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Ride Shiga
If you enjoy nature, like to soak in natural hot springs (ONSEN), want to experience life in the countryside of Japan. There are endless hiking and cycling opportunities. You can practice your Japanese. You can explore local and distant options for exploration. Try local seasonal Japanese food. A VALID WORK VISA OR WORKING HOLIDAY VISA IS REQUIRED (BASED ON JAPANESE LAW).
Volunteers can expect to have a LOT of freedom and autonomy. We appreciate folks who self-start and finish projects. There are many things to do and you will have time to do there here.
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About the experience in: Yamanouchi, Japan
United States
It was a fun week we spent with the coliving. Our working hours were well respected, the house was a good place to live, and the other volunteers were cool to hang out with! Heads up that you do sleep "Japanese style", meaning a futon mat on the floor, but I still slept fine. The work involved cleaning up some old houses to make them livable (cleaning, junk removal, moving furniture, etc.) We went to a BBQ at a local's house with his family which was fun! Special shoutout to the volunteer coordinator, Dakota! She made sure the work was clear and she kept the house clean and running well!
7 days ago
About the experience in: Yamanouchi, Japan
United States
It was great to get out into nature; Yamanouchi was beautiful! The work was easy and there was plenty to do. The house was stocked with vegetables from a local farm, so I ate really well. The volunteer coordinator (Dakota) was super personable and easy to work with. There was an issue with 1 volunteer crossing boundaries with other volunteers, and the host (David) quickly took care of the issue and removed them from the house and volunteer project. I'm glad David was so responsive and took the volunteers' needs into consideration, making the stay more comfortable for everyone.
8 days ago
About the experience in: Yamanouchi, Japan
Austria
The village is cute and there is awesome nature around. Also the house was clean and the rooms were nice it just was really cold. Just a few things to consider and the reason this doesn't get more stars: -there not only is no wifi at the house but the data connection doesn't work at all there -there are no language lessons whatsoever -there are no hiking tours -there are no surflessons/ surfboardrental -the \"repairing/painting\" work consists of cleaning out trashy houses -the food provided is ingredients It bugged me that most of the stuff stated as \"provided\" wasn't provided at all.
9 days ago
About the experience in: Yamanouchi, Japan
Spain
If you love mountains and hikes, this is your place. It's a really comfy place, where you can meet other people and even see monkeys. You have a lot of freedom and can work at your rhythm. If you are looking for a cozy small town, come here :) also the locals are really nice, please go meet Yoshiko at foot onsen's station at 20:00. She's and old lady that loves to talk to people :)
23 days ago
About the experience in: Yamanouchi, Japan
Germany
We enjoyed the stay very much, but only thanks to the influence of the other volunteers. It was really cool that we had a car and could go on trips after work. However, we didn't like how the hosts behaved toward us. It didn't feel very personal because the hosts were rarely there. We weren't greeted or seen off. We only received the briefing from another volunteer. No expectations about our work were communicated, and we were left to our own devices during the renovation work. The groceries were delivered several days late.
about 1 month ago