Help maintain and create gardens on the bank of Omura Bay, Japan

Japan

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7
Last activity
15/01/2021
Reply rate
100.0 %
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Availability

2021

Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks

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Description
This place was designed on the bank of Omura Bay by an architect in 2001 as his last residence. This is the home where the architect who designed Japan's first skyscraper has re-examined the relationship between nature and building. It was built on a small cape called “Nagi nose” and was built by a traditional method using almost exclusively Kyushu wood. The view is wonderful overlooking Omura Bay. The purpose of our project is to care for this historic house, to renovate the garden and to create a new kitchen garden

The owner of the project, Jonathan, lives in England and he visits occasionally. The manager, Todd, is American. Todd's wife and 7-year-old child also live in the house.

Tyler handles the messaging so you will receive communication from him as well. Volunteers will live together themselves and cook for themselves. Food is provided which is orientated towards what is commonly sold and available in Japan.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
General Maintenance
Help with Eco Projects
Help around the house
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Volunteers will have the privilege of maintaining this historic house and improving the landscape in keeping with Japanese landscape tradition. Various events and tours will also allow volunteers to experience this special house in a completely unique way. Every month there is a special event at the house celebrating various aspects of Japanese culture, for instance a miso making day and a talk from a thatched roof expert who has worked on the actual roof of the house. You will also be immersed in a typical Japanese village allowing for very real cultural exchange with local Japanese people. We are also very close to the Nagasaki Peace Park. Nagasaki also features a reconstruction of the Dutch trading post, the first ever European trading post in Japan. Huis Ten Bosch, a celebrated reconstruction of a Dutch town which many Japanese visit as an alternative to travelling to Europe.
Help
The overall plan is to not only care but to renovate the garden and create a kitchen garden. Help is required in preparing, creating and maintaining all these areas. Help is outdoors in all weather, even when it rains and can be physically demanding. Help involves things such as cutting bamboo down, building pathways, carrying logs, building rock walls, digging, cutting up trees, pruning, weeding, planting, using heavy duty strimmers and whatever else needs doing. On average we have around four volunteers here at a time.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Japanese: Fluent
Accommodation
Volunteers will live in a traditional, wooden Japanese house in the nearby village. All modern amenities are provided, shower, washing machine, cooker, bread maker, rice cooker, microwave/oven, internet etc. You will usually be required to share a room with other volunteers. The owner of the project lives in England and visits often and the manager also lives in the house. Food is provided for 3 meals a day and all diets can be catered for.
What else ...
This place sits directly on majestic Omura Bay, essentially an inland sea perfect for swimming and dolphin sightings.
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?
More than two
Hours expected
We work from 8am - 1pm (with a one hour break for breakfast from 9-10) Monday to Friday and the rest of the time is yours. When volunteers work a weekend day at the kids language events a day off during the week will given.

Photos

In front of the volunteer house.

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The volunteer House

The celebrated architect's house volunteers will help to maintain.

One of the regular meet-ups ranged at the house for members of the society.

Overlooking Omura Bay.

Feedback left by and about host (7)

These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.

Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)

Cultural exchange:
(5.0)

Communication:
(5.0)

04/11/2020

Left by Workawayer (Roxas) for host

I stayed in omura bay for one month instead of 2 weeks in august, and it was a really good experience !
The place is beautiful, a little village lost near the bay, with lot of forest and hills. You can bike for 10 min to go swim or hike around (but careful, you have to climb a little!). There are some bus a few times per day to go to the near… read more cities, but probably someone from the village can also take you there. The villagers are very welcoming and eager to help you, you can really feel the countryside hospitality ! Most of them are old people who would gladly share a drink with you ; it can be good to know a little japanese to communicate with them !

The hosts (Todd, Kaori and Hana) are especially nice ! In some workaways, hosts treat you as a free worker instead of a volunteer and you feel like the exchange is not being fair or interesting to you ; it is really not the case here ! Todd and Kaori will always pay special attention to your well-being, ask for your favorite food so they can bring it to you and generally speaking buy good food and be considerate of vegetarians (lot of veggies, vegan milk,..), take care of you if you are hurt (like the time i got bitten by a mukade, ouch!!), talk with you about a lot of different subjects, offer you japanese lesson, bring you with them when they go somewhere,... They are really good people and it was really nice to feel respected and considered. Their little girl is really funny and intelligent, it's a pleasure to play with her. She also understands when you dont want to play, so the people who are not good with children shouldnt feel afraid to come !

Thanks to that, the work is also interesting. It's mainly work in the fields, so weeding, planting, bamboo construction, etc. But there are also projects you can discuss with Todd and Kaori who will listen to your ideas (renovating a boat, cleaning a mountain road, constructing a new field, taking care of the old house they want to convert in a guesthouse,...), so it's easy to take initiatives. Because of that though it is important to be independent, Todd and Kaori are new to farm work so they can need some advice. You can also choose your own schedule with the other volunteers ; i personally liked working from 7am to 9/10am in the morning, and then 1 or 2 hours more in the evening to avoid the heat.

