Help develop a food forest and experience the rich cultural history and nature of Nara, Japan

Informationen

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  Beschreibung

  Available Workaway periods in 2025: January 18 - 25; February 15 - 22; March 22 - 29; April 19 - 26; May 17 - 24; June 14 - 21;
  July 19 -26; September 20 - 27; October 18 - 25; November 15 - 22.
  Note: We do not accept requests outside of these dates and we advice you not to send requests earlier than two months before an available or desired period.
  
  After living in the Netherlands for 30 years, we (Hiroë and Jos) moved to the Japanese countryside, ± 10 km east of Nara town. We live in a renovated traditional house in a quiet, green area. Both 70+, we are young at heart and like to share our experiences with younger generations.
  
  The ageing population and rural exodus motivate us to develop activities that make it attractive for young people to stay there or to return.
  At the same time, we are concerned about the natural environment, the neglect of rice fields, forests, old hiking trails.
  
  With 'sustainability' at the core of our activities, we try to involve as many (young) people as possible in everything we do. We place a high value on cooperation and the promotion of a 'common' mentality.
  
  Finally, we strive for 'self-sufficiency' in the field of energy, food, water and wastewater treatment. All together a long-term project as a stimulating example for anyone who cares about the future of the earth.
  
  Our - rather young - project includes:
  
  creation of a park-like food forest
  solar energy generation
  construction of a natural wastewater treatment plant in cooperation with Yamanashi
 University
  organic vegetable garden
  keeping of wild bees
  restoring and maintaining a bamboo grove
  managing and using Araya-shiki, a renovated traditional house for events and
 overnight stays
  general maintenance of the site and care of the vegetation.
  
  We work together with an enthusiastic, but changing group of volunteers, who use to come every 3rd Sunday of a month. That always coincides with the stay of Workaway guests.
  
  We also work closely with teams from two different universities:
  one for a multi-year research of the soil conditions in the food forest and
  one for the analysis of ground and well water and their usability. In collaboration with the latter team we’re making a 'Constructed wetland' for natural wastewater treatment.
  
  Finally, our house is the base for the 'mirokunomichi' initiative that restores old footpaths and maps their cultural-historical significance.
  
  Our project is a non-commercial private initiative.

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  Arten von Hilfe und Lernmöglichkeiten

  Hilfe bei Ökoprojekten

  Gartenarbeiten

  Mithilfe auf einem Bauernhof

  Hausarbeiten
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  UNO-Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung, die dieser Gastgeber verfolgt

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  Was ist das?
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  Kultureller Austausch und Lernmöglichkeiten

  CULTURAL EXCHANGE:
  
  We are located in the province of Nara, rich in cultural history and nature with numerous famous Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, hiking trails and picturesque towns. Kyoto and Osaka are nearby big cities and easily accessible.
  Of course we let our guests taste as much as possible of the Japanese culture in both a literal sense through our kitchen, and through tips and information about activities and sights in our area.
  Finally: our house has an informal, open atmosphere where guests, visitors, volunteers and students sometimes unplanned gather around the kitchen table in order to exchange ideas, stories, creative talent and the like. Workaway guests are of course very welcome to join such spontaneous events.

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  Arbeit

  TASKS
  The commitment of the Workaway guest is requested for:
  common activities in the gardens, food forest and bamboo grove such as sowing/planting, mulching, weeding/mowing, watering, harvesting, pruning, sawing wood or cutting bamboo, making charcoal, cleaning up
  
  We assume 3 - 5 helping hours per day for 5 days a week (excl.. breaks, meals and household chores)
  
  In our way of 'farming', we follow aspects of permaculture, agroforestery, natural farming, etc., but put these principles into practice according to our own insights. We are always open to suggestions that contribute to healthy food production and a sustainable lifestyle.
  
  QUALIFICATIONS:
  
  The minimum age of Workaway guests we accept is 23!
  
  The Workaway guest is not required to have any specific expertise in the field of ecological farming, even though that is welcome. However, we explicitly choose Workawayers who want to work on the field with heart and soul and have experience with it. Just enthusiasm for nature or food doesn’t appeal to us.
  
  We also expect our guests to be socially minded and have an above-average environmental and climate awareness.
  Reliability, strong motivation, flexibility and communication skills are definitely requirements.
  As part of the selection proces we like to have an introductory meeting with potential guests via video calling.
  
  Furthermore, the guest should take into account sometimes heavy physical tasks, where you don't keep clean hands. So bring work clothes and protection against bright sun.
  Boots, gloves, helmet and face protection are available. Most of the tasks are manual, but sometimes we use light machines. We instruct you how to use them safely.
  Usually you help together with the host and sometimes with local volunteers. But we expect you to also do jobs alone and independently.

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  Gesprochene Sprachen

  Japanisch: Fließend
  Niederländisch: Fließend
  Englisch: Gute Kenntnisse

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  Unterkunft

  ACCOMMODATION :
  Independent house for two or more people with shower, toilet and kitchen. All areas and activities are non-smoking.
  We offer evening meals (Japanese/fusion cuisine, non-vegetarian). We do not accommodate exceptional dietary requirements.
  Breakfasts and lunches are prepared by the guests themselves. We provide ingredients for this.
  We expect the guests to keep the accommodation well organized and clean.
  PLEASE NOTE: There are no shops, restaurants or ‘combini’ in or near our village. For groceries you can always join us when driving to supermarkets in Nara or Kizugawa.

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  Was noch ...

  PUBLIC TRANSPORT
  We live in a village ± 10 km from Nara town. There is a limited bus service from JR station and Kintetsu station (bus 105, 106 and 94). It takes ± 40 min. Fare Yen 710; from the bus stop (at the post office in our village) it’s 7 minutes walking to our house.

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  Etwas mehr Information

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    Internet Zugang

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    Eingeschränkter Internet Zugang

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    Wir besitzen Tiere

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    Wir sind Raucher

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    Familien möglich

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  Platz zum Abstellen von Camper Vans

  Dieser Gastgeber bietet Platz für Wohnmobile.

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  Kapazität - wie viele Workawayer maximal

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