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❤️ Become part of our family and help us preserve a 160-year-old Japanese home 🇯🇵🌿
We are a Japanese family living in Saitama, Japan, and we are working together to preserve our family's 160 years old traditional Japanese home.
Our family has lived here for generations. This is not an abandoned house or a place that has been left unused, it has been our family home.
Now, we want to make sure that this special place can continue into the next
25 hours of help per week
Painting & Decorating: Help with painting or decorating the property facilities.
Building & Repairing: Help with a wide range of repairs or building.
Cleaning: Help clean the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms and common areas.
Social Work: Help with volunteer work in local projects and communities.
2 days off per week
Private Room: You will have a bed in a private room. In other words, a room just for you.
Shared Dorm: You will have a bed in a shared room, which means you will share the same room with other travelers.
Lunch: You are entitled to a free lunch, every day of your stay.
Free Laundry: You can use our laundry room freely.
Pick Up: We will pick you up when you arrive, and take you to our property.
Language lessons: Take free language classes at our place.
Use our equipped kitchen: Feel free to use our kitchen and make your own delicious food.
Basic Internet Access: Basic speed internet for you to work remotely
Beginner English or Beginner Japanese
Welcomes solo volunteers, couples, and partners of volunteers
Travel insurance
Flights, Travel Insurance, Internal Transportation and Visa
🏡 What will we be doing?
We are starting with the basics.
Before we begin the renovation, there is a lot to sort through and organize. Our first step is to go through the house, storage areas and garden, clean and organize things that have been collected over many years, and start preparing for the next chapter of this home.
Depending on the stage of the project, you may help with:
Sorting and organizing things that have been collected over many years
Cleaning the house and storage areas
Organizing old furniture, tools and household items
Helping us decide what to keep, restore, sell or reuse
Gardening
Simple DIY, painting and small renovation projects
Taking photos and videos of the project
Creating YouTube videos, Instagram content or other social media
Sharing creative ideas about the future of the property
If you enjoy creating YouTube content, filming, editing videos, photography, storytelling or social media, we'd especially love to hear from you.
We are also interested in people with skills or experience in DIY, gardening, design, hospitality, business, antiques, vintage items, auctions, marketing and creative projects.
You don't need to be an expert.
Maybe you simply enjoy organizing things, working with your hands, making videos, coming up with ideas, or being part of a family project.
If you have something you are good at or something you are passionate about, we'd love to find a way for you to use it here.
🇯🇵 Everyday Cultural Exchange
We are a traditional Japanese family, and we would love to share our everyday life and culture with you.
If you're interested, you can join us in simple Japanese experiences such as making udon noodles, trying origami, learning Japanese, enjoying a bonfire, or simply relaxing and spending time together. 🍜🎎🔥
At the same time, we would love to learn from you, your language, culture, food, stories and the way you live.
There is no pressure to join everything. You are welcome to have your own time and enjoy your stay at your own pace. We simply hope that, through sharing everyday moments, we can get to know each other and learn from one another.
I have also lived and worked overseas, so I understand what it feels like to be far away from home and experience a different culture.
I speak English, and I am also a Japanese teacher, so if you are interested in learning Japanese, I'd be happy to help you practice and learn along the way.
We hope that during your stay, you won't feel like someone who simply comes to help and then leaves.
We hope you will feel part of our family.
Maybe when you leave Japan, you will have more than just photos and memories.
Maybe you'll have people you can call friends.
Maybe you'll have a place in Japan that you can come back to.
Come as a Workpackers, leave as a friend, and hopefully, come back as family. ❤️
We want everyone to feel comfortable and at home, so we have a few simple rules:
・Respect our family and our home. Please treat our home and belongings with care.
・Clean up after yourself. Keep shared spaces such as the kitchen, bathroom, and living areas clean.
・Respect quiet time. Please keep noise down at night, especially when the family is sleeping.
・Let us know your plans. If you will be out late, staying somewhere else, or changing your plans, please let us know in advance.
・No smoking indoors. Smoking is only allowed in designated outdoor areas.
・Ask before inviting guests. Please check with us before bringing friends or other guests to the house.
・Respect privacy. We enjoy spending time together, but everyone also needs their own private time and space. Also we respect your privacy too.
・Communicate openly. If something is unclear, uncomfortable, or not working well, please talk to us. We would much rather communicate and solve things together.
・Most importantly, please treat this place as a home, not just accommodation. We hope you will feel like part of the family while also respecting the people who live here.
