Join our family and share your recipes with us in Matsumoto, Japan

Infos

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  Description

  I will decide whether or not to accept guests after discussing it with my family. So please wait a little while for my reply.
  
  We are looking for travelers with children under 16 years old, for my children's summer vacation in August.
  This is an offer from my children.
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  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, a boy born in 2013 and a girl born in 2016.
  In September 2025, 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. 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.
  As he gets older, he will use his cleverness to get into mischief, so keep your belongings safe from him.
  
  And I hope you have a fun with my kids. If you're confident in your physical strength, invite them to play catch, football, chase, or other physical activities. They also enjoy indoor activities like board games, model building, and drawing.
  Children are really welcome.
  
  The English word "company" originates from the idea of companions who share bread together. Same in Japan, the expression "to eat from the same pot" signifies a strong sense of solidarity. When you eat what we have provided, we feel a strong sense of acceptance from you. And vice versa.
  That's why I insist on sharing meals. However, we do not force people staying for a short period of time (less than a week) to share meals with us.
  
  We live a simple, eco-friendly, and sustainable lifestyle. Being eco-friendly is a very important point. I want to reduce the use of petroleum-derived products as much as possible and use natural materials instead. I use bar soap as much as possible, and I feed food scraps to my chickens. I also use a solar water heater. Please let me know if you have any good ideas. We might not be able to offer luxury items, but we offer a authentic Japanese family experience. We look forward to sharing our lives with you!

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Projets artistiques

  Pratique d’une langue

  Enseignement

  Jardinage d'entretien

  Projets DIY créatifs

  S’occuper des animaux

  Baby-sitting et jeux créatifs

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Garde de maison et d'animaux
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Musique

  

  Menuiserie

  

  Architecture

  

  Dev. durable

  

  Dev. personnel

  

  Politique/justice sociale

  

  Animaux de compagnie

  

  Films et télé

  

  LGBT+

  

  Arts du spectacle

  

  Langues

  

  Histoire

  

  Jardinage

  

  Dessin et peinture

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Livres

  

  Art et design

  

  Animaux

  

  Randonnée

  

  Yoga / bien-être
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  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 had practiced karate himself with his son. In 2026, after injuring his back while skating, he took a break from karate and started playing Japanese taiko drums.
  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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  Projets impliquant des enfants

  Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.

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  Aide

  What I want to ask you is to prepare weekday dinner. I'd like you to choose the menus from your repertoire. It doesn't have to be a special meal. I'd love to try your simple, everyday meals. I help you gather the ingredients.
  ​In addition to helping prepare dinner, we expect you to be proactive with daily housework. We highly appreciate volunteers who can look at their surroundings, notice what needs to be done, and suggest how they can help.
  ​Workaway has set guidelines for help hours. I don't need that much. However, it's true that hosting guests increases the workload. I believe Workaway helps alleviate that psychologically and physically. If you bring great energy, share your culture, and engage deeply with us, that works both ways.
  
  Here are some things we would appreciate you doing for us. Please choose a few that you think you can do and suggest them.
  
  - Teaching language
  - Teaching children how to organize toys and clothes
  - Vacuuming
  - Some clening
  - Yard help
  - Yoga session
  - Traditional healing methods such as essential oils and massage
  - Baking
  - Brewing coffee
  - Playing the piano
  - Playing board games together
  - Playing sports such as catch, badminton, and table tennis
  - Helping with DIY project
  - Talking about you and your country
  - Discussing a variety of topics
  - Singing
  - Drawing, sewing and crafting
  - Taking photos(because we're really bad at it.)
  - To be a practice partner for teaching Japanese.

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Japonais: Courant
  Anglais: Intermédiaire
  Chinois (mandarin): Débutant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  Please use the simplest words possible, keep your sentences short, and speak slowly. I find the English spoken by Americans difficult to understand.
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  Hébergement

  room
  
  There is a south-facing guest room next to the entrance. You can also use part of the Japanese-style room and veranda next door to the north, but those are shared spaces. This is a good room for doing yoga.
  The room has several futons, a low table, an armchair, and an electric kettle.
  Please clean the room by yourself at least once a week.
  The toilet, bath, kitchen, and washing machine are shared with my family.
  A bikes is available.
  
  meals
  
  I make Japanese breakfast at 7am.
  We don't usually eat lunch at home, but at school or office. You can eat cooked rice and something.
  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 grocery store.
  Our meals aren't so massive.
  We want to enjoy meals together.
  My husband never eat fish other than sasimi, and my son hates mushroom. Are you a picky eater? Please tell me your favorite and least favorite in advance.
  My husband has diabetes and has dietary restrictions. We have to limit butter and cream. We are also on a budget, so we limit meat to less than 100g per person per day.
  
  Time Schedule
  We wake up at 6 everyday.
  Kids go to bed at 8 and have reading time for 30minutes.We're reading Japanese fantasy writer Naoko Uehashi's Guardian Series 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. We sometimes find the perfumes worn by foreigners to be too strong, and we can't stand it. Please stop using unnatural fragrance during stay.

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  Autres infos...

  Matsumoto has good access to many famous mountains. So if you want to try, please come in warm season.
  
  Nagano Prefecture is famous for its craft beer, coffee beans, sake, and wine. We don't drink much alcohol ourselves, but we do participate a little in fun drinking occasions. In the latter half of the month, "Izakaya (Japanese pub) Community Centers" are held in various locations. For a small fee, you can enjoy home-cooked meals, drinks, and socializing with locals.
  
  2 kilometers to the indoor heated public swimming pool.It costs only 310 yen.
  
  Another 2 kilometers to the public hot spring. They don't mind tattoo.
  
  There's a shop selling delicious baked goods that's open on weekends, just a few minutes' walk away.
  
  Try exploring by bicycle or on foot. Residential areas and rural woodlands, not just tourist spots, can be enjoyable too. If we have time, we'll go out with you.
  If you're good at playing percussion and can jam with Japanese taiko drums, we'd be happy to bring you along.
  I will try to inform you of any open workshops or events whenever possible. Participants are responsible for paying their own participation fees.
  
  Please purchase travel insurance. Also, please provide an emergency contact number in case something happens.
  
  My daughter has borderline intelligence—she is what is known as a "slow learner." I'm happy if you have some knowledge about it.

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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

  Cet hôte a indiqué qu’il aimait accueillir les digital nomads.

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  Espace pour garer des vans

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

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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  Mes animaux

  

  His name cannot be published online. (1 an)

  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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