“Work Hard, Play Hard” - Top 10 for Fun and Meaningful Holiday Activities for Students in Japan (List of Recommended Websites)

Author: Miya Huang | Published date: 15 April 2020

Here we have listed the websites you can access for each activity that was recommended previously! 

1.Work at Ski or Onsen

Volu-beit: volu-beit means volunteer and albeit (part-time job). This website offers a wide range of works such as resort, farms and diving centers. 

Resortbaito.com: the resort works posted on this website have relatively high salaries. 

Alpha Resort: this website is very foreigner-friendly and is especially suitable for those who do not speak Japanese. Its homepage is in 5 different languages.

Skibaito.net: This is a website that specializes in ski resort jobs. There are a lot of jobs that offer ski rental service and lift passes for free.

2. Work at Farm 

WWOOF Japan: WWOOF stands for “World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms”. Hosts give WWOOFers meals, accomodation and social engagement, and WWOOFers help hosts with their work in return. Annual membership fee for WWOOF is ¥5500, discounts are offered after the first year. 

Volu-beit: volu-beit means volunteer and albeit (part-time job). This website offers a wide range of works such as resort, farms and diving centers. 

Workaway: Workaway is a platform that allows members to arrange homestays and cultural exchange. Volunteers or "Workawayers", are expected to contribute a pre-agreed amount of time per day in exchange for lodging and food, which is provided by their host.

HelpX: HelpX stands for "Help Exchange". It is an online platform that connects volunteers, or “Helpers”, who perform work for hosts in exchange for lodging.

3. English Camps

International Exchange & English Camp: this English camp is organized by the “Recovery Assistance Center of Miyagi”. As a volunteer, you will spend 2 days with elementary students in the wilderness. 

Summer in JAPAN: 1 7-day summer camp that brings Harvard students to Oita to teach English and other soft skills for children from 8 to 15 years old. 

KUMON English Immersion Camp (EIC):  this is a 2-week English camp in Biwako. As a camp leader, you will conduct activities for primary school children aged from 8 to 13.

English Immersion Day (EID): EID is a one-day (about 5 hours) program of English immersion activities for elementary school students studying English in Kumon Centers nationwide. They are currently recruiting group leaders.

Global Education Project (GEP): the English Camps organized by LbE take place all over Japan, but mostly in Kyushu region. They are usually 2-day long.

4.  Join a 10-Day Silent Meditation Camp

Japan Vipassana Association: Vipassana, which means “to see things as they really are”, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation.There are Vipassana Meditation centers all around the globe, and there are two in Japan, located in Chiba and Kyoto respectively.

6 Foreigner-friendly Meditation Retreats in Japan: There are various types of meditation techniques. You can choose the one that is most suitable for you. 

5. Use Seishun 18 JR Pass to Travel Around Japan

Seishun 18: hop on hop off travel using non-reserved seats in ordinary cars on ordinary or rapid trains on any JR line in Japan.

6. Go on a Hitchhiking Adventure

HitchWiki: Hitchwiki is a collaborative website for gathering information about hitchhiking and other ways of extremely cheap transport around the world.

7. Work as a tour guide 

Tokyo Localized: Tokyo Localized provides English free walking tours all around Tokyo. You can apply to be a freelance tour guide and get tips from tourists.

The Backstreet Guide: The Backstreet Guide provides half-day, full-day and evening tours in Tokyo and Kyoto. They are hiring tour guides and office workers. People without experience in this field are also welcome to apply.

8. Join a Contest and Win Free Trips and Experiences! 

“Red Bull: Can You Make It?”: An annual event organized by Red Bull. Students form teams of 3 to make a 1-minute promotional video. 200+ selected students from 60+ countries across the globe will then be sponsored to go on a 7-days trip across Europe using only cans of Red Bull as currency. 

SHINE: An annual contest that aims to make world-traveling girls shine by selecting “Miss Travel”. Winner will be granted a 3-night-4-days trip to Thailand. 

GaijinPot 2020 Cherry Blossom Contest: A photo contest held by GaijinPot. Submit your best sakura shot via Instagram with the hashtag #GaijinPotSakura2020 anytime from March 10 to April 30. You might have a chance to win a pair of Shinkansen tickets, JR passes and more!

Touryumon (登竜門): An online platform that collects and shares information about contests around Japan.

9. Try Homestay or Couchsurfing! 

Homii: A new homestay online platform startup that connects Japanese host families and foreigners who are looking for accomodations in Japan, so as to foster cultural exchange in Japan

Couchsurfing: You create a profile for free, and then you can start sending messages to hosts requesting lodging. The lodging varies a lot. It can be, for example, a couch, a hammock, a tent, or a fancy bed in a single room. 

Volu-beit: volu-beit offers a wide range of works such as resort, farms and diving centers. A lot of times the facility is family-owned, so it can be a kind of homestay.

Fukuoka City International Foundation: Fukuoka City organizes homestay and home visits for foreign nationals to deepen their understanding of Japan and its culture. 

Workaway: Workaway is a platform that allows members to arrange homestays and cultural exchange. Volunteers or "Workawayers", are expected to contribute a pre-agreed amount of time per day in exchange for lodging and food, which is provided by their host.

HelpX: HelpX stands for "Help Exchange". It is an online platform that connects volunteers, or “Helpers”, who perform work for hosts in exchange for lodging.

10. Join an International Student Conference

International Student Conference (ISC): ISC is a Japan-based student-led organization established in 1954, where international exchanges and discussions take place. Students from around the world are invited to Japan each year for two weeks, where they discuss solutions to world issues. On the last day, participants will discuss their final solutions during the Final Forum.

STeLA Leadership Forum: STeLA (Science & Technology Leadership Association) is an international student-run organization aimed to create an international network of the next generation of leaders in science and technology. This is done by organizing an annual STeLA Forum, where students from universities worldwide are brought together to develop themselves, learn from each other and form a lasting network. The forum is held in a different country and focuses on a different theme. This year, it will be held at Tsinghua University in Beijing, and the topic will be about artificial intelligence.