Help at our organic farm on World Heritage site on the island of Yakushima, Japan

  • Favourited 1622 times
  • Last activity: 28 Mar 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least 1 month

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Details

  • Description

    Description

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    * Update *
    We are back from the holidays! If we haven't replied to your message, please get in touch again!
    We apologize for any inconvenience.
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    We operate a completely pesticide free organic farm and a correspondence-based high school on an island called Yakushima, in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

    On our farm, we focus on “The 3 No’s”: No agricultural chemicals, No weed killer, No chemical fertilizer, and we challenge ourselves with new ways of farming, such as using microbes. Our goal is to find an original farming method based on the nature found on Yakushima. We are also interested in permaculture and we look for sustainable lifestyles within this beautiful environment.

    With our high school, many students from all across Japan come here every week. They challenge themselves with various initiatives such as making new friends and getting in touch with nature. During their days here, we want the students to learn that they are connected with one another, and that people, nature and all things are interconnected. This is a perfect environment for our education.

    Yakushima was registered as a World Natural Heritage Site in 1993, and it is a wonderful environment where the mountains and sea spread out in front of your eyes.
    Its forest is also famous for being the model for the setting in the anime “Princess Mononoke”. We hope that you will come to Yakushima to experience the splendid nature here.

    If you have any questions, feel free to send us a message.
    We are looking forward to seeing you on Yakushima.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Language practice
    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    Farmstay help
    General Maintenance
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    We can teach you about the Japanese lifestyle and the Japanese language.
    You will be interacting with Japanese students, thereby learning the trends and attitudes of Japanese youths.
    We also hope that you will enjoy the taste of vegetables and fruits grown on our farm.
    Food grown in the bountiful environment of Yakushima is very special.

  • Help

    Help

    *️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️ At our Farm*️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️
    We would like you to help with the daily work on the farm such as weeding, watering and cleaning. Depending on the season when you come, we may ask you to help us with planting and harvesting crops as well. Since we don’t use herbicides, there is a lot to do. Let’s have fun farming together!
    If time allows, perhaps we can make homemade Japanese food together using the vegetables from our farm.

    For agricultural work on the farm, it is best to wear hats, long sleeves, and long trousers regardless of the season (to prevent sunburns and insect bites). Also, please wear clothing that is easy to work in, and adaptable to various temperatures.
    We advise you to insure against sickness or injuries before coming to Japan.

    *️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️At our School*️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️
    We would like you to participate in ice breaking games and outdoor classes.
    Through the ice breaking games, we are going to make a team.
    There are a lot of high school students who are not good at communicating with others. So, we hope them to develop the strength to make the next step forward through involving with others with courage, dealing with what they feel and sharing their feelings.

    In the outdoor classes, students experience the forest and the sea of the world heritage, such as Harutahama Beach, Yakusugi Land, or Shiratani Unsuikyo Forest.
    Through interacting with such nature, they are to release their stresses with feeling the vital power of Yakushima which is difficult to feel in the cities.

    If you are proficient in English, we may ask you to help with English classes at our high school sometimes. Please talk with the students and teach them about the culture of your home country. It would be great if even one more student gains an interest in life overseas as a result of this interaction.

    I hope you to deepen exchanges with the students in those classes with using Japanese or English.


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    We are looking for the following type of applicants:
    - People who have Japanese proficiency, or currently studying Japanese
    (Japanese is the predominant language, and only one person on staff speaks English, so people who don’t speak any Japanese at all may not be accepted.)
    - People with an interest in farming
    - People who can stay for at least 1-month.
    - People who are eager to help others
    - People with an appreciation for other cultures

    Currently, we can only accept 2 people at a time, so if we are fully booked then applications may not be accepted.
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  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    English: Fluent
    Japanese: Fluent

    This host offers a language exchange
    This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
    You can contact them directly for more information.

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Our high school has a dormitory, so accommodations will be provided there. If a room is vacant, we can prepare a private room for you. Shared bathrooms, a shared bath, a washing machine, and a refrigerator are also available in the dormitory.

    We also provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner on days when volunteer work is done.
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served at the school cafeteria, but on farming days lunch will be served at our farm.

    We hope that you will enjoy having meals with our high school students.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Enjoy all kinds of activities in the mountains, the ocean, and the rivers on Yakushima.
    Activities that you can experience include trekking in the mountains, snorkeling, stand-up paddle surfing in the ocean, canoeing in the river.
    Famous places include Inakahama (Inaka Beach) – where sea turtles come to lay eggs in the summer, Shiratani Unsuikyo (Shiratani River Valley) – the model site for the Ghibli animation “Princess Mononoke”, and Jomon Sugi (the giant ancient cedar tree) – which is said to be 7,200 years old.

    Our high school is 45-minutes by bus from the airport, and 1-hour by bus from Miyanoura Port.
    The location is close to the ocean, and the scenery is very beautiful.
    Nearby is a famous hot spring called Hirauchikaichuu Onsen (Hirauchi Sea Hot pring), where bathing can be done only at low tide.

    Travel from Kagoshima to Yakushima by airplane, high-speed boat (called Toppy), or ferry.
    It takes 40-minutes by airplane, 2-hours by high-speed boat, and 4-hours by ferry.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    Two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    Around 20 hours in a week, for 3-5 days a week

Host ref number: 551633921153

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