day.
It feels like it's worn out when it comes to interaction, but it's up to you to spend a lot of time "talking" with your guests.It's not uncommon for the story to be lively and to talk until the morning.At first glance, I don't know if I'm working or playing (!), The opportunity to think about Japan, the opportunity to think about the city I live in (Sapporo) like this time, and the story of life. If so, the guesthouse has an opportunity to look back on one's own life.
By all means, people who have never stayed at a guesthouse are like me!I want you to have an experience.
There must be a world you haven't seen yet, and you who you don't know yet in the guesthouse.

December 2015, 12 Takashi Kimura