I am Jack, a Judoka (judo player) from Birmingham, England, U.K. I visited Kyoto and the Avocado shared house for the first time in August 2015. I came to Kyoto to have a break from training and enjoy the culture. I had an extremely good time even though I was nervous at first who I was going to be sharing a house and even room with. I met some awesome people who adopted me like family and gave me the “low-down” on the area. Everyone is very polite and generous, I feel this it is extra important westerners follow the same etiquette expectations as the kindness shown as it is a bit of a shock to our normal environment. I enjoyed my time so much, I returned again from Tokyo for a few more days in the Avocado house before my trip ended. Excellent venue for all wishing to involve yourself in Japan, very western style kitchen making it easy to eat at home and enjoy the company of others. The hot baths and sushi is not too far either, I would definitely recommend Avocado shared house to anyone interested in visiting Kyoto. All the best to you all in your future in Japan.