Interact with locals by doing English language exchange and other communal activities, Izu Peninsula, Shizuoka, Japan

Japan

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Feedback
36
Last activity
26/08/2019
Reply rate
52.0 %
Average reply time:
within 13 days
Host offers payment
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Availability

2019

Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks

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Description
THE PROJECT - SEASON 2 (by the beach side!)

I'm in midst of arranging the project so details are subject to change..

Hi, my name is Rob. After a 10 year corporate experience in Tokyo, I decided to make a change and immerse myself in rural Japan. I currently live in the beautiful peninsula know as Izu Peninsula, surrounded by mountains and beaches.

This year, we'll be doing a 2 month setup at a guesthouse just 2-3min walk from the beach. It's a 3-4 hour train ride from Tokyo, but the beaches are as beautiful as the southern island resorts like Hawaii or the Caribbeans. This is a jump from Izu-Okawa, a more mountainous region to Izu-Shimoda surrounded one of the most beatiful beaches in the country.

Usual WORKAWAY activities may include the following.

PAID WORK
a) Daily choirs around the guesthouse (setting up sheets) , and possible gardening. This part should be paid.

UNPAID WORK
b) English Conversation practice activities (elders, kids, adults. audiences of all ages)
c) Possibly Joining activities like farming, festivals, and sharing the experience through social media.

# Daily activities of paid work should last for 3-4 hours (i.e. cleaning)
# Daily start at 8AM or 10AM, lights out 10PM, curfew 11PM
# To comply with local administration, must hold valid Visa status in Japan (i.e. Working holiday visa or student visa, etc. )
# Specific details of the content of the work may change. In case of change participants shall be noticed.

For PARICIPANTS, please contact me with the following. (This is extra information to get to know each other better.)
1) Your interest and motivation to coming to Japan (you don't need be afraid to say ANIME, as one of your likings)
2) Teaching or social work experience (if any)
3) If anyone is good with web development please let me know.
4) Anything else we should know about.

Hope to hear from you guys soon.

Thanks!
Rob
Type of help
Gardening
General Maintenance
Cooking / shopping
Other
Help in the house
Charity work
Language practice
Help with Computers / internet
Teaching
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
As this is a workaway project in a start-up phase, you'd have the chance to contribute to the initial phase of the project.
If you'd like to do things from scratch, be part of the beginning phase of a project, this is your chance!

- let's do things"undiscovered" "outside of the box" ( so you can brag to your friend : )
- Enjoy the "old school Japanese rural life"
- Learn some Japanese mannerism (great to know when if you're traveling across the country)
Host offers a wage in line with the minimum wage
This host offers accommodation and payment.
Help
Usual WORKAWAY activities may include the following.
a) Daily choirs around the house, and possible gardening
b) English teaching activities (elders, kids, adults. audiences of all ages)
c) Joining activities like farming, festivals, and shari the experience through social to future travelers around the globe.

We run on the concept of "voluntary work", meaning ideally, NO OBLIGATION as much as possible. If you strongly feel certain activities do not fit your character, values or personal motivation please tell me on the spot. Great work comes from a strong sense of natural voluntary spirit, meaning pure interest.

Also I'd like to ask you ideas on any kind of additional creative/innovative contributions you can make. Basically we live to together to greet other guests (my friends) who will also work on this project together.
Languages spoken
English, Japanese
Accommodation
Extra rooms in my house (you will share with other staffs/guests)
Futons, bed sheets are provided.
What else ...
3min walk from train station, 1min from post office. 6min walk to Convenience stores. Super markets are in next station. 6 min walk to ocean side onsen. Vegetable stands & fresh egg vending machines.
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 2-4hours a day, 5 days a week

Photos

Your host "Rob"

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the "real" master of the house, goofing around

Feedback left by and about host (36)

13/09/2019

Left by Workawayer (Ricardo) for host

😃 It was an amazing first experience!
Perfect if you’re looking for contact with nature and wildlife, peacefulness, simplicity and breathtaking sceneries.
🦅🐚🐝🍊🕷🌷🦋🌿🦀🌲🐿
Rob is very easygoing and his hints on what places to visit or things to do in the peninsula made my experience way much better.
Besides having the opportunity to go and see some… read more

(Excellent )

26/08/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Ricardo)

Ricardo was an excellent to guy to have at the house. Good with all kinds of work, loves to cook, communicates well with other guests and affiliates/staff. Most of all, his biggest skillset is to "enjoy" all most all activities.
If you like an enthusiatic handy-man, please contact Ricardo.... and also please ask about his famous "bananihnas" :… read more

