It was our first time staying at a place that we booked through AirBnb. I was thinking of staying at a hostel or dormitory but most of the places like that are expensive in Japan but if you're the kind of person who don't really bother about privacy, then go ahead with that option.

Then I thought of staying at hotels, nearby to the city but they're even more expensive. Plus I didn't wanna waste our funds as we will not be spending a lot of time in a hotel. So last resort, why not AirBnb.

I made all bookings 3 months before our date of departure. Looking at a few choices. Most homes in Japan will provide you tatami bed and heater (for winter) instead of a real bed frames but it all depends on your preference. We had a mix of both. Their tatami bed are as comfortable as a wooden bed cause they're thick.

Since me and Juan brought some pre-cooked meal, we wanted a home that has cooking facilities. A small kitchen will do that we can cook our breakfast before we head out for the day.

In Kyoto, we stayed with our host in a 3 floor home. The 1st floor is for AirBnb while the 2nd and 3rd floor are occupied by the landlord. Although she had difficulty in communicating with us in English, we used a lot of sign language and Google maps. Her house is about an hour journey from the main city. So we travel by metro every day for the next 3 days of our stay. It was really convenient the fact that she provide bicycles for her guest so we don't have to walk for 15 minutes to the nearest train station. You can take a brisk walk to the station too and enjoy the small town and meeting people along the road.

I could say that our stay in Kyoto was the best although our Osaka home was nearer to the station. Our Kyoto home has this modern fell to it,mix with old Japan and we get to experience the daily lives of a Japanese household. The place was very clean and organized. We had complimentary coffee and tea (landlord provided us Teh Songket as she knew we were from Malaysia).

Every basic needs were there so we didn't have any problem in adapting ourselves. With washing machines, hair dryers, towel, toiletries and kitchen.

For more details or photos, click here.