KitchHike: Home Cooking 日本で味わう外国人の家庭料理

Created in 2013 by two Japanese entrepreneurs, Masaya Yamamoto and Syoken Fujisaki, the startup begins to find its audience, with over 450 tables available only in Japan. Available now in English and Japanese, the service intends to expand and there are now a few tables in Europe.

An almost perfect meal

Gastronomy is an integral part of a successful trip. To overcome the experience that one might have in a restaurant, it is now possible to go directly to a host, to enjoy a typical local meal and share their daily life. The perfect opportunity to have a more concrete perspective on your country of destination, with a drink and a meal.

The choice of meals is as vast as the number of hosts: the typical traditional meal, through a tasting of pastries, or a well-stocked brunch, there are no restrictions on the types of possible meal.

A chance for budding chefs, or cooks or to open to the world, without the sometimes too strict constraints of professional practice. A meal can last  up to 2-3 hours in general, but one can nevertheless expect longer periods if you get along well with your host.

And it would be wrong to believe that the service is dedicated to globetrotters, because it is the opportunity for local to meet new people in their area, as well as expatriates on site to give others a chance to discover their own home cooked meals. Remember, a small gift to the host is always welcome!

An established system

Accessible via a simple but effective interface similar to Airbnb, KitchHike strives to provide quick access to host information. A world map with pins, will tell you in three clicks where the nearest tables are.

Through a calendar you can check the availability of hosts and reserve only after the latter has confirmed. Then the fee will be paid for via paypal, the payment method used by KitchHike.

It is also possible to register as a host, in which case it is strongly recommended to detail your menu. Similarly it is quite a good practice to specify if the meal includes alcohol or not. Health is one of the concerns of the users of the site, so the editorial content of user profiles can be used to say more about any allergy precautions and preferences.

Reputation, feedback and originality are the keys that lead visitors to a host. The language mostly used is English, but is food not a language that is universal?