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Host rating
100 %
Last replied
3 Jun 2026
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100.0 %
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Details
Description
Live close to nature in rural Japan.
Grow rice by hand, share meals, and experience a simple, meaningful life.
Hi everyone! Thank you so much for visiting our page!
【Who we are looking for】
We are looking for positive, cheerful individuals aged 25+ who love playing with children, have experience growing vegetables, and enjoy cooking.
🌾 Volunteer Help
Our son will be turning 7 soon, and we would love for you to spend about 3 weeks playing with him during his August summer vacation to help create wonderful summer memories.
Additionally, we will occasionally ask you to help with tasks in our natural farming fields, assist with dinner preparation, or contribute using your own unique skills.
Other Seasonal Experiences (For Reference):
May–June: Hand-planting rice seedlings
July: Cutting and managing grass in the rice fields with sickles
November: Harvesting rice with sickles & sun-drying (Haze-kake)
Winter (Jan–Mar): Preparing irrigation channels and soil management
Year-round: Growing vegetables using natural farming methods
While it does involve physical activity at times, it is a rare and precious opportunity to connect deeply with the land, the seasons, the people, and yourself.
🍚 A Special Food Experience
We grow our rice primarily for our own self-sufficiency. The variety we cultivate is unsuitable for modern mechanized farming and is extremely rare in Japan. We often hear from our volunteers that it is the most delicious rice they have ever tasted in their lives!
In August, you will be able to enjoy this precious rice from last year's harvest together with us (though our stock is starting to run a bit low, we can't wait to share it with you!).
🧘♀️ Life & Refreshment
Cool Down in the River: During the day, you can relax and cool off at a small, beautiful river in the nearby mountains, surrounded by nature.
Temple Yoga: You are more than welcome to join "Temple Yoga" sessions led by my wife (who is a yoga instructor) to pleasantly stretch both your body and mind.
Famicom: You can also play the classic Famicom (Nintendo retro console)!
Digital Detox: A wonderful chance to step away from your smartphone and connect deeply with the land, the seasons, and yourself.
✨ Skills We Appreciate
Please feel free to fully showcase what you are good at!
We highly welcome people who bring their own creativity—whether it is video shooting/editing, music, sewing, website creation, yoga, or anything else.
Most importantly, what matters most to us is a positive attitude and a heart that genuinely enjoys daily life!
🏡 Life With Us
Our lifestyle is beautifully simple:
“Wake up, eat, work, relax, share meals, and sleep.”
In a peaceful rural area surrounded by birdsong and the soothing sound of flowing rivers, we welcome you not just as a volunteer, but as a member of our family. This is not just a place to stay—it is a place to truly experience a different way of living.
📩 How to Apply
Please note that we only accept volunteers who are 25 years of age or older. Thank you for your understanding.
Additionally, to verify your specific skills and talents, we will likely ask you to submit a portfolio or share examples of your past work and designs. Please have these materials ready when you apply. We look forward to hearing from you!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity Work
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
House & pet sitting
Interests
Farming
Plant care
Music
Drawing & painting
Art & design
Nature
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Hand planting rice, which takes place from the end of May through June, is a traditional Japanese method that very few farmers practice today. This makes it a truly valuable and rare experience.
In July, we also weed the rice fields using only sickles. It is physically demanding work, but again a very special experience.
The rice field is 1,500 square meters (1.5 tan) in size, so during this period we are looking for people who are confident in their physical strength.
Through all of the work, you will learn how we grow rice and vegetables using natural farming methods. In the evenings, over dinner and conversation, we enjoy cultural exchange while sharing delicious naturally grown rice and vegetables, and you can also practice learning Japanese. We also enjoy exchanging music and art.
We are a friendly, home-like family and very open to intercultural exchange. We believe you will have the opportunity here to experience many aspects of Japanese culture and customs
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
You can learn how to plant rice (by hand) and grow vegetables using farming methods that are in keeping with Japanese nature.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
I can only speak a little English, but I want to learn English
Accommodation
Our house is a modern home built three years ago. We have a wood-burning stove, so it stays warm in winter.
