Japan
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17/04/2019
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Host offers payment
We have a bicycle tour company in the Japanese countryside, 2 hours northwest of Tokyo. Our goal is to create unique and unforgettable experiences for our guests while promoting an eco-friendly, healthy, and authentic mode to explore the Japanese countryside. Come experience the foothills of the North Alps with a small group of people who are trying to create a life of fun, challenge, and service.
Our Base Camp is located in a small town at the foothills of Japan's North Alps. If you are looking for the busy city streets of Tokyo or Kyoto, this is not the place. We are a direct train from Tokyo, so it is easy to go to the city if you want, but it is still about 2 hours (20$ USD ticket each way) by train.
Individuals who love outdoor activities or creative people seeking tranquility--you will be immersed in natural beauty and serenity here in Gunma! And don't worry, we are not so secluded that you can't find daily conveniences. We are just 15 minutes away from Kiryu, a lively town with grocery stores, local restaurants, cafes, and shops. If you take bike or train to Ota (about 30 mins), you'll find a small city with a thriving expat community, social scene, bars, late-night ramen shops, movie theater, and of course: McDonald's & Starbucks.
*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️PLEASE READ*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️ Currently looking for a workawayer for Fall (Sept, Oct, Nov) 20 hours per week
-Photography & Photo Editing: we are always looking to share new photos and images with our guests on social media, email newsletters, and in real life! Prefer individuals who have a lot of experience with landscape and/or sports photography. Bring your camera! If interested, please show us your previous work (can be on a photography website, instagram, flickr, etc).
-Video Editing: bring your camera and capture videos of the gorgeous countryside. Create short or long-form videos of the landscape, tours stops, etc. If interested, please send some videos you've created in the past (youtube, vimeo, etc)
-Massage/Yoga Teachers
-Japanese Culture or Language Enthusiasts: Individuals who are interested in sharing language, art, and culture with us and our guests! So if you know how to prepare a traditional tea ceremony, make washi paper, or other interesting cultural activities, please let us know :)
*️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️FALL (Sept 15-Dec 15, 2019) OPPORTUNITY*️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️
If you are passionate about cycling/travel, and looking for dynamic experiences, this might be for you!
Role : Road Support Crew for BTJ Cycling Tours.
About You :
Japanese-Conversational (N3+)
English-Proficient
Must have an International Drivers License
Excellent people-skills
Leadership ability
Sense of adventure
Self motivated and able to work independently in a small team
Thrive on working on a variety of tasks
Willingness to take on some less glamorous tasks that are part of small business environments
Perks of the Work:
Challenging and fun environment where you get to explore and ride bikes!
Visit secluded and beautiful parts of the Japanese countryside
Work outdoors almost everyday
Meet amazing people from around the world with experiences & stories to share
Work with a dynamic and creative team to help a small business grow
All meals & accommodations covered
We only accept workawayers with references.
*️️️️*️️️️In addition to introducing yourself and showing us some sample work, it would be great if you could provide the following info in your message to us:
1. Previous work or co-living references. If you don't have any references on your workaway profile, please send a link to a platform where you have references (couchsurfing, airbnb, linkedin, facebook personal business page, etc).
2. Confirm you understand: no cigarettes or illegal drugs permitted on this property.
3. Will you have a working holiday visa or a tourist visa in Japan?
4. Do you have an international driver's license?
5. What time period would you like to live/work with us in Kiryu?
6. Confirm which opportunity you are interested in.
Thank you!
General Maintenance
Cooking / shopping
Other
Help in the house
Language practice
Help with Computers / internet
Teaching
-flexible hours. We will confirm hours of work per week depending on the workawayer's abilities.
-opportunities to go on day trips in the beautiful Japanese countryside.
-immersive experience in small-town Japan.
-basic cooking supplies and foods will be stocked in our house (rice, noodles, oil, spices, coffee, tea etc). You are welcome to it! We do not guarantee all meals, but we try to cook and share food with our guests as much as we can.