(Excellent )

24/03/2019

Left by Workawayer (Linda) for host

I actually did not stay at Rob’s house that long. He said to me beforehand, that he visits a friend’s house in Yugawara with most of his guests and I ended up staying there the longest. So I have to split this in two.
1. The house
I stayed only three nights and it was an “other” experience indeed. All the people Rob knows are so interesting and… read more kind. Seki-san shared his beer with me and Goto-san, the prince of the mountain, invited us to an incredible dinner. These things don’t happen just anywhere. I believe they have to happen in this unique place that Rob has created. I helped packing boxes for two days, which I really enjoyed. I hope, my work was useful, even though my “german efficiency” might have been a bit full-on at times… :blush:
I had my own room, but I was staying in the common room most of the time, as it was the warmest room in the house. I liked that Rob showed me around the house first thing after arrival, the only thing he did not clarify was the food situation. Would we eat together? Should I buy my own provisions? I wish that would have been clearer from the start.

2. Yugawara house
High up on a steep road, this guesthouse might be exhausting to reach, but luckily, it has a great host. Masato-san picked us up from the station and did a introduction round first. Then he showed the house, explained the rules, explained the food-situation and showed us the rooms. That’s how its done! I was lucky to get my own, spacious room with tatami and a futon so comfy, it was hard to crawl out of it in the mornings. Masato-sans house is a somewhat cluttered place on first impression, but after a while it feels so very cosy. It has this certain homely-travel-easy feeling to it, with people going in and out all the time, so the overall vibe is very open and relaxed. The work was decent and Masato-san tried to make it different every day. Aside from general house-cleaning (yes, toilets also), we spent lots of time at his little organic-farming place, weeding toxic plants in the goats’ enclosure, fencing and planting. But we also got to do so many fun creative things like painting old doors for the Farmhouse, making cups out of fresh cut bamboo and painting fun signs for the vegetable patches. Masato-san took the “culture-exchange”-part of workaway very seriously! He always preparded awesome dinners on the workdays, showed us all the sights around Yugawara and took me to a fantastic dinner on my last night with a visit to the best bar I’ve been to in a long time. But that’s not all: He drove me down to my next destination, almost 2 hours away! I feel like all the work I’ve done did not compensate his incredible kindness. It was a great experience, I learned so many new words for my long journey that is called “learning Japanese language”.
I really can’t say a bad thing about my stay on Izu-Peninsula. The only odd thing was maybe communication sometimes. It was hard to sense what Rob wanted. He told me one thing one minute, than another 2 minutes later. I felt like I’ve done something wrong at times and he just couldn’t find the words to tell me. But I guess, that’s what you call culture experience. Its really only a very small thing considering all the wonders I’ve received in return.

(Excellent )

18/10/2018

Left by Workawayer (Julien) for host

Rob was my first host and such a great experience. He had a great program going and while I was there he had great success with introducing us to locals and integrating us to rural Japan. Izu Penninsula was beautiful and has so many cities and spots to visit. I long for those rich and simple times. You will not regret any moment spent here.

(Excellent )

27/07/2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Kevin)

I was delighted to have Kevin come and do a workaway at my project. He was polite and a big gentleman during cultural exchange expereinces held at this project, not only that but he also helped me in all aspects including utilizing his video editing/story writing/animating skills.

MAGICS DO HAPPEN with workaway experiences, in which this session… read more

(Excellent )

16/02/2018

Left by Workawayer (Kevin) for host

Staying at the House" was my first Workaway experience and my first visit to Japan. In short, it was an amazing experience and more than I could have hoped for. As someone who favors a laid-back atmosphere over the hectic pace of big cities, Izu Peninsula was the perfect entry point into Japan for me. I realized I much prefer "Inaka" (the… read more

(Excellent )

27/07/2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Robert)

Robbie was a delight to have in the project. While utilizing his skills in graphic design to communicate with the locals, he also used his whit and character to open up hearts and minds of the people in the area.

As a big part of my project objective being "cultural immersion", Robbie definitely contributed by giving ideas for things like… read more

(Excellent )

19/05/2018

Left by Workawayer (Robert) for host

I spent two weeks here, located in Okawa Izu which is less than a minute walk from Okawa Izu train station.

