Help us make new from old with a recycling pioneer life in Yamaguchi, Japan

Details

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  Description

  Welcome to our page!!
  
  Hello everyone, it is Achan for a necessary update,
  Let me introduce myself, I came to Kagawa two years ago as a volunteer and never left. For those of you that already came, I am sorry to inform you that, the previous owner Hisan (Hiro Hirosan) sadly passed away in May 2023. Hisan`s family doesn't live here anymore. But, I decided to stay and humbly take over the legacy of someone that inspired me and many others in his unfortunately short but meaningful and intense life.
  
  in advance, I have to tell you, I don't have so much skill, but including my friends and workawayers try to make my house better and better!! thanks for a lot of people who are involved in this place, we can create this place.
  
  I reduced the farmland activities as I need for the moment to focus on making a sustainable source of income out of my grass-cutting activity.
  For the rest, it is pretty much as it always was.
  
  
  We cultivate our expansive land in Kagawa Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan through hard work and a forward-thinking mindset. We live in a historic Japanese house that we are in the process of remodeling ourselves. Some of our ongoing projects include erecting new buildings, renovating land for a large campsite, and preparing farmland for growing fruit and tea. Through these projects, our goal is to create an environment where people from all walks of life can work and live together. We live an old-fashioned life!
  
  Traditional culture and ways of doing things are important, but it's also essential to embrace new and better ways of doing things. We become smarter and wiser people by accepting different schools of thought, introduced by the new people who come to stay with us. We embrace new ideas and are constantly making changes!
  
  Do you like the outdoors? Do you work hard and play hard?
  Would you rather have fun getting your hands dirty as opposed to sitting behind a desk all day?
  If you answered yes to any of these questions, we want YOU!
  
  Note: We are usually very busy during the day and can only check messages in the morning and at night. You can contact us by phone in the days before your arrival.
  
  
  The preferable length of stay for workawayers is one month. You are welcome to stay longer if we get along well.
  
  We would ask workawayers to help with our various projects for around 5 hours a day, 5 days a week. If there's a job you prefer, or if you have any specific knowledge or interest in a job,（would particularly be appreciated someone who knows plumbing, carpentry, landscaping, electricity, and, general, construction) we can accommodate your preferences.
  In exchange, we provide all the food you might need, a private room in our main house, and much more.
  
  We want to be a place that gathers people, locals, and travelers through meetups, language exchange, fire camps, camping, and so on. local volunteers usually come on weekends.
  
  Sometimes we join local events like planting rice and festival of town if you like.
  If you have your international driver's license, we may ask you to drive a vehicle as part of your work. On your days off, you may borrow one of our vehicles if one is available, in exchange for donation for maintenance cost and fill up fuel before returning.
  
  
  By the way in Yamaguchi City and Ube City, there are free Japanese lessons for all levels it is on except for August, December and April. We can make sure it is on before you come.
  
  
  「Food」
  There is food that has passed its expiration date, but it is in our reserves and you do not need to eat it.
  We continuously buy fresh food of which some are close to expiring in order to reduce food waste and save money. We feel very strongly about not wasting food, so we try to use everything we buy.
  Of course, inedible foods are fed to dogs and chickens.
  We can go shopping together once a week if you want. I would buy only basic ingredients for everyone.
  
  There is a local grocery nearby bicycle distance, if you need a anything extra.
  
  ・morning individually
  ・lunch&dinner happy to share
  
  basically I would ask for preparing food cooperatively with other volunteers.
  sometimes I would prepare food for everyone but It's helpfull to cover eachother🙌🙌
  
  
  [Housing]
  The bathroom is being renovated and may feel like it's half outdoors, as you can see in the photo.
  During the winter, the inside of the house is very cold. This is because it’s in the process of being renovated, so the house is not very airtight.
  Inside the house, it is a concrete floor, we keep our shoes on, because we mainly work outside, dust tends to accumulate.
  
  It's a tough living environment for people who are used to city life. We use a fireplace instead of electric heating, so there's not that much temperature control. We have hot water bottles you can use.
  
  We ask that everyone work together to cook, clean and maintain the house. If you enjoy working together with others this is the kind of place where there are lots of chances for you to consider what you can do for others and the house as a whole.
  
  We are looking for people who want to grow and become better, who are willing to cooperate with others and challenge themselves.
  We want to welcome anyone with good energy, intention ideas, and dreams.
  We are looking forward to meeting you and sharing some of our lifestyle with you. We hope to learn from you, as well!
  
  
  
  No one is perfect, and if living together can be a challenge and the source of some issues, I believe that through communication, and attentive listening to one another needs we can live in harmony.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We are making a simple life which is based on necessities.
  We'd like to help make your dreams and wishes of your trip to Nippon real.

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  Help

  [Contents of main help]
  ＋Orchard management
  (Cutting grass, maintaining vegetable field, burning vegetation, planting trees, and cutting/moving firewood)
  
  fruit orchards need to be maintained and grass needs to be cut, this is one of harder jobs, especially in the summer!
  
  
  
  ＋Architecture
  (Adding to and maintaining the main house, making camping huts, and more..)
  
  the house we live in still needs a lot of renovations, and I want to make guest house, so if you are carpently and have skill, it's so helpfull to do construction work.]
  
  
  ＋Other
  (Taking care of Dog, making the campsite, household chores, maintaining the forest, making fire oven and so on...）
  
  * WE ARE ESPECIALLY LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN DO CONSTRUCTION WORK. (cleaning and cooking too)
  
  
  
  We generally have activities that involve Recycling and Updating.
  
  We live a pioneer lifestyle, so we have to set basic lifelines by our self.
  We have a lot of empty properties, so we often start projects from almost nothing.
  
  
  
  We also need someone who loves house keeping. We are happy to ask someone to spend a few hours a day and keep the house in shape.
  For example
  ＋laundry
  ＋cooking simple meals, we like very simple meals
  ＋cleaning the kitchen, toilets, bathroom, and common space

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  Languages spoken

  Japanese: Fluent
  English: Intermediate

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  Accommodation

  Traditional Nippon style house.
  
  + basic private room separated by patched shoji or fusuma.
  + kitchen and shower, two toilets
  + futon sleeping on tatami mat
  + no air conditioner/heater
  
  NOTE: The accommodation is quite basic, the building was renovated/built by us, so be prepared for "pioneers" style sleeping.

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  What else ...

  We are the reception, we'd like to be an open house for everyone.
  We want you to have a good memory of Japan!
  
  ARRIVAL INFORMATION - To get here please come to the train station, then you can call us using the public pay phone there - it will cost 10 yen every 6 sec, and we will come around in 10 minutes to pick you up.
  Or if you are fine with walking about 3km from the nearest station, we will give you the address - let us know.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  Internet is weak, so you can only use it around the kitchen. But it is a public space so don't be shy.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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