The Tokyo Share-house that Could

I had planned to stay in a shared guesthouse for several reasons. For one, I'm traveling solo and figured that a shared guesthouse setting would be a great way to connect with other travelers. I've come to cherish the many friendships that I've made while I'm out and about in the world, so staying in a share-house in Tokyo was going to be perfect.

Teddy, a permanent resident of our share-house

I arrived at my share-house at 11:00 am and was directed to the room where I would be staying for a week and a day; a room with four beds, 3 of which were occupied by other guests. Right now, if you're guessing that the other occupants were 3 guys completely passed out, you would be correct. My immediate reaction was that the whole set up really wasn't going to work for me. However by the second day, I managed to connect with some travelers from very diverse corners of the world, which made for interesting conversation over oden and morning coffee in the main space. My schedule had been pretty full with visiting many friends in the Tokyo area, but I was quite happy to come and go from the share-house as I pleased.

Sivanande Center, Tokyo

By the 3rd evening, I began to find that I craved my alone time, my solitude. There really is something very precious and sacred to me about solo travel. While I enjoyed interacting with the other guests, I didn't have an easy space for my daily yoga and breathing exercises. My solution was to make visits to the Sivananda Center in Tokyo, the lineage with which I studied for my yoga teacher training a few years ago. It's always great to connect with fellow yogis, especially when you've studied with the same lineage.

Meiji Jingu Shrine near Harajuku

I was booked at my Tokyo guesthouse for a total of 8 days. In the end, I did have a very pleasant time staying there. However, I also possess a JR Rail Pass, which translates to abundant amounts of freedom.  After 5 nights in my shared guesthouse, I naturally took the shinkansen south to Osaka for a couple of days. 

Tokkaido Shinkansen, bound for Shin Osaka

Hello Kansai!!  :-))

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