I was hosted by Rob, a very accomodating, polite and educated person. He is passionate about providing a unique travel experience to travellers to integrate with the daily activities of the locals. He initiates rewarding projects for… read more

(Excellent )

18/12/2017

Left by Workawayer (Lucie) for host

My stay with Rob here was just wonderful. I arranged it at a time where i was fed up with living in Tokyo and needed some fresh air and Izu Peninsula was exactly just that for me.
These 10 days went by so quickly and it was such a whirlwind of emotions and experiences that I'm just realizing everything that happened now, a few months later, as I… read more

(Excellent )

09/08/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Lucie)

Lucie was a delight to have in the project. Her extensive experience in travel and blogging portrays her with 2 distinct attributes.　One she is very sociable person, meaning that she will get along with locals in the area and makes the best effort to communicate very effectively, and she can also get along with other travelers exchanging travel… read more

(Excellent )

05/12/2017

Left by Workawayer (Shirley & Alex) for host

Rob is a easy going, friendly, fun, talented host that has great appreciation to the Japanese country-side life. It was great to stay with Rob and learn about Higashi Izu region. Rob has invested time & energy in a lovely project bringing together local and international community. I would highly recommend Workawayers to take part in this unique… read more

(Excellent )

14/11/2017

Left by Workawayer (Lisa) for host

Need to say what a lovely week I had in Izu! This workaway offers a very different perspective of Japan in that it is rural and countryside, but has much to offer between mountains and sea. Rob is incredibly insightful and helped me learn of the way of life and thinking here, whilst I helped him develop his project. The lifestyle may seem… read more

(Excellent )

13/11/2017

Left by Workawayer (Kensey) for host

Really late feedback should've posted this alot earlier. Sorry!

I had a great time at Rob's place and interacting and working together with people from around the world and the local Izu people. Being my first time doing a work away it was quite amazing.
It was a pleasure working with you and I hope to cherish the experiences we had… read more

(Excellent )

19/10/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Adam)

Adam was a big help to have at this project, with contributions ranging from regular house choirs, helping out with the local farmers, and just simply being company with some enthusiastic locals who just dragged him (and fellow workawayers) across town.
Though soft-spoken, his past experiences prove him to be capable with communicating with… read more

(Excellent )

19/10/2017

Left by Workawayer (Adam) for host

I had a great time staying with Rob for two weeks. He's taking on a really big goal, bringing up the tourism infrastructure around the Izu east coast, so if you have ideas of how to help him and skills you want to offer or develop he'll make every effort to find ways to integrate what you want with how he's developing relationships with local… read more

(Excellent )

23/08/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Precious & Branden )

Precious and Branden left many contributions to the house. They were here at a time when there were many guests and workaway volunteers at the same time, but they were able to keep the atmosphere cheerful, enjoyable and cheerful. I was delighted how they work together very well even when some of the requests I had were vague...
Precious is a… read more

(Excellent )

27/06/2017

Left by Workawayer (Precious & Branden ) for host

Rob is fantastic and you will instantly feel like a part of a team. What Rob has created here is truly something special. Nestled in between the ocean and mountains of the Izu peninsula, we were introduced to a part of Japan that most tourist miss out on. We strongly believe in Rob's project and wholeheartedly see the benefits of it. Without it,… read more

(Excellent )

22/08/2017

Left by Workawayer (Marc) for host

Workaway here was a great experience. You can help Rob and his project in different ways through webdesign, videos or informations. The house is clean and the rooms enable personnal space. I recommend this workaway.

(Excellent )

09/08/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Marc)

Marc was a just a delight to have with the program. He had his own philosophies and getting things done, which was great for a collaborative project like the one I am running. He helped out with cleaning, talking and making rapport with the local people, and we also had many occasions to cook together and talk about general things. Despite his age… read more

(Excellent )

21/08/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Ranah & Franki)

The duo was just simply, helpful, and to supplement with another word, fun-loving!

Although this workaway project is one hard to define, they have made tremendous amounts of contributions through many suggestions in the house. At times there were instances where the house was packed with volunteers and guests, they helped maintain the project… read more

(Excellent )

21/08/2017

Left by Workawayer (Ranah & Franki) for host

This was Franki and I's first work away and it was the perfect experience! Rob was very laid back, kind and made us feel right at home. The house work was easy to do and maintain. Rob was wonderful in that he included us in a couple of planned tours which made our experience even more amazing and often gave us tips for our own excursions if he… read more

(Excellent )

10/08/2017

Left by Workawayer (Yuehao) for host

This is a great and in-depth Japanese culture tour that I have ever had. During the days in this peaceful house in the Izu Peninsula, Rob hosted parties to mingle his guests with local Japanese, organised farming activities and took us to those less-famous-but-beautiful local travel sites. Other than observing as a traveller, I also had chance to… read more

(Excellent )

09/08/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Yuehao)

