For over a month during the summer we had the bizarre and wonderful experience of working across three different WWOOFing projects. Now before you start thinking about dogs, lets clarify that WWOOF stands for Willing Workers On Organic Farms, which means we spent our time under the blazing Japanese sun getting our hand’s dirty, working on our farmer’s tan and "shukka shukka-ing" more rice than you shake a bamboo stick at!
Quirky characters flourished in each of the three locations - Shodoshima, Hinase and Iriomote - including philosophers, spiritual entrepreneurs and builders who drove over four hours to get to and from work everyday. But no matter how peculiar, they all welcomed us with open arms! These people, alongside many more, helped us cultivate a collection of unusual skills to add to our CVs, such as pregnant goat massaging, onion harvesting, tomato fence building, boat painting, deckchair sanding and rice quality assurance, to name but a few.
The picturesque rice paddies and rugged coastlines that surrounded each farm were home to quaint and friendly rural Japanese lifestyles, a fascinating contrast to the hustle and bustle of the country’s thriving metropolises.
