< On the first night, the heater was busted. I slept in a room that was 50 degrees Fahrenheit. (10°C) >
- What is the most interesting thing you’ve done as a Local Guide?
Welcoming the new year at a local shrine in Ishihama, Nagoya.
Hi there. My name is Wei Kang, and I’m from Malaysia!
I had lived in Nagoya during a cultural exchange.
January 2017
I brought my family of four on a trip to Nagoya, and showed them around the place. The bright lights of the city & the noisy crowded streets. As the trip came to an end, we had our bags packed and ready to head to the Osaka airport. During that night’s dinner, I finally broke the news to my mom that I would be in the care of a friend, and staying for a few more days.
However, the truth was that I was going to visit the prefecture of Shiga-ken, where I’d hunker down in homestays by the largest lake in Japan - Biwa Lake.
The family vacation that I had organized was over. Indeed, being the designated ‘tour guide’ was a proud achievement but deeply rooted in me, I believe that the artificial hotspots created to lure the average tourist is nothing compared to what a local person would find comforting and enjoyable.
And so, my 5-day journey into rural Japan began. (Train frequencies had waits up to 1 hour per train)
*This is a summary of my experience on my ever expanding hunt for local knowledge ! *
The first place I stayed in.
I arrived at the town of Kawake. The man that was hosting me at his residence picked me up at the train station, and told me: “I will only drive you to and back to the station, once in the morning, then in the evening.” I thought to myself, not a problem, I don’t need to rely on him to get around. However, the reality was that in this quiet town, either you live here and own a car or you don’t.
It was terrifying.
Did I take on too big of a challenge? Exploring this rural region all by myself… As a 17 year old.
No. I came here with $600 and I will enjoy it even if it traumatizes me.
On the first night, the heater was busted. I slept in a room that was 50 degrees Fahrenheit. (10°C)
The entrance to Hogonji Temple on Chikubu Island.
I may have gotten off to a rough start, but the following days were an eyeopener.
The one memory that I will cherish forever is when I reached out to an old couple.
This day - magical like a dream.
As I ran from Nagahama station towards the view of lake Biwako, I asked passerbys for directions to the island in the middle of the lake. Eventually, I wandered into a motel, and their staff not only gave me directions, but a coupon for the boat ride as well ! It was probably my 4th time in a boat. With people from another country, to an island that had nothing but religious buildings and a souvenir shop.
By the time I had finished the tour of the island, I had already became best friends with the old couple - Mr and Ms Ko. They gave me a feeling of warmth during my time alone in Shiga-ken.
Upon arriving back on land, they invited me to tea and we exchanged mailing addresses (yes, old fashioned paper mail). After the wonderful meal, they drove me to the train station, and I continued by journey down Biwa Lake. Of course, hurdles kept appearing during this trip. Another memorable one was, on my way to Mount Hiei near Kyoto, my homestay host for the night said that I shouldn’t be going to that mountain as it was quite a distance away from his home. He said: “Please don’t come to my house if you don’t intend to arrive on time.”
I’m not one to be late, but it was especially difficult in a rural area where transport is “be there or be square”.
In the end, I did get to Mount Hiei, where I saw snow for the first time, and I also reached his homestay. About 30minutes late 
You may check out this video for more on Mount Hiei: https://youtu.be/4atEbvXrJiw
This is the most interesting thing I’ve done as a Local Guide.
In conclusion, I wandered off the cleanly kept path, and put myself in a situation where I had no choice but to talk to every person that I came across >> in rural Shiga-ken, my neighboring prefecture <<