I'm Miyuki (pronounce me-you-key). I'm a queer artist, activist, and scholar writing about spaces of hope <3

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I used to couchsurf, hitchhike and farm my way all over the place but these days I'm in a PhD program which keeps me put for months at a time. Plus I'm enjoying rooting down more in Oakland :)
Check out my travel blog at: heymiyuki.wordpress.com

I also make zines (self-published magazines) about all kinds of topics. From 2012-2013 I met with queer artists and activists from around the world to create 8 zines which you can see at queerscribe.com along with my other zines!

As a surfer: I'm respectful of your space & humbled by your willingness to welcome me into your home. I don't smoke, drink occasionally and love cats. I'll happily exchange work, chores, or skills for accommodation too :)

As a host: I'll welcome you into my life and teach you how to make the best-tasting tortillas from scratch and ask you to pick mustard greens from the backyard garden. I have a very full life in Oakland so you would be welcome to tag along or go do your own thing as long as it doesn't feel like you don't even want to get to know me or share in any way :) Now that I'm not traveling as much it's great to have a breeze of new energy flowing through the house.

PHILOSOPHY

To be open-minded and never judge a book by its cover.

Some thoughts on "getting verified":
As someone who's been on CS for 10 years and has both hosted and been hosted, I wanted to put it out there that "safety" and having a verified address/phone number shouldn't be conflated. I shouldn't need to have all of my websites connected to my credit card information and address in order to give and receive the magic of this community. I try to generate this love without fear/mistrust. Having to contribute money to prove your safety feels jarring. This is how financially rich corporations with unethical practices get bills passed. If I read someone's references and I get a good vibe, I'll invite you into my home, simple as that :) Anyways... haha I think it's great to contribute to CS but I don't believe in tethering my reputation to money, a "verified phone number and address."

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I caught the traveling bug a few summers ago when I went to China for a month with my buddy and my trusty backpack. I love making friends with new people and understanding a countries' culture by chilling with locals. Most days on the road, I'd rather have some peanuts with locals and cook up a dinner with my CS host than go to a tourist-infested attraction. I've surfed and taken part in lots of CS community activities abroad.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Surfing--->Taiwan:1.Bruce2.Jen3.Nikki 4.Meg5.Elaine6.Alex7.ChaolingJapan(Okinawa):8.Dan9.Danielle10.Chinatsu11.Chris12.Vaughn13.HazelNYC:14.FarikaBeijing:15. Christine16. SaraHangzhou:17. ShiyinBirmingham:18. JaneMobile:19. DustinJackson:20. RhondaMemphis:21. AaronNashville:22. ClaraD.C.:23. AlexQuito, Ecuador:
24. Carla
25. Sandra
Guayaquil, Ecuador:
26. Andres
27. Alejandra
Lima, Peru:
28. Miguel
Cusco, Peru:
29. Rhoz
Buenos Aires, Argentina:
30. Angela (La Madriguera)
Sydney, Australia:
31. Di Drew
Newcastle, Australia:
32. Kate Parker
Bangalore, Karnataka, India:
33. Vidya
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India:
34. Maunika and Mrinal
Seoul, South Korea:
35. Jimin
Busan, South Korea:
36. Bianca
Hosting-->1.Angel2.Shelley3.Josh4.Aruna5. Yuanyuan
visited 20 states (8.88%)Create your own visited map of The World or Like this? try: Chinese Radicals

Interests

art (mostly fiber, street art and mixed media but I love all art), music (piano, guitar, drums, singing etc), queer activism, feminism, yoga, eating good food, potlucks, reading, CS traveling

• cats
• arts
• culture
• books
• singing
• street art
• womens rights
• dining
• cooking
• vegan
• yoga
• drinking
• reading
• traveling
• drawing
• music
• guitar
• piano
• drums
• backpacking
• surfing
• scuba diving
• communications
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

[movies] Harold and Maude, Fried Green Tomatoes, Boys Don't Cry, Forrest Gump, Back to the Future, Titanic, Curly Top, Stowaway, Grease, Farewell My Concubine, Lust Caution, A Single Man, most movies by Wong Kar-wai and Miyazaki Hayao

[music] Bjork, obscure international folk music (i.e. Bulgarian State Women's Choir...anyone?), James Blake, Burial, XXYYXX, Little Dragon, Sigur Ros, Burial, Berlin deep house music

[books] Zines about alternative health and spirituality, craft and gender/sexuality, novels by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Jeanette Winterson, Tom Robbins, Ursula Le Guin, Haruki Murakami and Octavia Butler [films] Kiki's Delivery Service, Harold and Maude, anything by Wong Kar-Wai (In the Mood for Love is a FAVORITE)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Made my own stringed instrument out of wood at the top of a mountain in Gunma, Japan while drinking goat's milk when I spent a year there.

Scuba diving in Sipadan, Malaysia! Turtles, sharks, manta rays ahhhhhh! So beautiful...best Christmas/birthday ever!

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm an artist and I love making pieces of artwork with people I just met and with my dear friends.

I can teach you how to sew and be more self-sufficient :) I'm also fluent in English, Japanese and Chinese and semi-fluent in Spanish.

---
I'm interested in learning whatever you'd like to teach me!

What I Can Share with Hosts

My knowledge of languages and music, vegan cooking skills, handmade art :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Canada, China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Japan, Malaysia, Peru, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Ecuador, Japan, Taiwan, United States

•