奇速英语

    A 33-year-old Japanese man has been getting a lot of attention for his special way of finding a place to stay — asking complete strangers if he can sleep over.

    Shuraf Ishida has slept in over 500 different homes in the last five years. After quitting his job, he decided to sell all his things except for a few essentials that fit into his backpack, and travel around Japan using his savings. Normally, accommodation would have been his biggest expense, but the 33-year-old found a clever way to get free lodging (借宿). Every day, Ishida stands in busy areas sometimes for hours, holding up a sign that reads “Please Let Me Stay Over Tonight!” Strange as it sounds, he almost always finds someone willing to take him in, mostly lonely homeowners who need someone to talk to.

    Ishida said that he used to be a very shy and reclusive person, but everything changed during his university days when he went to Taiwan, China, where he met people and was treated to delicious meals. He became obsessed with traveling, so after graduating from university, he got a job at a Japanese company with the goal of “saving up money to travel around the world.” He quit at age 28 and has been traveling ever since. Although his savings are dwindling, he has no intention of going back to work, instead trying to save as much money as possible to keep his unique lifestyle going.

    Ishida’s attitude has received a lot of criticism on social media from people accusing him of “relying on the kindness of others instead of working,” but the homeowners welcoming him in their homes find his presence “good value for money.” Ishida says that many of the homeowners he interacts with open up to him, sharing secrets and hardships that they have had to endure, but he never shows empathy (共鸣) and doesn’t offer words of encouragement. Instead, he just listens to them and asks direct questions, which most of them seem to enjoy, because it makes the interaction more genuine.

原创编写 版权所有 侵权必究！ 每日更新 个性化阅读 英语飙升！