Profile information
Host rating
Not yet rated
Feedback
-
Email verified
Badges (1)
Details
Description
We are potters, land stewards, and builders. We moved to this mountain village six years ago and have been slowly restoring a 300-year-old Japanese house and building our studios by hand, while caring for the surrounding forest, garden, and community. We enjoy hosting people who are kind, grounded, curious, and content in their own rhythm.
This is not a tourist or retreat setting—it’s a place for people who enjoy simple living in a natural environment.
I am from Japan (originally near Himeji), long term tea ceremony practitioner, and instructor for Ikebana, and Yoga & meditation. Mu husband is from the U.S. and a classically trained artist. He teaches pottery with a deep interest in Japanese aesthetics, and makes things with land-based philosophy.
We both love sharing ideas, traditions, and reflections. At the same time, we like to move at a careful pace. While we enjoy cultural exchange, we also value quiet evenings and rest. If a moment arises naturally, we’re always glad to share stories, ideas, or experiences around the table.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
General Maintenance
Interests
Sustainability
Self development
Culture
Plant care
Photography
Languages
History
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Cooking & food
Carpentry
Art & design
Nature
Mountain
Hiking
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We live in a quiet area and are not event-based hosts. We live a handmade life—restoring our house ourselves, building our studios, and making things from scratch, mostly with Japanese tradition or aesthetics. If you're observant and engaged, you’ll experience a deep kind of cultural exchange through shared meals, local routines, and conversation with local volunteers. This is a window into rural Japanese life and seasonal rhythms.
Our backyard opens into forest trails, crystal clear rivers to jump in, and beautiful waterfalls are in walking distance. A local onsen is just a five-minute walk, and there's a friendly brewery taproom two minutes from our home. We have a wonderful extended community of neighbors and friends who may stop by to join the work or say hello. If you show up with good energy and initiative, you’ll find yourself welcomed.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Every summer from late June through early October, our mountain land grows wild and fast. We need help cutting back the overgrowth and maintaining trails and edges. This is some of the hardest, most honest work of the year—and also some of the most rewarding.
We are seeking 1–2 energetic, kind, and physically strong people to join us for short-term volunteer stays. In exchange for your help, we offer good food, meaningful days, and a quiet home in the mountains of Nara, Japan.
The main task is weed cutting and land clearing. This is outdoor work—sometimes muddy, hot, or buggy—but satisfying if you enjoy using your body and working with care.
Morning hours are for work (usually 6:00–11:00, with short water brakes), when it’s cooler
After lunch, you are free to rest, explore, or simply enjoy the surroundings
We cook with extra care, and we ask the volunteers help clean the kitchen after meals
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Japanese: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
I used to teach Japanese language and culture at a college in the US. Language and culture study is part of our life. When we have time, we can share our cultural study projects. It would be great if we have a chance learning new culture in person.
Accommodation
You’ll stay in a private room in our traditional house, with a bed, tatami floor, and peaceful mountain air.
We provide:
A private room with bed or futon on tatami mat.
All meals (self-serve breakfast; lunch and dinner cooked by us).
Wi-Fi throughout the house and the gardens.
Shared bathrooms and access to a nearby onsen (5-minute walk).
The house is rustic but clean and well-cared-for. We take pride in our meals and our shared spaces.
What else ...
You enjoy working outdoors. You don’t mind getting dirty. You’re strong, cheerful, and self-directed. You can handle early mornings and you understand what it means to give your full presence to physical tasks.
This is a good fit for:
Nature lovers,
Trail workers,
Gardeners,
Builders and landscape-minded artists,
People who find joy in effort,
Guests who are independent, observant, and don’t need constant interaction.
This kind of help is essential to our life here. It supports not just our land, but our spirit. We cook with extra care for volunteers. We share our time and place with joy, even if only in short moments.
If you are someone who thrives in honest labor, enjoys your own company, and brings curiosity and calm with you, we are already thankful for your presence.
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.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Photos
