Who are WWOOFers? They are often travelers in Japan who wants to experience more local culture during their holiday. WWOOFers will live with hosts, volunteer their time and energy, help hosts with farm work and other housework at their place. In return, Hosts provide WWOOFers place to live, food to eat and other social activities. WWOOFers are not workers, but part of the family.

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My host farm was located in the outskirts of Hiroshima, about an hour by bus on a winding mountain road, in a tiny, half-abandoned village of 100 people. While scrolling through several host farm profiles on the WWOOF Japan website, the family-owned organic cafe featured on one had me sold and I quickly messaged the host to see if he openings for my friend and I. The farm portion of our host "farm" was quite different from what we expected, as it was the family's personal gardens consisting of 3 rice paddies and a weedy vegetable patch. Although we spent some time in the fields weeding, the bulk of our time was spent helping out at the village's only cafe. Our responsibilities mainly included opening and closing the restaurant, food prep, serving customers, and doing dishes. Essentially we provided a huge help for all the tasks the single cafe cook didn't have time for.

Everyone's experience will definitely depend on their host farm, hosts, living situation, and location. Although my first time WWOOFing definitely blew my expectations out of the water and I was at times discouraged, I would definitely love trying out WWOOF again. Even if circumstances seemed less than ideal at first, I reminded myself I was there to work, not get pampered on vacation. You will be helping out people's real businesses and livelihoods, and in return receiving home-cooked meals and accommodations.

What would you improve about this program?

The WWOOFing website can be more truthful about working conditions and hours. Most days we worked 9 hours or more on the farm, with only a day off a week if there was no more weeding to be done.

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Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

The WWOOF program seemed like the perfect way to experience Japanese culture from the inside out in a way that simply traveling through the country would not have allowed. There's hundreds of farm types to choose from and the duration is completely up to the participant. WWOOFing was also a great way to extend my month-long stay in Japan for practically no additional cost.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

After paying a minimal registration fee, you can set up your WWOOFer profile and start contacting host farms that look interesting to you. It's a fairly independent program and participants work directly with the hosts for the entire process. Transportation to and from the host site is the WWOOFer's responsibility, but while on the farm the hosts provide free meals and accommodation.

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What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

Before reaching out to host farms, be sure to read their entire profiles and compare carefully. Some may not be accommodating to certain diets or may not even speak English. Others may require you to possess certain skills or knowledge specific to their kind of farm or facility. Even if the profile states something, double check with the host through the messaging system before settling.

My host's online profile listed its acceptance of vegetarian WWOOFers, but my friend had a difficult time finding suitable meals because of their different understanding of vegetarian (for example, soups, even if vegetarian, may have a meat-based broth).

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

Each WWOOFer's experience can be radically different depending on the type of host chosen. WWOOF Japan has hosts ranging from wasabi farms to bed and breakfasts, to give a broad idea.

On a typical day, the other WWOOFers and I would have breakfast at 7:30am then start our work day at 8:30am. We would all alternate between working at the cafe and weeding the rice paddies. Lunch would depend on when the cafe would slow down enough to allow us a break, then we would close shop at 5pm and start to prepare our own dinner. By the time we walked back up the hill to our host's home, it was dark out.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

Before arriving at the farm, my biggest concern was whether I would get along with the host. He seemed very friendly through our online messages, but of course reality is always different! I had also read a few horror stories of WWOOFers in other countries, who were surprised to find themselves living in very uncomfortable situations with abusive hosts.

My WWOOFing stay was two weeks in a very remote location (I wasn't sure before going if I would even have internet), so if anything went wrong, it would be difficult to resolve. Luckily, all my fears were for nothing, because my host family was extremely accommodating and friendly!

What was the most memorable part of your experience?

Having stayed in what was essentially the middle-of-nowhere Japan, where the closest store was a two mile walk on a mountain road populated by monkeys, I learned several interesting tidbits of Japanese society.

Our unnamed town had a tiny population of 100, most of who were over 80 years old. Half the homes in the town stood empty or abandoned, which we learned was an increasingly common trend across Japan, with its aging demographic and urban metropolitans pulling more and more people away from the countryside.

The other WWOOFers and I spent our free time exploring abandoned homes, picking flowers for the cafe, and running away from venomous centipedes and aggressive monkeys.

About WWOOF

WWOOF is a way to make friends with the local people, and exchange your own cultural values with them. Hosts give WWOOFers meals, accommodation and social engagement, in return for which WWOOFers help Hosts with what they do at their place. It's simple. You give what you have, and you receive what you don't have. There is no monetary exchange...

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