Help grow something beautiful in the Japanese Alps near Gifu, Japan

Infos

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  Description

  We’re an Australian family building a creative life in Hida Furukawa – a peaceful town near Takayama in the Japanese Alps. Our nonprofit supports community-based art, food, and renovation projects – especially those led by women and gender-diverse people.
  
  Please note:
  - We generally don’t book more than 6 weeks in advance
  - We don’t host for less than 1 week
  - If you can complete tasks remotely (e.g. writing, research, photography), we may be able to arrange a short stay or an advanced booking
  
  We live in a 1960s machiya (traditional townhouse) that we’re slowly transforming into a home, artist-run space, and project base. Volunteers help us stay on track by supporting house care, garden work, and creative admin tasks.
  
  What You’ll Do
  - Care for the vegetable field (weeding, watering, harvesting)
  - Help with cleaning, laundry, and household organising
  - Optional: assist with art or gluten-free food projects
  
  Food & Kitchen
  - We provide self-serve breakfast (toast, cereal, milk, tea, coffee)
  - Lunch and dinner are not provided, but we do encourage shared cooking
  - The kitchen is available for breakfast, lunch, drinks, snack storage, or if cooking dinner for everyone
  
  Otherwise, please eat out – there’s a 24hr convenience store 2 minutes away and a local deli (¥350–¥600 meals).
  
  Timing:
  - We start the working week on Monday
  - Volunteers can arrive Saturday night or Sunday
  - For stays of longer than a week we ask volunteers to explore the region Friday/ Saturday/ Sunday and spend at least one night away from the house (Osaka, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Naka Sendo Trail etc are all close enough for an weekend trip)
  - We are happy to loan you camping gear & help you go camping in the mountains near waterfalls
  
  Accommodation
  You’ll stay in a renovated machiya with tatami rooms, futon bedding, and access to a washing machine and fast Wi-Fi. We provide summer bedding, fans, and heaters as needed. Most volunteers get a private room. There in no air-con (although its much cooler in the mountains, it still gets hot)
  
  We welcome kind, independent people who respect shared space and want to contribute meaningfully.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Bénévolat

  Projets artistiques

  Pratique d’une langue

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Enseignement

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  Aide dans une ferme

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général

  Aide informatique/internet
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  You’ll have the chance to:
  
  - Practice Japanese (we’re actively learning too!)
  - Learn local planting & gardening methods
  - Join art processes like taku-hon or sculpture
  - Support a gluten-free food initiative
  - Explore the world of akiya renovation and machiya design
  - Discover Hida’s rich tradition of carpentry and craft

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  Aide

  You're someone who:
  - Notices what needs doing and gets on with it
  - Works well solo or alongside others
  - Enjoys the outdoors and being hands-on
  - Can keep shared spaces clean and respectful
  - Supports gender equity and shared responsibility
  
  If you have Japanese language skills or a driver’s license, please mention it in your message – it’s a big help!
  
  This summer, we’re looking for practical, self-sufficient volunteers to assist with:
  
  Main Tasks
  - Caring for our large vegetable field (watering, weeding, harvesting)
  - Helping with general house tasks (cleaning, organising, laundry)
  - Cooking dinner for Kate and/or other volunteers (if desired)
  
  Optional Projects – Based on Skills
  - Helping with a gluten-free community project (photography, admin, communication, map-making)
  - Creative tasks: taku-hon print rubbing, assisting with art installation, minor renovation tasks
  - Digital skills: helping with websites, social media, or visual design

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Allemand: Intermédiaire
  Japonais: Débutant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  We are intensively learning Japanese. We would love to practice! We have lived in Thailand and Japan, so even though English is our first language we try to speak clear "international" English
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  Hébergement

  We provide self-serve breakfast: toast, cereal, yogurt, fruit, tea/coffee, and local Hida milk.
  
  Lunch and dinner are not provided, and the kitchen is not for personal use (no self-catering). Instead, you have 3 options:
  1. Cook for Kate and/or the house – Kate will pay for the groceries
  2. Join shared dinner – contribute ¥500 if another volunteer is cooking
  OR
  3. Cook a cake or treat – (with Kate’s OK) - we’ll cover groceries for both the treat and one of your dinners
  
  Otherwise, please eat out or make your own arrangements. Local meal options start around ¥400–¥800.
  
  The kitchen is available for:
  - Making tea or coffee
  - Preparing breakfast (with provided groceries)
  - Storing snacks in the pantry/fridge
  - Cooking shared meals (by arrangement only)
  This helps keep a calm, respectful kitchen dynamic in a small shared space.
  
  You’ll stay in our traditional machiya townhouse in the heart of Hida Furukawa. The house is under renovation but very liveable.
  - 6 bedrooms, with 1–3 guest rooms used by volunteers
  - Tatami flooring, futons, summer/warm bedding
  - Shared toilet and bathroom
  - No A/C, but cool mountain nights
  - Washing machine & clothes drying space
  - Wi-Fi in most areas
  
  You’ll usually have a private room. If multiple volunteers are here, we’ll plan room-sharing fairly and openly.
  
  LOCATION & DAILY LIFE
  
  Hida Furukawa is a calm and creative town, surrounded by mountains, rivers, and beautiful wooden buildings. The pace of life is slow, the neighbours are kind, and inspiration is everywhere.
  
  - 15 min by train to Takayama
  - Excellent bus/train access to Kanazawa, Kyoto, and Osaka
  - Local onsen, hiking trails, and bike paths nearby
  - Cafés, izakayas, and public baths all within walking distance
  - 6 bicycles available for volunteer use
  
  SHARED VALUES
  This is a women-led non-profit supporting creative and community work — especially for women and gender-diverse people.
  
  We ask all volunteers — especially cis men — to be thoughtful about how you participate:
  - Share housework and invisible labor
  - Avoid defaulting to leadership roles
  - Listen well, make space, and be kind
  This is a space built on trust, fairness, and respect.
  
  TIME COMMITMENT & SCHEDULE
  - 3–5 hrs/day for 4 days per week + 1–2 hrs on a fifth day
  - Max 21 hours scheduled per week (plus up to 4 hrs informal contributions)
  - Flexible scheduling around weather or travel plans
  - Field watering happens early (around 7:00am)
  
  Your first full day includes:
  - 7:00am – Field introduction (after light snack)
  - 8:30am – Breakfast
  - 10:00am – House orientation & task briefing
  - 11:30am – Time off to explore
  - 6:00pm – Optional shared dinner

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  Autres infos...

  Important Info
  - This is a working household, not a homestay
  - Volunteers are expected to be independent and contribute reliably
  - Please be up to date with flu and COVID vaccines
  - If you feel sick before or during your stay, let us know ASAP so we can reschedule
  
  How to Apply
  We’d love to hear from you! In your message, please tell us:
  - What draws you to this kind of project
  - Your relevant skills or interests
  - If you have Japanese language ability or a license
  - Your proposed dates
  - Whether you're travelling solo or with someone
  
  Most of our reviews are from when we ran a volunteer-supported artist studio in Melbourne. We’re rebuilding the profile now that we’re based in Japan full-time — and we’d love to welcome you.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  We are very flexible about the timing and amount of Workaway work that people do and are very happy to host students, artists or digital nomads If you only want to stay for a couple of days, or want to book more than 6 weeks in advance we can sometimes work out an arrangement for remote work in exchange for accomodation. We have fast wifi and shared work/ studio space, we also have a shed suitable for work-working or messy art projects too

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  We have an off-street parking space but it is sometimes occupied, its possible to park nearby though and we know a bunch of good spots nearby

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  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  Potentially. It depends on the pet

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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  Mes animaux

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