-build your portfolio and learn (writing, blogging, photography, videos, website design, seo, etc)
-resources to succeed and references for your professional future. If you show us work ethic, humility, and results, we'll be your loudest cheerleader!
-enjoy the good life, and be a part of each other's journeys!
As a small growing company, we have many roles that a new team member can take on, based on your skills and passions.
- Japanese language and culture
- Writing (blogging, web content, SEO link building, email outreach, etc)
- Social Media management and engagement
- Photography
- Video-editing
- International Driver's License
Regarding Pay:
If you are not a Japanese citizen and want to work for pay, you need a "working holiday visa". If you are in Japan with a WHV, we can provide compensation. You cannot be paid with a tourist visa, due to legal issues.
Working holiday countries are as follows:
Australia, Argentina, Austria , Denmark, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Korea, New Zealand, Norway,Taiwan, Hong Kong (SAR), Ireland, Slovakia, Poland, Portugal, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain, and the United Kingdom between the ages of 18 and 30 can apply for a WHV at your country's Japanese embassy/consulate.
This host offers accommodation and payment.
English (fluent), 中文 (proficient), 日本語 (learning)
Our home is a traditional Japanese house with tatami floors, sliding doors, and futon bedding. This is very different from a typical "western bed" so please do your research and make sure you understand what futon/tatami sleeping is! You will most likely be sharing a room with one or two other workawayers. You may also have a single room, depending on the weeks you are here. We have one full-size kitchen, refrigerator, and washer to share as well. We anticipate that there will be 2-6 people living in this home at a time, but it just depends on the season! It is a quiet neighborhood with lots of older folks and families, so we ask that you agree to not disturb our neighbors or other house guests, especially after 9pm. Absolutely NO cigarettes or drugs are permitted on this property.
While we have several rooms in the house, we must all share ONE bathroom! So it is VERY important that we keep it clean for each other, and don't spend too much time in there doing hair, makeup, or instagram. ;)
Food Options Beyond Home: there are many affordable options nearby, including convenience stores, grocery/supermarkets, produce markets, and local restaurants. Since we are running multi-day cycling tours, one or two of us might be out of the house for several consecutive days depending on the time of year, so you might be expected to prepare your own meals. However, we always love sharing meals together (at the house or at a restaurant) whenever possible.
Dietary restrictions or food allergies: Vegetarians & Vegans welcome, but must be ok with the fact that we sometimes choose to eat meat. Vegans, please know that many Japanese dishes are cooked with dashi (fish broth) and you won't be able to find as many options in the country as you can in a massive city like Tokyo. There are limited vegan options here, so you will likely have to take responsibility of preparing most of your meals. No problem with finding gluten-free and lactose-free options around here--you can always choose rice or soy! However, for anyone with very severe nut or gluten allergies, please be aware that there are wheat and nut products inside our home.
Getting Around: Available transport options are bike, bus, and train. Sometimes, we rent a car for business purposes, and we can also utilize it for a day trip to go hiking/exploring. We do not own a car, so please be aware that main modes of transportation are walking or cycling. If you have accessibility constraints, please let us know and we would be happy to help however we can!
Recommendations during your time off:
-go on a bike ride in town or in the local mountains (especially if you love challenging elevation!) we can come with you or give you some good routes.
-explore Ota library: books in all languages around the world!
-ramen tour: there are famous ramen shops within 20km of us--eat your heart out!
-Nikko National Park: amazing sights and incredible history. It's a tough uphill climb to get there though...
-meditate outdoors: lots of great spots just a walk or bike ride away.
-hang out with us and our friends: we have a great little community of friends (locals and expats) here in Gunma, and we are excited to introduce you to them.
-hiking: get a great view of the neighboring volcanoes and the town below.
-gunma insect world: Japan's biggest collection of insects.
-onsen/sento time: we're not far from a cluster of volcanoes that power the local hot-spring baths. Do as the locals do: take a soak, and relieve stress!
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
More than two
20-40 hours/week