The accommodation is nice, a big traditional house you share with the family. In the summer though it can get quite hot and there is no air conditioner, I couldnt move at all during the afternoon haha. But when I left the hosts talked about getting one so maybe it will change !

All in all great place with respectful hosts, if you are autonomous and like the real countryside it is for you !

(Excellent )

06/10/2020

Left by Workawayer (Paul) for host

This was my Coronavirus hideaway and I stayed for five months. The most amazing five months, the place just rhymes.
It has been a great privilege to share a house with the host family, Todd, Kaori and Hannah and to blend in with their real lives! They are amazing engaging people and have made the whole experience so much fun.The accommodation is… read more

(Excellent )

07/08/2020

Left by host for Workawayer (lisa)

This may sound corny. sorry if it does. But Lisa a really nice person. She not only does the work that we gave to her well, she is really good with our household, other volunteers, and the local community. She is interested in Japanese culture and makes friends easily. She really brought something special to our workaway site, and we would have… read more

(Excellent )

31/07/2020

Left by host for Workawayer (Ellis)

This is not hyperbole. There is likely lots of superlatives in reviews. But Ellis was truly an excellent volunteer. He stayed with us for three months because of Corona. So I can safely say I know what kind of workaway volunteer he is. He was very helpful with our work in building a fence and getting the garden set up. He works really well with… read more

(Excellent )

29/06/2020

Left by Workawayer (Ellis) for host

This place is amazing. I spent just over three months here (extending my stay on more than one occasion pretty much the day before leaving, as it was too much an ideal gig to part with), and loved every single day of it. I couldn't have dreamt up a better place to spend the 2020 Covid-19 crisis - life here is simply as good and idyllic as it… read more gets.

I arrived during the very early days of the project and was lucky enough to see it grow organically pretty much from scratch, and what a fun ride it's been.

The host family is fantastic, I felt part of the family and in a true home from the very first moment. Todd, the manager of the project, is a fun and fascinating guy. Always up for great conversations out on the veranda, he's super knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Japanese and Asian culture in general, and offered us very entertaining daily after-lunch Japanese lessons. Kaori is just the sweetest, funniest and most caring host one could hope for, always making sure we had everything we could need (including an ongoing flow of sugoku oishii Japanese recipe sample dishes) and ready to go out of her way to help; a true pleasure to get to know and spend time with. And then there's Hannah chan, the kawaii seven-year-old daughter that brightens up the house constantly, running around with her cheekiness and cheerfulness. I am incredibly grateful for everything this great family has done for me, they truly make this workaway unique and have been a massive part of my trip to Japan.

The work was very pleasurable and varied. It included cutting bamboo and building raised beds and fences with it, an occasional bit of digging, preparing organic soil for the beds, some simple gardening and clearing around the house premises, and planting and caring for veggies and rice. The environment where all this takes place is absolutely stunning. Most of the work is focussed around the place, a traditional Japanese-style house set within a breathtaking natural landscape. We'd work for four to five hours a day, with a very pleasant coffee-break, more often than not in the company of the local species of tiny whale - the sunameri. I was also lucky enough to coincide with a great stream of volunteers that made the work great fun and a big learning opportunity, and made the house in general feel like one big family. The place is also the monthly gathering place for a Japanese tradition and culture club, which was hands down one of the most culturally engaging and authentic experiences I've had in the country.

The project is located in a remote area of Nagasaki prefecture, on the coast of Omura bay. The place is peaceful and beautiful beyond words, and full of wildlife. Whether you while away your afternoons eating icecreams and sipping coffee by the shore, or explore the area and all its hidden gems (and trust me, it's full of them) on a bike or on the rowboat, you'll surely be in a constant state of awe. The house is also lovely. Traditional Japanese architecture with a beautiful and colourful garden, ample and well-lit rooms (mostly private, depending on the number of workawayers at a time), and has incredible views onto the bay. It's also part of a very friendly community of neighbours who'll always greet you with a smile and often with a bouquet of freshly harvested broccoli, or some good old tomato juice.

So, all in all and as I said to begin with: life here is really as idyllic as it gets.

Thank you so so much for everything, I miss you all very much!

(Excellent )

31/07/2020

Left by host for Workawayer (Emiko)

Emiko is basically the perfect workaway volunteer. She's interesting, smart, engaged, cares about the work we are doing, brings knowledge and skills, and is good with the household and local community. I hope she comes back soon. we miss her already. lol. seriously.

(Excellent )

04/06/2020

Left by Workawayer (Laia) for host

What a blast I had! This is probably the most beautiful, quiet and jaw dropping place I've been to in Japan. But a part from the amazing location my 2 months experience has been really fulfilling and rewarding.

The workaway is pretty fresh, it started running for only a couple of months prior to my arrival. The house is shared with the family and… read more

(Excellent )

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Host ref number: 387891188992

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