Join our small family on an island in Fukuoka, Japan

Details

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  Description

  We're a small family on a small island in Fukuoka, Japan only 10min from the mainland by ferry. Join me in Japanese music (taiko and shinobue) or Tea class, go to the pottery kiln, relax on the beach and enjoy the slow life of the countryside with us.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Teaching

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Culture

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Art & design

  

  Music
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Wed 7pm~ Taiko at public hall (I play shinobue, Kyli plays drums. You can watch and probably try the drums if it’s not before an event.)
  
  Fri 9~11am Tea at public hall Nanbouryuu Sado class held in tea room. It’s usually just me and the teacher, with occasional visiting students from off the island. Advance notice needed, sweets charge ¥1000
  
  Sun 9am~2pm Pottery Kiln on the island. This is a co-op kiln where once a year we use a wood burning kiln. It is mostly elderly people so depending on the season there may be things to help like stacking the wood to dry. ¥1000 per person
  
  On weekends we often have events and festivals to go to, and would love it if you join us. If you are studying Japanese, I can help you with that, too.

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  Help

  *There is no availability on months shown in red. I am only looking for November and December stays as of now.
  
  I am hoping for a cousin in town staying over kind of vibe, so I would like to be more like a housemate than a host. I'm a single mother and always busy cramming way too much in my schedule, so I hope to share my hobbies in between my hectic life. If you can help things run smoothly and take care of yourself, that would be great. I would like to share chores so please participate in our chore wheel, which would be about 3 chores that take 3-5 min each such as sweeping, watering plants, etc. Yes, it's a ploy to get my daughter to do her part. Also, please pick up after yourself and wash your own dishes after eating like she is supposed to. Kyli is 10, speaks English fluently and is very independent, so there is no teaching or babysitting required, but she will love playing with you, doing crafts or teaching you about our island and Japan. Please keep in mind she is rather hyperactive and starting puberty so there is occasional violin practice/yelling/crying, or homework and cleaning fights. She tends to be more comfortable with chatty energetic people but gets a little too bossy so you will need to have the skill to tell her “no” on occasion.
  
  My house is old so there is always work to do. I am in the process of gradually making my house warmer/nicer/cuter, so if you can help with any DIY/art projects, like painting, making shelves, and gardening, that would be great. Recently the exterior and roof of the house is deteriorating badly so anybody with roof or exterior skills would be extra welcome. It would be nice if you can make one spot in my house nicer during your stay. I may not have time to help you with it so you would need to be creative with whatever wood and paint I have or tell me which tools or parts to buy.
  
  My ideal workawayer would play an instrument. Please let me know in your message if you do. I would love to jam with you on my shinobue (Japanese bamboo flute). Also, if you can share your skills in video editing or music making, that would be very interesting to me. I am working towards my goal of becoming a traveling flutist and am looking for any opportunity to practice with other musicians. Right now, I am trying to make short videos of playing music with different people, preferably at the beach during sunset time.
  
  As an aspiring Japanese bamboo flutist, I love talking about Japanese culture and am taking classes in kimono and tea. As a mixed person who grew up bilingual/bicultural mostly in Japan, I am also happy to share my skills and experiences with you.
  I taught English for over 15 years, taught Japanese in Mexico for a year, and lived in Canada and Mexico. I speak some Spanish, so I love talking about language comparatively, too, and can help you with your Japanese or English. Kyli and I speak English at home but can try switching to Japanese for you if you want.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Japanese: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate

  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.
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  Accommodation

  The area is beautiful, but the accommodations are very basic and some things may be inconvenient. Please be sure you are going to be comfortable before you come. I am currently looking for stays of 2-4 weeks but can be flexible.
  
  The Island
  Noko Island is a 10min ferry ride away from Meinohama port in Fukuoka. With a population of about 500 and 12km around, there are no supermarkets, convenience stores, or even traffic lights. There are ferries hourly (sometimes more) from 5am-11pm, so many people on the island work off the island, and many kids from off the island come to the elementary/junior high school on Noko. The flower park and beach are tourist spots people visit for day trips. It is a beautiful quiet place to live with easy access to the city, but planning is required for shopping. I only leave the island 2 times a week and can only buy what I can carry on my bicycle, so essentials should be purchased ahead of time, also in case the ferry stops because of bad weather.
  
  The House/ Room
  My house is very small and old but not in the cool traditional way, more in the shabby 70's way. You can have access to the first floor, which is the kitchen, bathroom, toilet, and the 12 tatami mat room. This is essentially the living room but I have the left side for guests and can hang a curtain down the middle, and the right side is only used during the daytime sometimes. You can close the sliding doors to the entire area during the evening. There is a futon, desk, and an old TV with HDMI cable you can connect your devices to. I will try to have a bicycle available for you. The house is 1.2 km from the port, about a 15min walk or 5min bike ride. It is also a 2 min walk from the western beach of the island, where the sunset is beautiful but almost no one goes to. Weather permitting, I try to go as often as possible to play my flute and watch the sunset.
  
  Food
  In my house, my daughter eats rice or bread with natto or egg and goes to school, and I often don't eat breakfast. She is a pescatarian, so she doesn't eat meat but eats seafood, eggs and dairy. I eat meat. During the day she has a very well-balanced school lunch, and I eat like a university student visiting home for the holidays (leftovers, junky noodles) so unless I am doing something with you for the whole day (DIY?), I'd like you to cook for yourself. Rice, coffee, and pantry staples are available, but you will need to buy any meat, bread, or specific ingredients. Please indicate you're ok with this in your message and let me know if you have any allergies.
  
  We would love to cook and eat dinner with you but I am worried about budget, allergies and preferences, and carrying the food on my bicycle. So far I have gone shopping either with the workawayer or on my own once a week and split the bill. I will make dinner on Mondays and Fridays. If you choose two Japanese dishes, we can cook them together. Wednesdays, we eat "downtown" where there are 3 restaurants near the port. Tuesdays and Thursdays, I come home from work off the island around dinner time, so I can't cook. If you want to cook for us on these days, that would be great, but it would be at your cost for any additional ingredients not in the house. Alternatively, you could choose these days to explore the city and eat out. I like cooking, so if you can't it's ok, but you're in charge of washing dishes. Weekends depend on if we have events scheduled, so I don't want to promise anything. If we don't have plans we like having sweet brunches on the weekend.
  
  Please be prepared to spend some money on food as I cannot pay for you when we eat out, and we tend to buy stuff on the go (sandwitch, obento etc) when we get busy.

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  What else ...

  -We have a cat
  -We don't have AC.
  -I smoke but not downstairs where you stay.
  -sometimes small critters like frogs, crickets, crabs, and a neighbor bully cat come into our house. re: insects, there are occasional (5-10 a year usually in summer) centipedes or cockroaches and you can kill them, but the big spiders (they don't bite) are believed to protect the house so please don't kill them. Bees and mosquitos can also be a nuisance, so we use Japanese mosquito-repellent incense coils in summertime. My house isn't gross, but the outdoors does come indoors.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  I work online and have flexible hours. I use my pocket wifi for everything so I take it when I go out to work, but you can use it when I'm home. It is very quiet and a great place for digital nomads.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  One

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