Even when you come over for your ftuit picking, you can help us with your family. |
*Also, if you want to come over here to work as your internship for your school, please let us know. We might be able to help you. |
Farm Stay Program |
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We have several houses. I bought one of them for
volunteers two years ago. It was just a old storage house originally but I hired
lots of professional carpenters, glazier man, painter, electric man and let them remodel
the house to be a mini-dorm and installed two shower rooms,
mini-kitchen, two toilets, a washroom, two washing machines, a fredge, a microwave, an airconditioner. We have
four bed rooms downstairs and in each room, I bought a bunkbed so,that means eight people can stay on the first
floor and besides that, we have two more Japanese tatami rooms upstairs where
mostly lasies stay. I bought and installed lots of other furnitures also. I prepared 15 bikes for volunteers. So, to commute between volunteersf
house and ourfarms, you can take one of them. This is one of the best accommodations for volunteers, I believe. The location is VERY nice. It is located on the field area, surrounded by lots of high mountains including Mt. Fuji, Yatsugatake Range, South Alps of Japan. In front of this house, we have a canalcalled gTokushima Canalh along the avenue of Sakura trees (cherry blossom trees) and it goes on for 30-40 kilometers long. Tokushima
Canal was created during 1600s. It is one of the historical monuments in
this local area. Mr. Tokushima, the guy from Tokugawa government came over
to rescue local farmers and they all worked hard to create this canal for bringing enough water to grow rice in this
region.
We work from8:00 or 8:30 to 4:30 or 5:00p.m. Yet, it might some vary,
depending on how busy we are. Basically, my sister in law, Yoko san, she cooks for all volunteers for breakfast and dinner. For lunch, either we eat at volunteersf house or buy lunch from stores and eat on the farm. We provide volunteers two days off during a week, usually
Thursday and Friday. When you have a day off, you need to clean a
whole house of your staying, after that you can
do whatever you want.
On the day off, we provide you only breakfast, so
for lunch
& dinner, you can go out and eat or buy some
food from local stores. In just five min. walk, you can reach to the bottom of
one of local mountains. If you want to go to onsen, I can take you but you need
to pay for your own.
In Yamanashi only, we have over 500 spots of
onsen.
In just 5 min. drive, we can reach
there.
In case, you are still willing to help us on the day off, yes we accept your offer and you can work together with us. Of course, Yoko-san will cook super delicious food for you. (For your use of internet) For your use of internet, at Obasan's house where I stay, I installed wifi, so you can bring your smart phone or laptop to use internet before or after your dinner and even before breakfast, you might be able to use. On your day off, you can visit our local library where there are two PCs to use for internet. That is a very tiny library but located within walking distance. There are actually two more spots where you can use internet. The following sites might help you to understand Japanese
and Japanese culture. Ifm sending the site that was created by non-Japanese who
stayed in Japan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlUhd4xof4g
Ten Principles 1. deligence 2. sincerity 3. obedience 4. cleanliness/tidiness 5. being hygienic 6. modesty/reservedness (not demanding) 7. patience/endurance 8. politeness/courtesy 9. co-operation 10. preciseness These are the ten important points that we, Japanese usually have in common in our society. As proverb tells us, "When in Rome, do as Romans do.", you should do as Japanese do here while you are staying in Japan. Japanese manners(1) Japanese manners(2) Japanese manners(3) Japanese manners(4) over to join our farming works. (1) rain coats (2)rain pants (3)sneaker shoes (4)rain boots (We have several of them but we don't know if we have your size.) (5)hat or cap (6) short towels in case you want to go to local onsen (7)sandal that you can wear on our dorm for outside.
Kazu
Nakagomi Orchard
P.S.
We have wifi here for our helpers who need to use internet. Also, there is a local library nearby where you can use their PC. |
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Some comments from former helpers. |
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Hi there,
I stayed at Nakagomi orchard in the fall of 2012 with Kazu-San as my host. During my 2 weeks there, I was well taken care of my Kazu-San and his family. It was a great experience as I learnt a lot about farming techniques and sustainability. In addition, his family was extremely warm towards us even though we were initially strangers in their households. We were treated like a part of their extended family and were provided with scrumptious meals to mark the end of our day's work. They were also very generous and hospitable towards us wwoofers, going out of their way to share with us local experiences - taking us along on trips to onsens, dressing us up in kimonos, picking us up from the train stations on our off days and even preparing a farewell dinner feast on my last night there. In all, it was truly a memorable 2 weeks at Nakagomi Orchard with Kazu-San and his family and I will definitely return again in future! |
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Subject: Sharing from Fioni (Hong Kong) I have been to different parts of Japan in my life, but I honestly found my weeklong experience in the Nakagomi Orchard the most memorable one! ~ a fruitful experience~ The Nakagomi family was very patient in teaching us the essential skills, such as pruning, in order to help out in the orchard. Though I got a weeklong holiday from my company, It was not a relaxing holiday at all - we worked all day long from morning till the evening. It was indeed a "fruitful" and fun experience working together with other friends in the orchard. ~ a rewarding experience ~ Nakagomi family are very friendly and have brought us to the hot spring after work. In particular, the owner Kazu san was generous to share his expertise and views on different topics in life throughout our stay - from fruit science to Japanese culture, from search engine optimisation to global economy. I was truly inspired by our discussions after work. ~ a bonding experience~ The orchard gathered passionate young people from different parts of the world such as Japan, Hong Kong, France, etc. Now I still keep in touch with them, who are now my lifelong friends. I would like to say a great thanks to the Nakagomi family again for their hospitality and kindness during our stay. - Fioni Cheung, 24, Hong Kong (visitor in early 2013)= |
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Hi Kazu-san :)
I write you about my stay at Nakagomi-Nouen ;
It was my first stay in Japan when I came to Nakagomi-Orchard. I stayed
there with two friends for a month and it was a great time. We had to do different kind of works and it was interesting to see the life on a japanese orchard. I learned a lot about fruit farming, met a lot of nice and friendly people and had a really funny time. The food we got was really, really great and also the fruits on the orchard were delicious. Kazu-san and the Nakagomi-Family were really great and friendly hosts. They helped us Wooffers with every problem, like insect stings, and I really hope that I can come back to the orchard one day. Thank you sooo much for the great time at your farm, Kazu-san! Julia Bretterklieber
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Hello Kazu-san,
Hope all is well. As you may have known, it has been a great pleasure to
meet you and your family, as well as having to experience Japan through volunteering for farm work at Nakagomi Orchard. It has been a couple of years since then and as an adventure traveler
having been to a lot of different places, my experience in Japan was over the top as expected and thanks to my wonderful experience in your farm. Everything definitely sums-up what on Japan is really about: The people,
the place, - Nostalgic! On tough days at work, I sometimes reminisce about my days I've spent in your farm and the stress just goes away. Also, I wanted to highlight your passion for sharing the Japanese culture
and the purity of having a farm life is very inspiring, please keep it up no matter what the odds are. You got me in there. All the best,
Ken
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I spent an amazing month working and living on Nakagomi orchard.
