What Is Wwoofing?

So just what is wwoofing and is it something you might consider when you visit Tokyo and Japan?

We'll be looking more at what kind of wwoofing is available in Tokyo and Japan but first, what kind of people will you meet as a wwoofer?

We've been lucky enough to get Adam Greenman to share with you one of his favorite wwoofing experiences he shared with a Japanese friends of his, Haruna.

Adam is a veteran wwoofer so we're really grateful he agreed to help us by writing our introduction to this alternative Japan travel option.

A Little About Adam And Wwoofing

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Hi! My name is Adam (A. Greenman for print purposes), and I've been wwoofing on and off since the turn of the millennium inbetween working as a carpenter, writer and teacher - T’ai Chi Chuan and Conversational English – though not always together!

My wwoof hosts have lived in France, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, England and Scotland.

I'd really like to share with you one particular occasion when I had the pleasure of working with a Japanese wwoofer called Haruna and hopefully start to answer that question, "What is wwoofing?"

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Wwoofing In The English Countryside With A Japanese Girl Called Haruna

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We arrived at our spectacular English mansion destination on a bright and crisp morning in December 2008.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that I'd managed to contract food poisoning somewhere in the past few days, my mood was not exactly the best as we made our way to the front door!

It was a pretty poor show to turn up sick at a hosts place, but 'Sir Richard' - the Lord of the Manor - was most understanding and in his care I soon returned to good health.

Haruna had already spent a couple of weeks wwoofing at the manor without the company of another wwoofer and I too had lacked company in recent weeks – so the partnership was refreshing for both of us. Meeting people is one of the best things about 'what is wwoofing!'

On fine days we would sometimes have a walk through the countryside, perhaps to the nearest pub, as I was eager to share this great English tradition with my peaceful little visitor from Japan.

I've go to say though, I was somewhat surprised with my fellow wwoofers only footwear, what looked to me like a tiny pair of dancing shoes! In fact, they were so small that they didn’t cover her ankles... not so suitable for work on the farm.

The thing is, as I've gone on my own travels over the years, there have often been times when I've had very little in the way of clothes or footwear myself. I've learned to appreciate that fellow travellers should be respected in whatever makes them comfortable. It's all part of the spirit of wwoofing!

When I thought about that question, "What is wwoofing?" though when I wrote my book A Practical Guide To Wwoofing, I did make sure to include a section on footwear : )

For another take on doing something different with your time and giving something back while you're doing it, check out this great site about South Africa. I know it's not Japan but what Dani and Bernard have done at Border Jumpers could be applied anywhere. I love stories like this so I hope you'll enjoy it too : )

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The Benefits Of Meeting Fellow Travelers When You're Wwoofing

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Harunas' spoken English was quite good although her confidence in using it was not so high. I had taught conversational English in other countries so felt very comfortable communicating with her regardless of any misunderstandings we might have.

Actually, I found it quite incredible some of the topics we managed to discuss. I remember one in particular about basic human needs. I was telling her how passionate I was about simple lifestyles and keeping the basic human needs a priority over the 1000 other distractions that can come across our paths in life.

So back to that "What is wwoofing?" question. One thing I love about wwoofing is the number of different people you meet from different cultures and I'm always reassured by just how much we share regardless of our differences.

Haruna became very animated during the discussion above and explained to me that in Japanese there was also an expression that was very important to her, "clothes, food, house." When I asked her if she could write this in Japanese for me she happily printed it on the back of my ‘Wwoof Host's' book.

So what is wwoofing? In my opinion it's a chance to escape the city life and experience the countryside in all its glory while also doing something hands on and worthwhile like farming during your vacation. Add to that the opportunity to meet and get to know people like Haruna and, for me at least, wwoofing comes top of my list.

If you're interested in knowing more about wwoofing and what you need to consider when planning a wwoof vacation, Adam has written his own book full of hints and tip from his own experiences over the years.

Take a peek over at his site and preview the book "A Practical Guide To Wwoofing".

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