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

  • Última atividade : 16 set. 2025

Disponibilidade

  2025 

 Hospedagem min. solicitada: mínimo 1 semana

Jan
Fev
Mar
Abr
Mai
Jun
Jul
Ago
Set
Out
Nov
Dez

Detalhes

  • Descrição

    Descrição

    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.

  • Tipos de ajuda e oportunidades de aprendizado

    Tipos de ajuda e oportunidades de aprendizado

    Trabalho beneficente
    Projetos artísticos
    Prática de idiomas
    Ajuda em projetos ambientais
    Ensino
    Jardinagem
    Construção/faça você mesmo
    Ajuda em fazenda
    Criar/cozinhar refeições caseiras
    Ajuda a cuidar da casa
    Manutenção geral
    Ajuda com computadores/internet
  • Oportunidades de intercâmbio cultural e aprendizado

    Oportunidades de intercâmbio cultural e aprendizado

    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

  • Ajuda

    Ajuda

    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

  • Idiomas

    Idiomas
    Inglês: Fluente
    Alemão: Intermediário
    Japonês: Iniciante

    Este anfitrião oferece intercâmbio de idiomas
    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

  • Acomodação

    Acomodação

    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

  • Algo mais...

    Algo mais...

    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.

  • Mais alguns detalhes

    Mais alguns detalhes

    • Acesso à internet

    • Acesso à internet limitado

      Acesso à internet limitado

    • Temos mascotes

    • Somos fumantes

    • Pode hospedar famílias

  • Pode hospedar nômades digitais

    Pode hospedar nômades digitais

    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

  • Espaço para estacionar campervans

    Espaço para estacionar campervans

    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

  • Pode aceitar animais

    Pode aceitar animais

    Potentially. It depends on the pet

  • Quantos Workawayers pode acomodar?

    Quantos Workawayers pode acomodar?

    Mais de 2

  • Meus animais / animais de estimação

    Meus animais / animais de estimação

Nº de ref. de anfitrião: 247898955981

Segurança do site

Converse com Workawayers que já visitaram este anfitrião

+4

Comentário (12)



Fotos

A imagem mostra um edifício tradicional japonês com uma estrutura de madeira e uma corda decorativa com borlas penduradas no telhado, em um céu azul claro.
A imagem retrata a entrada de uma loja japonesa, com uma porta de vidro com uma placa, uma grande estátua de tanuki em cerâmica e um homem entrando na loja.
A imagem mostra uma coleção de vegetais, provavelmente para venda, com vários tipos de folhas verdes e raízes vegetais exibidos em uma mesa ou prateleira. O plano de fundo não está visível.
A imagem mostra uma mão segurando um livro com uma ilustração colorida de uma cena de rua, com prédios, árvores e um canal com peixes, em um fundo desfocado.
A imagem mostra um homem andando de bicicleta por uma rua repleta de lojas, usando uma mochila e uma máscara facial, de costas para a câmera.
A imagem mostra uma encosta nevada com pessoas caminhando sobre ela, cercada por árvores, com algumas pessoas esquiando ou praticando snowboard à distância.
A imagem mostra um macaco japonês, também conhecido como macaco japonês, em pé em uma rocha, com um corpo de água e árvores ao fundo. A cena é serena e natural.
A imagem mostra duas pessoas em pé em uma rua, uma segurando uma bicicleta e a outra carregando uma mochila e uma garrafa de água verde.

Converse com Workawayers que já visitaram este anfitrião

+4

Comentário















Help us around our ski resort while immersing yourself in local culture of Yuzawa, Japan
Experience rural country life in Sekiyama, Japan