Stay with a board game designer's family in Mt. Yotei, Japan

Details

• 

  Description

  ABOUT US
  
  Hi! We're a creative family living at the foot of the iconic Mount Yotei in Hokkaido. I'm a board game designer and creator of the board game YOTEI, a locally crafted board game made with Hokkaido wood. We would love to our passion for board games, nature, and Japanese countryside life with you.
  
  We're a family of four: me, my wife, and our two young boys, age 6 and 3. We also share our home with an orange, but chill cat!
  
  We love the relaxed pace of life in Kyogoku, and would love to share it with you. Life in this town involves spending your days surrounded by nature, play board games with local friends, explore Yotei region on a Honda Cub, take it slow in the nearby onsen, and ending the day with a view of Mount Yotei from your window.

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house
• 

  Interests

  

  Events & social

  

  Movies & TV

  

  Gardening

  

  Hiking

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Mountain

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Plant care

  

  Photography

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Books

  

  Art & design

  

  Nature
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  OUR PROJECT
  
  Our goal is to bring joy to our community through board games. Recently, we started a first local board game club to welcome people around this region to the hobby. We hope you can bring to the community unique perspectives and share the fun!
  
  CULTURE EXCHANGE
  We've lived in Japan for nearly a decade, started as a trip, but we eventually settled to built a family. We'd love to share our journey, the joys and also the challenges of creating a life in the "wild North" Japan. We're also excited to hear your story and learn from your unique set of skills.
  
  SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE WE CAN SHARE
  - Board game design and development
  - Graphic design using Adobe software
  - Running a small creative business
  - Laser wood cutting and prototyping
  - Life as foreigners in rural Hokkaido
  - South East Asian and Japanese recipes
  - Riding a Honda Cub
  - Building a community through games and local events
  * We're also long-time kendo practitioners. If you have experience, you're welcome to join our local adult training sessions.
  
  WHAT WE HOPE TO LEARN
  Every guest brings a different perspective, that's why we enjoy hosting. We'd love to learn about the games you grew up playing, the board games that are popular in your country, and hear about your hobbies, culture, and everyday life. Be it a favorite recipe, a professional skill, or simply a story during your travel, we welcome you to come share, like a part of our family. We believe that would be the ideal environment we want our kids to experience growing up.

• 

  Projects involving children

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

• 

  Help

  THE HELP WE NEED
  
  I'm beginning a new board game project, so there will be times when I'm working from home and other times traveling to nearby towns for meetings / events.
  
  Our family needs help with daily life during the weekdays, including:
  - Preparing meals and helping manage the family kitchen and pantry
  - Groceries shopping
  - Light household chores
  - Gardening
  - Helping with our kids before kindergarten and after they return home
  
  If you're interested, there are also opportunities to get involved in our creative projects, such as:
  
  - Operating machines used to make our board games
  - DYI projects
  - Teaching our kids English
  - Playtesting and giving feedback on new board game ideas
  
  Weekdays, the busiest times are generally in the morning before everyone leaves the house and in the late afternoon before everyone comes home. During quieter hours, you're welcome to work on your own projects. We have a small office with a comfortable workspace and supplies that we're happy to share.
  If you're curious about board game design and production, you're also welcome to join me and learn how a board game goes from an idea to a finished product.
  Weekends are usually free for you to explore Hokkaido. Occasionally, depending on the timing of your stay, we may ask for a little help on a weekend, but we'll always discuss this with you in advance.
  
  Since we've recently moved into our new home, we're also working on various DIY projects. Experience with woodworking, repairs, or other DIY skills would be greatly appreciated.

• 

  Languages

  Languages spoken
  Vietnamese: Fluent
  English: Intermediate
  Japanese: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  Hokkaido is a young and international region, especially around Mount Yotei, where people from all over the world come to visit or live. We believe it's the perfect place to grow up multilingual compared to the rest of Japan. We'd love for our kids to be exposed to different languages and cultures. Whether you speak English, Japanese, or another language you're fluent in, you are welcome.
• 

  Accommodation

  ABOUT THE HOUSE:
  
  Located in Kyogoku town, it is the perfect base for exploring Hokkaido. Easy access to Rusutsu, Niseko, Lake Toya, Noboribetsu, and Sapporo. You'll have your own private room, access to a Honda Cub scooter for exploring the town, have your own garden, and tickets to our favorite local onsen.
  
  - Shared bathroom
  - Wi-Fi
  - Laundry
  - Kitchen
  - Meal budget
  - Onsen tickets
  - A Honda Cub scooter
  - Our vegetable garden (you're welcome to harvest or even grow your own)
  - Train station pickup and drop-off
  
  ATTRACTIONS NEARBY:
  - Fukidashi park, Michi no Eki - famous for fresh spring water
  - Kyogoku Onsen
  - Shiribetsu river
  - Entrance to Mt. Yotei hiking trail
  - Walking distance to the town's library, outdoor centers, a swimming pool, gym, and supermarket.

• 

  What else ...

  House rules:
  - Non-smoking
  - Quiet hours: 10:00 pm – 7:00 am
  - No drugs
  - Family-friendly environment
  - Respect shared spaces
  - No excessive drinking
  
  * We have one friendly 4 years old cat who mostly takes care of himself, but you'll probably receive plenty of greetings from him!

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  Can host digital nomads

  We understand the balance between work and travel, and we're happy to provide a comfortable environment where you can do both. We have reliable Wi-Fi/LAN, a small shared office workspace, and a quiet private room, making it easy to work remotely while enjoying life in rural Hokkaido.

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  One

• 

  My animals / pets

  

  Cam

  Low maintenance cat. Loves the garden. We adopted him after he got into a traffic accident.

Website Safety