Profile information
Host rating
65 %
Last replied
10 Apr 2024
Reply rate
70.3 %
Usually responds within 4 days
Feedback
2
Email verified
Badges (1)
Details
Description
Hello,
I am a carpenter and run a small remodeling company in Myoko, Japan. Last year my wife and I bought a small farm to pursue our dream of a more simple life. We had our first season in 2023 and things went quite well. We are still in the process of getting our farm up and running and are learning a lot. This is not a business and we are not professional farmers. We just grow for our family and friends. I do hope to sell vegetables at the markets in the future but we are not there yet. We also have some fruit trees on the property but our main focus is organic vegetables and herbs.
I work full time as a carpenter and my wife is a dog groomer. I was born and raised in the United States and my wife is Japanese. We moved to Japan 7 years ago to be closer to her family. We have two small kids and one dog. If you have any questions please let me know.
Thank you for reading,
Michael and Mari
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Help around the house
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Most of the cultural experiences I have to offer will be through immersion. Living and working in Japan you will be surrounded by the culture. All of my neighbors around the farm are Japanese. There are countless temples and shrines in the area and arguably the best snowboarding and skiing in the world. I'm pretty busy with work and family so I wont be doing much in the way of organized group trips or anything like that. I am happy to point people in the right direction if they are looking for a unique cultural experience. There is easy access to things like tea ceremonies, buddhist temples, and sake testing.
Help
I am looking for help seeding, planting, maintaining, and harvesting our vegetable gardens.
Work includes sowing seeds, weeding gardens, watering plants, and general farm work. We have several garden plots in different locations.
We heat our house with a wood stove and have lots of trees that need to be split and stacked.
I still work full time as a carpenter so I will be on the farm early morning and on the weekends.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Japanese: Fluent
Accommodation
The accommodation is an old Japanese style house. It is in need of some updating but has been well maintained and is clean. There is hot water, shower/bath, Wifi, kitchen, fridge/freezer, bedding. All of the living essentials will be available. There is no A/C at the moment but if it becomes unbearable in the summer I can have one installed. The house is about 10 minutes by car from the house I live with my family. There are four bedrooms so you will have a private bedroom in a shared house.
I will keep the kitchen stocked with rice and some basics. Rural Japan is generally not very accommodating for specific food allergies so please be aware and prepared if you have specific food allergies or preferences.
What else ...
Traveling in Japan is pretty easy with public transportation and can be easily navigated in english with your smartphone. As mentioned above, my place is in Myoko Japan which is one of the snowiest places on earth with an average of 14 meters of snowfall in a season. The summer is also great for mountain sports and hiking. The sea of Japan is one hour by car. If you have an international driver's license it will be helpful but not necessary.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
Can possibly accept pets
This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Working hours are flexible but will be between 5am and 5pm
Feedback (1)
Even though it was different than it says in his profile, that did not change the fact that we spent three wonderful weeks with him and his family.
Because of the returning snow in Myoko we were not yet able to stay at the farm and work on the fields.… read more
Feedback
Even though it was different than it says in his profile, that did not change the fact that we spent three wonderful weeks with him and his family.
Because of the returning snow in Myoko we were not yet able to stay at the farm and work on the fields.… read more
