Published

なぜ、泊まる前にゲームなのか。

The short answer: reviews are written after a stay. KIBOU reverses the direction — before the visit, a game turns a home's culture and rules into a shared experience, so you arrive at a home you already know a little. About 90 seconds is the guide; no sign-up needed.

口コミが担っていた、見えない説明書。

It began at Sonomanma-so, a single house in Ebisu, Tokyo. The house had no manual. Word of mouth did that work — "here's what that house is like, here's how mornings go." Someone who had stayed handed the culture to whoever came next, so even first-timers could stay as if they weren't.

Even so, the most common gap in our stays was "I don't know this house's rules." "We leave at 7 in the morning." "Quiet after 10 at night." "Please treat this one spot with care." Small things, each of them — but explaining them every time wears a host down, and asking or tiptoeing every time wears a guest down. We had lived through it ourselves, many times.

→ The Sonomanma-so post about this gap (Instagram)

KIBOU's game gives that invisible guidebook a form anyone can receive — including people outside the circle of word of mouth.

レビューとは、方向が逆。

Lodging services generally build trust with reviews, written after a stay to inform the next person's judgment. Useful — but a review tells you how the previous guest felt, not how you should live in that home.

KIBOU's game runs time the other way. Before the stay, the home's daily life is handed to you as an experience: take off your shoes at the entrance, say hello, live a little of that house's time. Not information for judging — preparation for being together.

90秒で、何をするのか。

In the demo, the flow is: take off your shoes, say hello, choose a drink, get to know the host a little. About 90 seconds is the guide; no install, no registration.

It may sound short. That is the point. It is not an exam to pass but a way to finish the first hello in advance. Someone who has played already knows, before arriving, that this home's mornings start early.

なぜ、クエストは空間ごとなのか。

Quests exist per home. Clearing one does not open every door — deliberately. House rules differ by house, even in the demo village: the baker's home wakes early; the carpenter's table has its chopstick manners; at the florist's, you look at the window flowers gently. Small things — and exactly the substance of staying well in that home.

Nothing from one home transfers to another. You learn that space, then you go to that space. Games and applications for real hosts' homes open one by one, as each is ready.

クリアが意味すること。しないこと。

Clearing the game records that you organized what you learned about that home and completed your preparation to visit.

Clearing is the mark that your first hello is already done. This record is never asked to carry the heavier roles — proof that someone is safe, a score on character, or a promise of lodging. After an application, dates and conditions are confirmed, and the host decides — hosts can decline, and you can withdraw.

A record of preparation and a mechanism for safety are different things. Identity checks and emergency contact are designed separately from the game — so the game can stay what it is: a gentle rehearsal for "nice to meet you."

クリアの、その先。

When the quest ends, you know that home a little. The next step is outside the screen.

You visit the real house and spend up to two nights and three days together. After the stay, you and the host each leave what you saw — not a score, but the words of two people who shared the time.

Within the scope you consent to, that record can become material for conversations with companies. An encounter that began in daily time may even lead to a job offer. Company collaboration is at pilot stage, and no offer is promised — still, the path that starts with a 90-second game is designed to reach places an interview alone cannot.

→ Where it leads: What is stay-based hiring?

よくある質問

ゲームをクリアすれば、必ず泊まれますか?

No. The game is an entrance for learning how a home lives. After you apply, dates and conditions are confirmed, and the host decides. Hosts can decline; you can withdraw.

ゲームは難しいですか?

No. About 90 seconds is the guide, with no install or sign-up. It is not a test, so there is no failing — just a small early taste of that home's life.

クリアすると、何が記録されますか?

A record that you organized what you learned about the home and completed preparation to visit. It does not certify safety, character, or trustworthiness, and it is never used for scoring, rankings, or automated decisions.