t is clear why Ayumi-San is a super host. Her house is beautiful. It has spacious bedrooms and a living room that is great for family gatherings. The location is central although a bit of a walk (8-10 min) to the closest subway station. The benefit is you get to walk through a wonderful, safe neighborhood as you head to your next destination. For example, we discovered a fantastic Izakaya (“Bamboo”) that is just 2 min walk from the house. What we enjoyed most was Ayumi-san’s extra touches. We went over the New Year’s holidays and Ayumi arranged for a beautiful new year’s arrangement outside the front door and a traditional flower arrangement in the master bedroom. She even thought to provide the missing turtle figurine a couple days in that was part of the arrangement. She also generously offered some rice from Nigata prefecture to cook in her rice maker. I’ve lived in Japan for 11 years and it was the most delicious rice I’ve ever tried. Ayumi-San was also very prompt with any questions we had - always checking in to make sure we were comfortable. We can’t thank her enough for making this such a memorable stay.