Community Stay at Sky Tea House

Sky Tea House is not a hostel or a volunteer organization.

It is our home.

We invite people who would like to experience everyday life in rural Japan while becoming part of our small international community and helping out around the house.

Our Community Stay Program is inspired by WWOOF, HelpX, Workaway, and Worldpackers, but with a more relaxed and flexible approach.

Rather than providing free accommodation in exchange for long working hours, we ask for only a small amount of help each week. In return, participants contribute toward their accommodation and shared meals, creating a fair balance for everyone.

If you're looking for an authentic homestay experience, cultural exchange, and a slower pace of life in rural Japan, this program may be a great fit for you.

Before You Apply

This program is probably a good match if you:

✅ enjoy nature

✅ like traditional Japanese houses

✅ can cook simple meals yourself

✅ don't mind spending quiet time alone

✅ enjoy meeting people from different countries

✅ Love Cats

It may NOT be a good match if you:

❌ dislike insects

❌ cat allergy

❌ expect hotel-level comfort

❌ want to go sightseeing every day

❌ cannot cook for yourself

❌ want more work for free accomodation and food in exchange

❌ People who expect to always have many helpers staying together.

(Sky Tea House is usually many people around, but occasionally no guest, no other helper, even host are sometimes too busy to take care of you)

About Sky Tea House

Sky Tea House HP

https://www.skyteahouse.com/

・100-year-old Japanese farmhouse

・Remote mountain village

・Organic tea farm

・Shared homestay atmosphere

・International guests

・Sometimes the host is away, so your stay may become a house-sitting experience.

Stay Conditions

Minimum stay:1 week

Accommodation:¥10,000/week

Shared food:¥10,000/week

Total:¥20,000/week(or ¥3,000/day)

Light help:7–14 hours/week(usually only 1–2 hours/day)

Dormitory accommodation (try to be gender separate but occasionally cannot)

Wi-Fi available

Remote workers welcome

What You'll Help With

The help is simple.

• Cleaning

• Preparing guest rooms

• Gardening

• Cooking

• Tea harvesting (seasonal)

• House sitting

• Tea field maintenance

If you have special skills such as photography, social media, translation or web design, you're welcome to contribute in your own way.

Why Do Helpers Pay?

Unlike many Workaway or WWOOF hosts, we ask for only a few hours of help each week.

Because we are not busy hostel in the city, and small scale Organic tea farmer.

the workload is much lighter, participants contribute toward accommodation and shared food.

Regular guests usually pay around ¥20,000 per week for accommodation alone.

We believe this creates a fair balance for everyone.

Important Things to Know

Location

We are in a remote mountain village.

Without a car, sightseeing is difficult.

If your main goal is visiting cities or sight seeing every day, this probably isn't the right place.

House

This is a 100-year-old farmhouse.

You will naturally see insects, spiders and geckos.

If this makes you uncomfortable, we recommend another accommodation.

Meals

Helpers cook together using shared ingredients.

Meals are not provided by the host. however host will supply ingredient.

You should be comfortable cooking simple food.

If It Doesn't Work Out

Sometimes expectations and reality are different. or you might change your itinerary.

If you decide to leave after one or two nights, that's completely understandable.

However, because we reserve a bed for helpers, stays of only one or two nights are charged at the normal dormitory price:¥4,200 per person per night to be fair with other guest.

From the third night onward, the helper rate applies.

Transportation

There is no public transportation directly to Sky Tea House.

We can pick you up from Kurogi Bus Stop.

Pickup costs approximately ¥500–1,000 depending on fuel sharing.

but if occasionally host are in the town, its no charge

Is This Right for You?

This program is not for everyone.

But if you would like to:

• Experience authentic rural Japan

• Learn about tea culture

• Meet people from around the world

• Live more slowly

• Become part of a small international community

then we would love to welcome you.

Host information

Hi! I'm Jiro, the owner of Sky Tea House.

Before settling in Yame, I spent six years traveling through 66 countries as a backpacker. My journey took me across Asia, Europe, Oceania, and the whole Americas, (not yet Africa) where I experienced many different cultures, stayed with local people, and made lifelong friends along the way.

Eventually, my travels led me back to Yame, where my family has ancestral roots.

I inherited an old traditional farmhouse deep in the mountains and renovated it into what is now Sky Tea House.

Today, Sky Tea House is not just a guesthouse—it's my home and a place where people from all over the world can meet, share meals, and experience everyday life in rural Japan.

I'm married to Chai, who is from the Philippines, and we have a son named Ryunosuke. （At the moment, my wife and son are living in the Philippines while Ryunosuke attends a developmental support program.）

Besides running the guesthouse, I also organize Yame Tea Tours, introducing visitors to local tea farms, tea factories, and the rich history and culture of Japanese tea. I grow tea myself and enjoy sharing everything I know about Yame's tea traditions.

In addition, I currently serve as an elected member of the Yame City Council. Through both my work as a local politician and as a guesthouse owner, I'm passionate about connecting people, supporting rural communities, and helping more visitors discover the beauty of the Japanese countryside.

If you're looking for more than just a place to sleep—and would like to experience authentic rural Japan with someone who has also spent years exploring the world—I would be happy to welcome you to Sky Tea House.

A Few Things About Me

🎂 Born in 1985.

🪖 Joined the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force after high school and served for six years.

🌏 Spent six years traveling as a backpacker and visited 66 countries.

🗣️ Taught myself English through traveling and communicating with people from around the world.

🥝Completed two working holidays, one in Canada and one in New Zealand.

🐕 Worked as a dogsled musher and an aurora guide in Yellowknife, northern Canada.

👍 Hitchhikedacross continent from coast to coast, Canada.

🚂 Traveled overland from the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi, Finland, to Japan, including a journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

🌭 Won a speed-eating competition in Hawaii and received a $100 prize.

🏃 Completed a 100-kilometer ultramarathon.

🪂 Went skydiving and bungee jumping.

👌Studied Spanish in Guatemala for six weeks.

🥾 Walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

🧘 Completed a Vipassana meditation retreat.

🌿 Studied yoga and traditional Thai massage abroad.

✍️ Legally changed my full name.

🗾 Have visited all 47 prefectures of Japan.

👴Had the opportunity to meet José Mujica, the former President of Uruguay and the person I admire most in the world.

🚶 During the COVID-19 pandemic, walked from Hokkaido to Kyushu over four months while selling my tea and introducing Sky Tea House along the way.

🏡 Received an old mountain farmhouse for free and renovated the 100-year-old building into Sky Tea House.

🍵 Grow Organic tea and organize Yame Tea Tours, sharing local tea culture, tea farms, and tea production with visitors.

👨‍👩‍👦 Married my wife, Chai, who is from the Philippines. I proposed to her on the second day we met in person, and we now have a son together.

🐈 Live with our cat, Kojiro, mascot of Sky Tea House.

📚 Published a book based on my life and travels. An English edition is currently in preparation.

🏛️ Was elected to the Yame City Council without running a traditional election campaign and currently serve as a city council member.

🌿 Passionate about connecting people through travel, tea, cultural exchange, and rural life in Japan.