Some Travelers Come Back for Seconds of Japan — A Spanish Ballet Dancer’s Story

Today I’d like to share a story about a guest who came to stay with us all the way from Spain.

He’s a ballet dancer.

And he’s traveling around Japan by hitchhiking.

As we were chatting in the living room, he told me something that took me by surprise.

“I can only stay in Japan for three months, so I hop over to Taiwan once, then come back and pick up my trip where I left off.”

Oh, really?

I’d never heard of traveling this way before — stepping out, then coming right back. It was as if he were helping himself to a second serving of Japan, like a good meal, and the thought made me smile 😊

A Short Visa? Then Come Back for Seconds

He explained that people from Spain can stay in Japan for up to 90 days. After three months, they have to leave the country at least once.

But for someone like him, who wants to travel Japan slowly and deeply, three months is nowhere near enough.

So he pops over to nearby Taiwan for a while — and then comes back to Japan to carry on his journey. A second helping of Japan, you might call it.

Let me add one honest note here, though.

This “second helping” isn’t something just anyone can do, anytime, as many times as they please. Every time you enter Japan, you pass through immigration. If an officer decides that you’re effectively living (or working) in the country by repeating short stays, you can be turned away at the border. So it isn’t a guaranteed trick. 💦

In his case, he’s enjoying his travels properly, well within the rules. I just want to make sure there’s no misunderstanding about that.

Still — when you think about it, it’s rather lovely that travel can have a rhythm like this. Even when you’re full, if the food is good, you go back for another bowl. He’s savoring this country of ours in just that way, and honestly, it made me happy.

Is a Three-Month Visa Actually Short?

At this point, I found myself getting curious.

People from Spain get 90 days. Is that short? Or is it just... about normal?

As always, I asked my trusty AI helper. And it turns out three months is, if anything, the standard.

Even for the very same “coming to visit Japan,” the length of stay varies quite a bit depending on your passport. Here’s a rough rundown.

(Even the six-month countries are given 90 days on arrival; with an extension procedure, that can be stretched to half a year.)

Looking at this, 90 days is by far the most common. Spain’s three months is neither short nor long — it sits right in the middle, a perfectly ordinary length.

But.

Even that “ordinary three months” isn’t enough for him. That’s exactly why he travels all the way out to Taiwan just to come back for seconds. It made me realize how deeply he must be traveling this country — a journey that simply won’t fit inside three months.

“Japan Is Small, So Hitchhiking Is Easy!”

There’s one more thing he said, almost in passing, that has stayed with me.

“Japan is small, so hitchhiking is a breeze!”

Easy? Hitchhiking?

He’s such a cheerful soul that I almost just took his word for it — but there really was a reason behind it.

Japan is a small island country surrounded by sea. The roads are fairly limited, and people’s destinations tend to overlap. So once someone gives you a lift, your journey just keeps flowing along, he says.

If this were, say, Spain — a large country joined by land to its neighbors — drivers would be heading off in every direction, and a ride wouldn’t necessarily take you where you want to go.

Being small, it turns out, is a strength when you’re traveling. Visa lengths, the ease of hitchhiking — everything shifts the moment the country changes. Seen through a traveler’s eyes, the same old Japan begins to look wonderfully fresh.

In closing

He’ll surely hop back from Taiwan again and go on dancing his light-footed way across this small country of ours. For as many second helpings as he likes.

The living room at Watausagi is full of fascinating stories like this. Moments like these may just be the greatest luxury of running a guesthouse.

I hope his travels keep bringing him joy for a long time to come 😊

Wrap-up

This, right here, is why I love running a guesthouse. Every single day brings a new face — and the things I learn from our guests never stop surprising me.

Guesthouse Watausagi is an easygoing, self-check-in kind of place. In theory, it hums along just fine with no staff hovering about.

But I carve out time to meet our guests whenever I possibly can. Welcoming travelers from all over the world and swapping stories with them is pure joy — and honestly, it’s what keeps me going.

The guests, for their part, seem to fall into happy conversation with one another, too.

This isn’t a hotel or a ryokan, so you won’t find white-glove service here. What you will find is a place built for real human connection — come for the ichigo-ichie, that “once in a lifetime” meeting, and stay for the people.

On this blog, I share the quiet magic of my corner of Japan: Yamagata, the city of Tsuruoka, and the wider Shonai region. Fresh updates go up on our Instagram Stories, so follow along and come say hi 😊

And a like or a share is always, always appreciated 💕