Nakagomi Orchard

We are growing various kinds of fruits including cherry, peach, pear, apple, grapes etc. We are doing fruit picking as business. We are one of the largest fruit farms in Yamanashi and the largest fruit picking farm in Minami Alps City.

Volunteers can stay in the dorm with free Wifi. We have some facilities such as kitchen, 2 shower rooms, 2 toilets, a wooden desk area for enjoying meals, BBQ site etc. Moreover, our volunteers can enjoy our seasonal fruits during the harvest season from mid of June to October. During the cherry blossom season, volunteers can enjoy the beautiful cherry blossom just outside the dorm. We have 5 lovely cats. They are very friendly to people. If you are animal lover, you will have great time with our cats. During the workdays, we will provide volunteers breakfast, lunch and dinner. On the day off, volunteers have to take care of themselves for the meals. There are some supermarkets and convenient stores nearby with walking distance about 30 minutes. About the working hours, it would be about 25 to 28 hours in a week (4 days or 5 days of work in a week), depends on the weather and our schedule. We ask our volunteers with mostly mowing & weeding since our farm is so huge and during spring, summer and fall, we need your big help for mowing & weeding by tools & machines. Of course, We will teach you how to use them from the very basic. In the farming, weeding & mowing takes very important role for whatever vegetables & fruit trees you grow. If you don't keep weeding, they will take all the nutrition out of the soils around trees and the trees don't grow well. It is the same for the case of vegetables also. Some people tend to look down on the weeding, but then they don't understand the farming at all. So, we have to catch up with the weeds and do weeding. Hopefully, this helps you to understand the farming as a basic knowledge. Beside mowing and weeding, there are some seasonal works which volunteers can help such like trimming the peach flowers, pollination works manually etc. Volunteers will learn the way how Japanese grow fruit. We will give priority to those who can stay two weeks or longer. Because we will teach volunteers how to use machine for weeding. It takes time for volunteers getting used to weeding machine. Therefore, we prefer to have volunteers who can stay long.


Reviews

4.5
(17 reviews)17

Staff & Host

4.5

Hours & Tasks

4.5

Hostel

4.5

Learning & Fun

4.5

Brazil

5

Kazu is a really great guy! I had a wonderful experience at Nakagomi Orchard. Unfortunately, I only stayed for a short time — I wish I could have stayed longer. It was a completely different experience from my usual life, and I totally recommend it. I made lots of friends from all over the world, and the food was amazing.
Thank you, Kazusan!

5 days ago

United States

4

The job is physically demanding, which gave me a deeper appreciation for Japanese fruits! During my month-long stay, I spent half my time weed-whacking and the other half working in the vineyard. You get three meals on the four working days, but breakfast and dinner are a bit small, so you'll want extra food. Buses are infrequent, so plan accordingly. Dorm rules are strict, but offer a glimpse into Japanese culture. I'm so grateful for the Japanese part-time workers and international volunteers I met here—they truly made my experience so special! Yamanashi is such a beautiful prefecture <3

15 days ago


Kazumasa replied

Hi Nikki,

Thanks for your coming to help us. Hopefully, you learned some of Japanese culture. I am still wondering why you brought so many suitcases. Next time, you can make use of coin locker service in cities before you come over. Otherwise, those suitcases occupy lots of the spaces out of our dorm.

Kazu

United States

5

Kasu-san is the most friendliest and charismatic host a volunteer can ask for. He told us history of Yamanashi and all about the plants and tree in the surround fields and farms. Great dorm you live in and plenty of fresh Fruit to go around.

22 days ago

Singapore

4

I enjoyed my experience at Nakagomi Orchard! It was physically demanding but rewarding nonetheless. The tasks and hours were as briefed (from 8.20am - 4.30pm with a 1 hr break) and 3 days off (days off are usually weds and the weekend, but dependent on the weather). The tasks are physically strenuous, so this is a caveat for those who suffer from previous physical injuries and can’t stand for long, etc. I was lucky to be here during peach season, we got to enjoy the peaches and my work was mostly at the vineyard so i got to interact with the local japanese staff ❤️

28 days ago


Kazumasa replied

Hi Emily,

Thanks for your coming to help us during our high season.
If you have a chance, you can bring your boss to our farm next time.
Also, if you know anyone who want to come to our farm, please introduce him/her to me.

Kazu

Mexico

4

Nakagomi Orchard is a place where you must respect the rules, collaborate with your classmates, and work hard.
The friendships I made there were the most valuable and fun part; that makes the experience worthwhile.
The country side is beautiful as well and there are a lot of nature and places to go.
Thanks to Kazu and Cham san for the opportunity to live this experience.
Thank you for listening to my requests when necessary.
In my case, I was able to leave volunteering early without any problems so I could travel around Japan.
Thanks Japan for everything!

about 2 months ago


Perfect for you if you're looking for

Contact with nature

Contact with animals

Mountain