Here's the most important thing you need to know about Satoshi & Hitomi. Airbnb has plenty of polite and helpful hosts, but these guys, they are genuinly warm and fun. From the moment they picked me up at Seiseki Station, and they invited a home-made chinese-japanese dinner, I always felt like I was talking to my brother and sister. This was a huge deal for me as this was my first international trip and I was on my own. This truly helped me relax and allowed me to fully enjoy the trip.

Another thing you need to know is that Tama is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Seriously. The neighborhood is filled with gorgeous little houses, with colorful gardens and small farms. And the moment you start walking around you'll be surprise by sudden forests, flower surrounded tracks and hidden shrines. Also there's a mini-market and bus stops really close. And if you need to go further you can take an 8 minute bus to Seiseki Station were you can get a Train to almost everywhere. To make things even easier, Satoshi knew all the main stores and restaurants around. Whether you need to have lunch on a budget, make a quick trip to the bank, or find the very best duty free stores: Satoshi is your man. He even drove me himself twice to some close locations!

And the apartment: It's gorgeous, the pictures doesn't make it justice. You'll have a sofa and a recliner to relax while watching TV, make your own dinner in the kitchen or microwave and eat in an big dinner table, have a great hot shower, sleep on an comfortable tatami room with a genuine Japanese bed (best sleep I've had in years, I tell you) and a balcony with an unbeatable view: All for your exclusive use.

And if you are a fan of Studio Ghibli, and a little movie called "Whisper of the Heart", this is your place. Several movie scenes were inspired by various locations in the area. There are many fan-made maps online but you know what? Satoshi himself made a map for me so I could walk from the apartment to the most important locations from the movie. And you know why his was better? Because the man himself grew up here. He knows corners and stories even the best tourist guide has no idea about. I consider myself truly lucky because in the ever-changing Tokyo, Tama has managed to remained mostly the same. So all the sites from the movie (from Keio Center to the Konpira Shrine and the famous Roundabout) are all still there, waiting for you. There's a ton of more things I could add about how beautiful Tama is and how kind and helpful Satoshi and Hitomi were (they even made me a Kitten and Panda shaped rice balls for my last day!) but I have to keep this short.

Best place on earth and the sweetest hosts you will ever meet.