Enjoy a simple Japanese life with a small family in Sendai, Japan

Details

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  Description

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  - We are fully occupied in 2025.
  - We don't plan more than five months ahead, so please don't send requests for a future beyond that timeframe.
  - Normally we can host only one person at once. If a second person is a child or a person who don't need foods, we can consider exception.
  - Female is preferable as our daughter is more comfortable.
  ***
  
  Thank you for visiting this page. We are Japanese family consisted of myself, my wife and 2-year-old daughter living in a traditional Japanese house in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the northern Japan.
  I love international relationships, and since I was 26 years old, I traveled to 40 countries over the course of 1 year and 7 months. One of the most amazing experiences were working as a volunteer at a dairy farm in Turkey and a B&B in Denmark for one month each through Workaway.
  Now that I have a small daughter, it has become more difficult to travel abroad than before, but instead, I live in a relatively spacious house, so I would like to interact with various people from all over the world as a host this time.
  
  Honestly speaking, we don't need much help as we are just a small family. But I think it's really good for my daughter to stay with and to be loved by people who has a different background.
  That's the main reason why we do workaway as a host.
  In that regard, we can accept guests with one kid. We have hosted a family (couple and 2 years daughter), and it was really fun and great experience especially for our daughter.
  
  [Procedure from the first contact]
  - Please send a message
  - Chat on workaway to discuss dates, etc.
  - Zoom call & house tour to see if we're a good fit and give you a virtual tour of the place. Then, it will be fixed if you come here or not.
  
  - Invite to our chat on WhatsApp or LINE including my wife for further communication if any.
  - Station pick-up/drop-off at the nearest station by our car on your arrival and departure days.
  
  * The duration to stay here will be fixed for two weeks firstly. Then both you and us would feel and want to extend the period, we'd like to extend up to one month. It's difficult to originally set more than one month as we don't know if we are good fit before meeting each other.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Gardening

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You can live in a traditional Japanese house and spend time in nature or in the city.
  
  [House]
  My grandparents used to live in this house, so you can get a feel of Japanese culture.
  
  [Sendai city and around our house]
  Sendai is one of the largest cities in Japan. We live about 7 kilometers away from Sendai station. Here is a relatively calm place.
  There is a river flowing nearby, and you can try to go to the mountains by bicycle, though it's a bit far. The sea is 30 mins far by car. You can come into contact with a lot of nature like that, and you can go to an urban place. It takes only 15 mins to the center of Sendai city from the nearest station where 1.5 km away from our house, so you can go out to play in the city or sightsee around Sendai city.
  
  [With us]
  Aside from your tasks such as childcare, you might have the following experiences.
  - Conversation with a host (myself) who has traveled around the world
  - Yoga lesson by my wife who is a professional yoga instructor.
  - I'm a professional life-coach. I'd like to be able to provide coaching sessions in English. So I might ask you to have it as a kind of practice. Of course you can decline it if you don't want.
  - I'm a semi-professional photographer. Maybe I can take a photo of you nicely.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  I would like to ask you to do mainly two things as below (① and ②).
  
  ①Looking after kids
  ②Household chores
  ③Spending time with our local friends
  ④Anything you like / you are good at.
  
  
  ①Looking after kids
  Please play with our daughter and our local friends' kids such as reading books, physical activities during the yoga lessons by my wife.
  Rather than teaching my daughter to study so hard, I want her to grow up out of curiosity. I also believe that interacting with a variety of adults has a positive effect on a child's growth, so I just want you to have fun playing with our daughter. At that time, please talk to her a lot in English.
  
  
  ②Household chores
  For household chores that are naturally part of daily life—such as cooking, dishwashing, toilet cleaning, and bath cleaning—, we will count only the portion that the volunteer has done on behalf of the host as working hours. I think it's fair.
  
  Calculation Method for Shared Household Duties:
  For example, if dishwashing takes 60 minutes, the time spent excepting yourself (3/4 of the total time) is counted as work time.
  → 60 minutes × 3/4 = 45 minutes is considered work time.
  
  
  ③Spending time with our local friends
  Our local friends are also pretty much interested in international communication, but they don't have opportunities.
  If you are fine, please have a good time with them. We don't insist anything. We always ask your confirmation. And you can choose if you like or not. Don't worry.
  
  
  ④Anything you like / you are good at
  It is nice that you share your unique experience, knowledge with us.
  For example, cooking, drawing something nice on the wall, making wooden tools etc.
  If any, please just let me know!

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Japanese: Fluent

  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

  [Location]
  Our house is located 1.5 kilometers from Tomizawa Station in Sendai City.
  It takes minimum 1.5 hours to get from Tokyo to Sendai Station by Shinkansen, and from Sendai Station to Tomizawa Station it takes about 15 minutes by subway. We rent out our bicycle to you, so you can use them freely.
  
  [Room to stay]
  The room you will be using is a private tatami room/Japanese traditional room. You can sleep on a single size futon, foldable bed. For your private sake, we installed a lock on the door. It includes an air conditioner. So, you can stay there comfortably in any seasons.
  We can provide up to two futon. The size of the room is as big as three or four single bed.
  
  [Meals]
  We provide 3 meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner regardless weekdays and holidays.
  - Breakfast will be arranged by yourself: e.g. Bread, serials, banana, egg etc.
  - Lunch will be cooked alternatively by you and us. We'd like to eat dinner together at least once in two days.
  - Dinner will basically be cooked by us.
  - Please wash all the used dishes and tools.
  We usually eat Japanese food or Western food such as pasta, but we're also interested in new things, so we're looking forward to having you cook something from your country though it's not mandatory.
  
  [Alcohol]
  It is not included. You can arrange and keep yours in fridge by yourself or you can buy it from us as someone doesn't drink alcohols, so not providing it for free would be fairer I think.
  e.g.
  * A can of beer: 300 Yen
  * A can of Chuhai: 200 Yen
  
  [Facilities]
  - Unlimited high-speed Wi-Fi
  - The toilet having a washlet
  - Relatively large kitchen
  - The washing machine with the dryer function. You don't have to take time to dry your laundry. You can privately use it once in 2 or 3 days.
  - A bicycle
  
  [Rules]
  - We value our daughter above all else. Depending on our daughter's growth, she may cry a lot, play pranks, or be shy, but I would be happy if you could treat her with the utmost respect.
  - No smoking inside the house. If you want to smoke, please go outside and smoke.
  - When we hangout with you on your day-off, you will bear any costs that are needed for your self. Imagine if you go out alone, you have to pay all the expenses yourself. e.g. Lunch, Hot spring fee etc.
  
  [Special events]
  - If you and we have time on holidays, we may go to the sea, mountains, parks etc. together if you like. At that time, we may invite our local friends.

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  What else ...

  [Outside the house]
  - Short trips to Matsushima, Okama, Ishinomaki and more.
  - Stroll around Sendai city
  - Enjoy Sendai's gourmet foods such as Sushi, Ramen, beef tongue.
  - Hiking
  - Swimming pool within walking distance (590 yen/2 hours)
  
  [inside the house]
  - Try calligraphy
  - Play with our daughter
  - Muscle training (I have an adjustable bench and two adjustable dumbbells from 5kg up to 40 kg each)
  - Nintendo Switch

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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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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  One

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