Profile information
Host rating
Not yet rated
Last replied
6 Sep 2025
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 1 day
Feedback
-
Email verified
Host offers payment
Badges (2)
Details
Description
We live on Teshima, a small island in the Seto Inland Sea, also known as Setouchi or Setonaikai. Our family consists of myself (Aki) and two cats, Toto and Lily.
Although Teshima is a popular destination for art lovers and tourists, the local lifestyle remains unchanged. Many residents enjoy a self-sufficient way of life, living close to nature. There are no supermarkets, convenience stores, or even traffic lights on the island :)
We run an accommodation, cafe & bar, farm (a bit), and also develop products using ingredients from the farm. I have in-depth knowledge of Japanese fermentation (certified), and make a variety of traditional seasonings such as miso, koji, and amazake.
We’re looking for people who love cooking, gardening (weeding), DIY or just making something. We also support a local community garden (a rice terrace) where we grow vegetables and help maintain the scenery. If you’re interested in Japanese fermented foods, seasonings, we’d love to share our methods and knowledge with you.
I’m not very skilled at DIY, but we would love to make some shelves or boxes made for the house. So if you’re handy and enjoy building things, that would be incredibly helpful and please teach us how to! If needed, we can travel to the next island together to get supplies.
We’ll provide you with a house that has a kitchen, toilet, bath and WI-FI. It’s a simple & typical Japanese tiny house. Since we just started using it, it’s already clean, but we’d appreciate your help to organize and make more space in your room. The house is next to our house.
Now, we may need someone from 9th Nov till 28th Nov but not sure yet.
Hours expected: 4-5 hours a day, 3-4 days a week: If you want to work more, please feel free to let us know
:)
Wage expected: 1,000 yen per hour. From 18th October, it will go up to 1,100 yen per hour, following the new minimum wage in Kagawa :)
In this case, we prefer to see a working holiday visa holder, or someone who has a work permit visa in Japan.
About the host:
Originally from Tokyo, I’ve been living on Teshima for 6 years. Before that, I spent 12 years in London and Singapore working in advertising, and I still collaborate remotely with some brands from the island.
After enjoying life overseas, I returned to Japan and settled on Teshima to introduce visitors to the island’s food, culture, and lifestyle as I love Japan and the island. I renovated a traditional Japanese folk house and opened a rental and cafe-bar. I also run online workshops and develop fermented food products.
If you love cooking or want to learn about fermentation, I’d love to share everything I know.
You’ll also be hosted by our two cats, Toto (5 years old) and Lily (3 years old).
Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity Work
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
House sitting
Interests
Sustainability
Pets
Farming
Culture
Charity work
Languages
Cooking & food
Gardening
Art & design
Architecture
Animals
Yoga / Wellness
Water sports
Nature
Fitness
Camping
Beach
Cycling
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
You can experience countryside living and learn about traditional Japanese fermented foods from a specialist. If you're also interested in learning about hosting, we’d be happy to share some tips!
I am a TJFL ( Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language) holder, so I can teach Japanese if you need :)
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Host offers payment in line with the minimum wage
This host offers accommodation and payment.
Help
We’re looking for someone friendly, tidy, and respectful, who loves cats. If you’re also into fermentation, enjoy cooking, and are handy with DIY or like making things, that would be a big plus!
This will be a paid position, so please kindly let us know if you are a work-permit holder or not.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Japanese: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
Any language and cultural knowledge are welcome to know. The host used to live in Europe and South East Asia for 12 years, so keen to know cultural difference all the time :)
Accommodation
We will provide a house, small Japanese house, 10m away from the host's house; it has a kitchen, a bathroom, a toilet and 4 rooms (small) for sleeping & eating etc. There are futons, air conditioning, TV, fridge and microwave with cooking stuff.
There is wi-fi in the house as we use mesh Wi-Fi from the cafe.
What else ...
You can enjoy sightseeing on Teshima and explore nearby art islands such as Naoshima, Inujima, and Shodoshima. Naoshima, Teshima, and Inujima are especially well known as art islands in the Setouchi region, home to famous artworks and stunning architecture.
From October to early November 2025, an art festival will be held, with even more islands participating to showcase a wider range of artworks.
We have up to two e-bikes available for you to use during your free time, as long as they’re not being used by our guests. If you’d like to visit the other islands, taking a ferry or a speedboat is the most convenient option.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
We have 2 spaces for cars, 5m x 5m, or 10m x 10m. Please feel free to contact us for more details.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Lily
Toto
