I’m Japanese but moved to the states at the age of 6. I visit my relatives every summer (until covid hit), speak Japanese with my parents, went to Japanese
school through sophomore year of high school…..but there’s still a part of me that yearns to experience living in Japan for an extended period of time to up
level my language skills and get in touch with my culture more. I have a month – two months long sabbatical that I’m planning on taking this year and
am thinking about spending that time in Japan. (Ideally it would be longer but it’s the max that my company can offer.)
For a week or two of that I’m thinking of WWOOFing (volunteer farm work) in Okinawa as I have some interest in eventually doing some type of farming in
the future, and I thought it might be a good way to get that experience while living with a Japanese family to get more exposure to the language and also just learn about Okinawa culture.
However, I’m kind of stumped on what I should do for the rest of the time that I’m in Japan. I’ve been to Tokyo many times and I’ve seen many of the touristy spots already, but thought it might be cool to live there for a few weeks to experience what it’s like…but I do worry that I will get lonely, and I’m not sure how I might meet people. (Another option could be to live with my relatives in Kobe, though I haven’t brought that up to them yet and also don’t want to burden them.)
Do folks have suggestions for how I might spend my sabbatical? (Place(s) to live, groups I could join to meet people, homestay opportunities, etc) I’m less interested in being a tourist and more interested in experiencing what it’s like to “live” there. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!
5 comments
just be a tourist and visit rural japan via rail… so much to see..
Give this article a read and see if there are any volunteering opportunities that appeal to you (they also list WWOOF among other organizations):
https://medium.com/social-innovation-japan/25-opportunities-for-volunteering-and-social-good-in-japan-9e3a6eca552d
Have you thought about getting a temp job or internship? When I lived in Japan my company hired interns from overseas now and then.
You could also get a heritage visa, which may open more doors for you.
Assuming you have a solid way to still get into Japan (ex. Japanese passport), I highly recommend WWOOFing in Okinawa. I went to a farm there, I was going through a weird time, and I had a great experience. I would’ve stayed there much longer than the 3 weeks I initially did if I could do it over again, I’d even live up on that hill tbh.
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Tokyo is overrated to me, there’s not really much to it (imo) other than the cool/touristy spots. Kansai is much more interesting, but I get the idea about not wanting to burden your family. I’d consider Sendai if you still want to live in a decent sized city but want to experience Japan in a less touristy way, it still has a lot of stuff but is much more quiet than Tokyo or Osaka. Also a short train ride away from amazing nature and cultural sites.
Perhaps base yourself in Osaka so you’ve got access to Kyoto/Kobe/Nara for the usual tourist sites and a short trip to see you’re relatives – there’s plenty of countryside stuff in those areas that most tourists never go to.