Shuraf Ishida has slept over at 500 different homes over the past 5 years. After quitting his job, he decided to sell all his belongings — except for a few essentials that fit into his backpack — and travel around Japan using his savings. Normally, accommodations would have ranked highest on his list of expenses, but the 33-year-old found an ingenious way of putting a roof over his head for free. Every day, Ishida stands in crowded areas, sometimes for hours at a time, holding a sign that reads “Please let me stay overnight.” As weird as that sounds, he almost always finds someone willing to take him in, mostly lonely homeowners in need of someone to talk to. Ishida says it’s very rare that he doesn’t find someone willing to take him in. On those rare occasions, he simply contacts one of the people who let him crash on previous occasions. Some even consider him a friend now. Ishida says it’s exciting: “It's like casting a fishing line and waiting for a fish.” He says staying in different homes is like reading a different novel every night — it’s never boring. 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 into their homes find his presence a good value for the money. Ishida’s story recently went viral in Japan, catapulting him to celebrity status. Ever since, he's been getting requests from people looking to welcome them into their homes. However, Ishida says that no matter how famous he becomes, he intends to keep sleeping in strangers’ homes. His main concern right now is wanting to revisit many homes he has spent the night in and having trouble fitting them into his busy schedule.
