Let's cook together and teach me how to cook in Matsumoto, Japan

Details

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  Description

  We lives in a regional city at an altitude of 500 meters. It's a great place for mountain lovers. Our house is 2 kilometers east of Matsumoto Station, about a 30-minute walk and
  is a convenient place to live.
  There is a beautiful park, and a clear river nearby. Old shrines and farmland are also nearby.
  
  I'm Michiko, a part-time office worker. I have a husband and two elementary school-aged children.
  My working hours are flexible and not long, but I have to go to the office most weekdays.
  This September, we started volunteering to look after guide dog candidates for a year. He's so young it's better if he spends less time alone. Toilet training is also necessary. This is our first time raising a dog. Can anyone who loves dogs help us?
  Caution! We can't use any treat or toys to train by the rule of the guide dog association.
  
  And I hope you have a fun with my kids.I want them to be interested in foreign languages, now English, to communicate with people all over the world.
  Children around 10 years old are welcome if they can't speak English.
  
  After having a few guests, I realized that cooking is hard work for me. So It's very important that you are someone who is willing to cook.
  
  Please let me make a copy of your passport at the beginning of your stay.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Teaching

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  House and pet sitting
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  Interests

  

  Sustainability

  

  Self development

  

  Politics / Social justice

  

  Pets

  

  Movies & TV

  

  LGBTQ

  

  Performing arts

  

  Languages

  

  History

  

  Gardening

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Books

  

  Art & design

  

  Animals

  

  Hiking

  

  Yoga / Wellness
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  I can teach Japanese if you hope. I have a Japanese language textbook in English.
  
  My husband have various work experiences. Manga artists, animators, game creators, furniture stores, takoyaki shops, inventory services, prosthetists, etc. He likes vehicles such as motorbikes, cars, bicycles, fighter jets and tanks. Of course, he loves peace.
  He loves martial arts and grew up watching Japanese professional wrestling and kung fu movies. He practices karate himself with his son.
  If you're interested in his field, you'll enjoy it beyond the language barrier. He is not good at English but a very hospitable and fun person.
  
  I was a backpacker when I was young, traveling to 20 countries in Asia and Europe by sea and overland. Now I want to help travelers.
  I started studying this year to get a Japanese language teaching qualification. I am taking correspondence courses of a Japanese language school in Australia, so I can teach Japanese in English. If you prefer, I can teach you using the direct teaching method.
  I have a sewing machine and sometimes sew clothes for my daughter and myself. I have learned Japanese sewing and am interested in needlework from around the world. If you like it, why not sew something together?
  
  I'm really interested in the food situation around the world. When I look at imported foods, I wonder why the presence and types of artificial ingredients vary so much from country to country. Food in France and India has very few additives. Germany and Italy use too much glucose syrup. Food in the United States is too brightly colored. East Asia is full of additives, including umami seasonings.
  Please tell us about your country's food issues.

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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

  The most helpful thing you can do for me is cook dinner for us, because cooking everyday is a bit burden for me.
  The second most important thing is to get along well with the kids.
  Always try to communicate even if we don't speak the same language.
  
  Other things I'd appreciate if you could do for us are:
  /Baking
  /Brewing coffee
  /Teaching English to children(12-year-old boy&9-year-old girl) and their father(56-year-old male)
  /Playing board games together
  /Playing sports such as catch, badminton, and table tennis
  /Jogging or walking together
  /Watching movies together
  /Caring for a Labrador retriever puppy
  /Helping with cleaning, gardening and DIY project
  ;We're thinking of making a large book shelf.
  /Talking about you
  /Discussing a variety of topics
  /Singing or playing an instrument
  /Drawing, sewing, crafting and yoga
  /Taking photos(because we're really bad at it.)
  /To be a practice partner for teaching Japanese.
  
  People on working holidays are also welcome. We will reduce the amount of housework when you work outside.

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  Languages spoken

  Japanese: Fluent
  English: Intermediate
  Chinese (Mandarin): Beginner

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  Accommodation

  Winter precautions： Our solar water heater can only produce hot water for the bath once every two days. If you want to take a bath every day, you have to go buy kerosene. A 15-minute shower costs the same as one bath. Our house is not heated much, so it may be a little cold.
  -----
  room
  There is one Japanese-style room available on the first floor.Approximately 16 m2. It is a standard Japanese guest room with a Japanese-style veranda (en-gawa).
  The room has two futons, a hammock, a low table, an armchair, and an electric kettle.
  There's also a vacuum cleaner, so please clean the room by yourself.
  The toilet, bath, kitchen, and washing machine are shared with my family.
  Two mountain bikes are available.
  
  meals
  We make only breakfast and dinner, breakfast is at 7am and dinner is at 7pm.
  We don't usually eat lunch at home, but at school or office. You need cook your own lunch. You can use our ingredients. Or you can buy from the supermarket or eat at a restaurant. In that case, you will have to pay for it yourself.
  We try to reduce waste as much as possible. If you produce a lot of plastic waste especially petbottle, please separate it yourself and take it to a collection point.
  Our meals aren't so massive.
  We want to enjoy meals together, so we cannot accommodate your dietary restrictions. If you have, please cook for us everyday so we can enjoy same dishes.
  My husband never eat fish other than sasimi, and my son hates mushroom. So we rarely eat them. Are you a picky eater? Please tell me your favorite and least favorite in advance.
  
  Time Schedule
  We wake up at 6 everyday.
  Kids go to bed at 8 and have reading time for 30minutes.We're reading Darren Shan right now.
  Parents go to bed from 11 to 12.
  Children are in school from 8 to 3or4.
  After school, they have activities such as swiming, art class and learning support.
  
  Our rules
  Child restrictions: TV, internet, snack time, video games
  Paying attention to food safety. Avoiding food additives, genetically modified foods, and post-harvest or pre-harvest-pesticides foods.
  We buy pesticide-free rice directly from farmers, and try to buy groceries through the consumer cooperative whenever possible.
  Not looking for excessively cheap products. Trying to buy at a price that allows production to be viable.
  We avoid synthetic detergents and fragrances.

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  What else ...

  Matsumoto has good access to many famous mountains. So if you want to try, please come in warm season.
  
  Matsumoto City is a city where Japanese drumming is popular. If you wish, you can join practice on Saturdays.
  
  The city library also has English books, so why not look for something to read during your stay?
  
  The median annual household income across Japan is 4.05 million yen. It's about $27,000 or €23,000. Ours is about the same. One kilogram of rice costs roughly the same as my hourly wage.
  Therefore, we cannot generally provide financial assistance for transportation costs, ticket fees, dining out, etc.

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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

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  The parking space is 3 metres wide and 5 metres deep.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

  

  His name cannot be published online. (4 months)

  For one year, starting in September 2025, we are raising puppies to become guide dogs. He easily get diarrhea when he feel lonely. So I can't go out for hours leaving him alone.

  

  ニワトリ

  We have 3chickens. Their job is to eat grass and insects in the garden, eat scraps, and lay eggs. They're not pets, so they don't have names. Maybe one day we'll eat them, or maybe not.

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