Volunteer at an old-style guesthouse surrounded by tea fields in a mountain village | Yame Sky Tea House Work Exchange
- Jiro Sakamoto
- Sep 7
- 3 min read
Hello. This is Jiro from Sky Tea House, a traditional mountain village guesthouse.
Sky Tea House HP
I once traveled the world for 2000 days, and after many adventures, I finally arrived here in the mountains of Yame. After that, I met my wife Chai, who is from the Philippines, and now we live together with our son Ryunosuke and cat Kojiro.
We run a guesthouse and an organic tea plantation, occasionally help out in the local community and hold events, and I am currently serving as city council members.
The reason for starting this place was to make the villagers and visitors alike feel joy in the interactions they have here. this house is a renovated former tea farmer's home that had been vacant for many years.
in 2017. It was reborn as a guesthouse and has welcomed many visitors from all over Japan and the world, receiving countless media coverage.
It started as a traveller's lodge, but has now evolved into a homestay style.
We are always looking for volunteer staff for our work exchange program, not only for guests but also for budget travelers and those who want to get involved with Sky Tea House.
Activities for helping us
We ask volunteers to help with the following:
Guesthouse cleaning and management
Working in organic tea fields (planting, harvesting, processing, etc. depending on the season)
Helping the local community and playing with children
House sitting, cat care
Collaboration utilizing skills (cooking, art, photography/videography, social media, writing, language exchange, etc.)
Stay Plan
The minimum stay is two weeks and the contents change depending on the season.
The accommodation will be a dormitory (without windows). However, outside of peak season, we may be able to accommodate you in a large 4-person room or a single room with a window.
1. Peak season plan (tea picking, summer season, etc.)
Accommodation fee: Free
Working hours: 4-5 hours per day, 20-25 hours per week
Food and common area fees: ¥10,000 per week (includes food cost, toilet paper, detergent, electricity, water, gas, etc.)
2 weeks total: ¥20,000
What we offer: Shared beds, all meals, all-you-can-drink Yame tea, Wi-Fi, shared kitchen and facilities
You will mainly be working on harvesting and processing tea in the tea fields, as well as helping out at the guesthouse. This position is recommended for those who enjoy working outdoors and in a team.
2. Off-season plan (more free time)
Accommodation fee: ¥10,000 per week (half of the regular guest long-term stay fee)
Working hours: 2-3 hours per day, 10-14 hours per week
Food and common area fees: ¥10,000 per week
2 weeks total: ¥40,000
What we offer: Shared beds, all meals, all-you-can-drink Yame tea, Wi-Fi, shared kitchen and facilities
The work involves cleaning, gardening, and simple repairs. There is a lot of free time, which is perfect for exploring the Satoyama area or working remotely.
If you have special skills such as web designers, creators, chefs, carpenters, artists, or masseuses, we may ask you to work even during the off-season, so we will accommodate you as a busy season plan.
Winter heating costs
In winter, we ask for an additional 500 yen per day for heating, but you can use the wood stove in the common area when there are no guests.
Other points to note
The minimum stay is two weeks, but you can extend it if it suits you.
If you cannot stay for two weeks, you can stay as a regular guest (20,000 yen per week in a dormitory).
If you are not motivated to stay, it will be a burden to both of us. If you are unable to cooperate, we ask that you switch to regular accommodation.
Access
There is no public transportation, so we will pick you up when you arrive. Please let us know your arrival time in advance. We charge 1,000 yen for gasoline to the bus stop in Kurogi-cho, but this will be waived if you can coordinate your trip with picking up and dropping off of my son at school.
📩Contact
090-7263-5544
We are looking forward to meeting you.
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