Yuehao is a very calm man with a broad perspective and full of forward looking enthusiasm and ambitions. It was really great to have Yuehao at the project, he helped out with some of the IT, and also helped me really define the concept of the project with his consultative listening skills (he's just a good listener). He does any kind of job and… read more

(Excellent )

09/08/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Joshua & Jennifer )

Jen and Joshua was just two of the fun loving enthusiasts I had ever seen. They make every small choirs and every task look like a fun game, if not to make an overstatement, the way they engage in "volunteer work" is definitely a style I recommend that everyone follow. I really appreciate the fact they did a massive overhaul with the backyard, and… read more

(Excellent )

09/08/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Amanda)

Amanda is a nature loving and a soft-spoken person but a kind of person who just "gets things done". She was one of the sensible workaway helpers I've had within the last 4 month period. She really just got stuff(small and big things) that just needed to be done. She was also a very approachable and like-able person, a lot of people in the town… read more

(Excellent )

09/08/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Matteo)

Matteo-san was an interesting guy keen on learning about the Japanese culture. Although he had some trouble understanding some of my requests ( probably due to my poor skills in articulating messages...), he really helped with engaging with the local people which is very IMPORTANT for my project. The local people just LOVED him!! His presence has… read more

(Excellent )

03/06/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Anneleen)

Leen was definitely a hardworker, but also the cool girl in the house. She just got things done, even the things unasked.. and what a beautiful work in the garden!

I'm glad that I had an oppotunity to work with a character like Leen, she really helped the project have a good vibe in the initial phase.

Thank you, and please come back anytime : )

(Excellent )

08/05/2017

Left by Workawayer (Anneleen) for host

This place gave us Japanese air to breath and wind of creativity under our wings. Laurens and I had the privilege to Workaway with Rob on his incredible project. Rob has an amazing open mind who understands how to bring people together in a free and open atmosphere. His project It is so unique I will try to promote his vision any way I can in work… read more

(Very good )

30/05/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Cristina)

it was absolutely a delight to have Christina and Gabi at the initial phase of theotherhouse. Their enthusiasm, twists of whit, and deep curiosity definitely, inspired those staying at the house and also the local people. I believe they set good examples of how positive exchanges should be done.

Not were they only good at understanding the vague… read more

(Excellent )

29/05/2017

Left by Workawayer (Cristina) for host

this is a place for creativity and discovering Japan which is not the Japan for tourists but the Japan of the local people.

For me and Gabriel t was the first workaway experience and it was truly beautiful. We got the chance to explore Izu peninsula, to interact with the local people and discover their passions, quirkiness and traditions. We… read more

(Excellent )

15/05/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Annamaria)

It was a delight having Anna to help out with the project. She made many contributions with website design, helped out with cleaning, and also great cooking from time to time. She has the ability to find points for improvement, and just acts! I think her contribution added a good flavor to this collaborative project.

She also has a tender… read more

(Excellent )

14/05/2017

Left by Workawayer (Annamaria) for host

Rob is one of the most genuine and open-minded people I’ve ever met. He shared so much with me and the other workawayers over the 10 days we were with him! He taught us a lot about the Japanese culture, he introduced us to his local community and he helped us discovering all the amazing places and activities “hidden” in the South of Japan! His… read more

(Excellent )

07/05/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Avril)

Avril worked on this workaway project from the very beginning. She helped me establish the website, make the logo, clean the house, do the laundry... vritually everything! I even think she did so much that she even took over the house....

Her contributions comes down to not only the beautiful designs & artwork that she does, but her motivation… read more

(Excellent )

06/05/2017

Left by Workawayer (Avril) for host

I'm basically the first workawayer Rob ever had ! More than a host, Rob is a friend. We worked together on the project from the beginning, and I'm very proud my design is use as the logo of the house. The house is great. The scenery is beautiful. Stuck between mountain and ocean, The location offer a variety of activities, events, services and… read more

(Excellent )

06/05/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Laurens)

Laurens and his girlfriend helped out a lot at our startup phase of this workaway. They were co-operative in keeping the house clean, as well as giving ideas to make the stay experience better for the both parties. They are sociable people, so they helped out tremendously when I hosted a mini party of 30 people, catering foods & drinks and having… read more

(Very good )

03/05/2017

Left by Workawayer (Laurens) for host

During my trip through Japan, my girlfriend and I stayed for two weeks at Rob’s House. The hospitality and the ambiance made us feel like being home. During our stay, I think both Rob and us experienced a very good exchange. Thanks to Rob's pro-active enthusiasm for Japanese culture, we were able to work closely with his project. In addition to… read more

(Excellent )

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