Photo by X C
Organic farming has been developed with the aim of ensuring benefits for both the environments and humans. In Japan, the demand for organic food and products is rising according to the increased number of people who care about food quality, concerning the spread of allergic diseases, asthma and other environmental diseases. You may be one of these people who care for what you eat and choose organic vegetables over conventional ones. If so, joining WWOOF can be the best way for you to stay in Japan with no accommodation cost. WWOOF is a mutual collaboration network to live and learn on organic farms. Free accommodation sounds very tempting. So, what is WWOOF?
About WWOOF
World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) firstly begun in 1970’s England for the purpose of a mutual cooperation between organic farms and volunteers. Organic farmers or organic producers called hosts provide WWOOFers accommodation and meals, and WWOOFers help hosts with what they do at their places such as farm work. Originally, WWOOF program was just a small sized activities like helping organic farmers at weekends. Today, WWOOF has administration offices in 60 countries. WWOOF Japan was launched in 1994. Most of hosts are privately operated organic farms, though, there are a few hosts that run organic food businesses. Compared to conventional farming using pesticides and chemical fertilizers, organic farming requires a lot more manual efforts as it avoids such. WWOOF takes the important role to tie organic farmers who want manpower and WWOOFers who are willing to give them a hand.
Tasks for WWOOFers
There are a wide range of businesses joining WWOOF Japan as hosts, including commercial organic farmers, privately own vegetable gardens, restaurants and cafes. WWOOFers may engage in a wide range of tasks from farm work to housekeeping such as the followings.
- Farm works (Planting, harvesting, weeding etc)
- Chopping and carrying firewood
- Maintaining equipment
- Cooking
- Processing food
- Packing
- Cleaning and maintaining the house or building
- Snow shoveling
- Gardening
- Assisting in the shop
How to join WWOOF Japan
Firstly, get a membership
To stay in an organic farm as a WWOOFer in Japan, you need to become a WWOOF Japan member via their website and pay 5500yen annual membership fee. You will get discounts for renewing your membership in 2nd year onward.
- 2nd year: 5000yen
- 3rd&4th year: 3000yen
- 5th year onward: 1500yen
You will receive a notification email from WWOOF Japan once your payment and registration is successfully processed.
Contact a host
Job descriptions, contacts and accommodation details of WWOOF hosts are disclosed on WWOOF Japan website. Narrow your search result of hosts by the area or job type to pick a host to contact with. Once you receive a consent from the host, send a request for contact details to have their actual address and contact number. Discuss further details such as commencement date, time, and transports with the host. Head to their place with your WWOOFer permit on you on the day.
※Registration to WWOOF Japan and all communications with hosts must be done online.
※There is no exchange of money between hosts and WWOOFers.
Tips to go WWOOFing
- Communications between hosts and WWOOFers are very much valued as well as mutual cooperation. WWOOFers are not just volunteered workers or guest from outside. They share everyday life with their hosts just like family members.
- WWOOFers normally stay in the same place with their host and have meals with them. Average length of time spending helping a host is approximately 6hours a day. WWOOFers staying more than a week normally have one day off per week.
- How long you stay at one place depends on the host. Some hosts require a help for just a few days while others want WWOOFers for months. If you want to do WWOOFing for a certain period of time, ask the host if they can accept it.
- Most WWOOF hosts live in hilly area or farming area far from town. It is quite common there is no convenience store, fast food shop or neighbour’s house around the place you stay.
- WWOOF is not only about volunteer workers laboring on the organic farm for free meal and accommodation. Instead, WWOOFers learn about organic farming as well as genuine local life style while hosts learn something they didn’t know from people from outside community. Therefore, it is important to discuss any questions or suggestions with your hosts.
Go WWOOFing!
WWOOF, the mutual collaboration program between hosts and WWOOFers. It is not just about saving food and accommodation expenses. The most valuable thing about WWOOFing is an amicable communication with the host thorough sharing everyday routine. You will be able to experience genuine Japanese life that you never see during sightseeing, Japanese country life and farming, as well as meeting with new people. Becoming WWOOFer can be the best way for those who want to see and experience everyday life in Japan.