Your room is a semi-private loft on the second floor, which you access using a ladder. There are two windows with views of the mountains and the fields.
There is no wall between the loft and the living room on the first floor, so you can look down into the living area from the loft. However, we use bamboo blinds for privacy, and the loft cannot be seen from the first floor.
What else ...
・About a 25-minute bike ride from the house takes you to Rengejiike Park. From there, if you follow one of the hiking trails a little further, you can enjoy a view of Mount Fuji on a clear day.
・A 30-minute walk from the house brings you to a small waterfall, and if you go over one mountain (there are some slopes – about an hour and a half on foot), you’ll reach Setoya Onsen Yuraku.
・About a 10-minute walk from the house, there’s a small traditional Japanese sweets shop and a local shrine that protects the village.
・There is a hot spring 17 minutes away by car, about 30 minutes by bicycle (over the mountain), and around an hour and a half on foot.
・The nearest supermarket is about a 20-minute bike ride away.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (7)
From the first day Julie and I felt so welcome.
It was an absolute joy working in the fields with Kouichi-san. We worked hard and laughed harder. Haruka-san the love and pride you take in your home and family is so clear. Thank you for sharing your stories, warmth and incredible cooking with us. Both of your… read more
you two are truly unique, fun, and dedicated — you were wonderful volunteers.
Cydnee, I could really feel how much you love working in the fields, and it was such a joy to work alongside you.
Julie, your uniqueness and warm spirit brought so much laughter and created a beautiful atmosphere in the fields.
I hope your journey… read more
you are about to gain so much from these two and spend a truly wonderful time together.
They respected all of our house rules and moved with such ease, making our shared family life light and enjoyable.
Both of them have a remarkably mature personality — far beyond what you would… read more
Photos
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Feedback
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Cultural exchange:
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Communication:
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From the first day Julie and I felt so welcome.
It was an absolute joy working in the fields with Kouichi-san. We worked hard and laughed harder. Haruka-san the love and pride you take in your home and family is so clear. Thank you for sharing your stories, warmth and incredible cooking with us. Both of your… read more
you two are truly unique, fun, and dedicated — you were wonderful volunteers.
Cydnee, I could really feel how much you love working in the fields, and it was such a joy to work alongside you.
Julie, your uniqueness and warm spirit brought so much laughter and created a beautiful atmosphere in the fields.
I hope your journey… read more
you are about to gain so much from these two and spend a truly wonderful time together.
They respected all of our house rules and moved with such ease, making our shared family life light and enjoyable.
Both of them have a remarkably mature personality — far beyond what you would… read more
My main volunteering responsibility was to hang out with their 6 year old Kotaro who welcomed me immediately into his Sylvanian family tribe and he was honestly a delight to be around.
Haruka is an amazing cook and can whip up a delicious meal with whatever is in the fridge… read more
The work, which was mostly
weeding in the rice fields, was genuinely so enjoyable for me, almost like a meditation. I also really enjoyed helping Aochan with his other farming tasks and weed whacking.
Joining Haruka in her… read more
主に頼んでいた田んぼの草刈り作業では、持ち前の体力を発揮してくれて夏の日本の暑い中でも朝5時から黙々と作業をしてくれました。
日本語もとても上手で勉強熱心であり新しい言葉はすぐにノートにメモし、日本食もとても好きで梅干しや納豆などもおいしく食べてくれて嬉しかったです。
これからも日本を愛してください。
そして、すてきな人生という旅を続けてください‼︎ありがとう‼︎
She stayed at our home for about three and a half weeks while volunteering with us.
For the main task we asked of… read more
Even under the harsh conditions of the rainy season’s clear skies, working in nearly 30°C heat every day, they approached the task with devotion, often mixing in laughter to lighten the… read more
This small family was so loving and kind to us that we left with tears in our eyes, feeling like we were saying goodbye to our own family.
Koichi is a fun man, very curious about our culture, and always happy to share his own culture… read more
They balanced the hard volunteer work so well together. Sometimes dancing in the rice fields, laughing as we shared music and cultural differences — they turned the rice planting into a joyful experience. Other times, they worked slowly and carefully, as if to show us, “This… read more