Kazu works hard to create an environment that encourages cultural exchange between travelers and Japanese locals. It's a gorgeous location to learn about Japanese fruit farming, Japanese culture and to eat the most delicious home cooked meals provided by Yoko-san. I highly recommend visiting the farm either for fruit picking or for an extended stay as a volunteer worker. I have so many amazing memories from my time on the farm and met so many great friends from all around the world. Getting there from Tokyo is easy and I can't wait to get back to the farm and see Fuji-san again on my next trip to Japan. May, 2013. |
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I helped out at Nakagomi Orchard for about 3 weeks in December 2013, and I must say even though the hours may be a little long, the people make it worth it! Kazu-san seemed a little cold initially, but once you get to know him he is very hospitable, always offering to give rides to places ;) and Yoko-san was also a wonderful hostess, I always looked forward to the meals at her place! I had my best time in Japan here, and hope to revisit sometime in the future :) December, 2013 |
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My husband and I spent a fantastic month at Farm Stay in Nakagomi Orchard's Inn. Kazu and her family are very friendly and nice. We enjoy fruit picking a lots; peach, pear, plum, grapes and Fuji apple. All taste GREAT and FRESH. During our stay we got many chances to experience fruits farming in Kazu's farm, and realized that Kazu and his family have put a lots of effort and attention to their products. They attended their fruits like their babies. No wonder their fruits tasted So GOOD! We also met many volunteers from all over the world at Kazu's farm. At Nakagomi's Inn, we lived like Japanese do, on tatami floor with warm futon. From the bed room, we can see Mt. Fuji, rice field and lots of fresh air from the mountain near by. WHAT'S A GREAT TIME WE'VE HAD THERE! THANK YOU KAZU FOR YOUR HOSPITALITY. September, 2013 |
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I spent 3 beautiful months at Nakagomi and loved every minute of
it! The Nakagomi family are very welcoming people and they seem to enjoy having Nakagomi Orchard be an international destination for lots of tourists and volunteers. The fruit is just amazing. The cherries are perfect and so very sweet. The Peaches are juicy and just as sweet. Picking fresh fruit right off of the trees within view of iconic mount fuji is just an unforgettable experience! I loved the plums myself. I must have eaten a couple dozen! The scenery is great and its not very far from Tokyo by bus train or car so a day trip or couple of day stay is completely doable if you're based in the City. I met some really amazing people at Nakagomi orchard, and I would go again in a second if I had the chance. 5 Stars. Suggest it to anyone looking to experience the mountainous countryside of Japan and have an english guide in the form of Nakagomi Kazu-San. May, 2012 |
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Though we worked at Nakagomi Orchard for 9 days only, Mr. Kazu gave us a memorable experience. We start our day at 7:00 with tasty breakfast prepared by Kazu's sister. Then we work in the farm as explained by the host. Most of the work are interesting to us who lived in the city, and we are all capable of doing it. Some of the work are tiring, but that's what you are truly experiencing farming, right? We tried different work everyday, so we can learn various methods of how Japanese take care of their fruits. The host were very nice to us, we can enjoy as much fruits as we can EVERYDAY, we have break time every 2-3 hours of work, they prepare us homemade Japanese meals, and they brought us to hot spring and mount Fuji for a day trip. Upon we leave, Mr. Kazu gave us a big surprise that we can each have a box of fruit picked by ourselves and a jar of homemade cherry jam!!! The house, the family, the farm, we experience lots of Japanese culture from the host. Honestly, this is the place that I will visit again! August, 2012 |
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I think Yamanashi is a good place for picking fruit. The fruit in
this farm is fresh and delicious, itfs worth to spend a day to come here for fruit picking. The host is very helpful and carefulness, also he can speak well English and very welcome the foreign visitors. It is a good place for a day trip as it is near Tokyo and Mt. Fuji. I had a very memorable holiday here, I will visit the farm again when I travel to Japan next time. Strongly recommend a visit to this farm, if you want to enjoy a relaxing weekend. October, 2012 |
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I visited Nakagomi Orchard back in 2010 for 3 months during the spring as a volunteer on their orchard. It was one of the most enjoyable times I've ever had in my life. Working out in the orchard was very satisfying and the host and his family took excellent care of myself and the other volunteers. They cooked us breakfast and dinner every day, and provided us with a bento for lunch, as well as tea and snacks twice a day. The host would also occasionally take us to local Onsen to relax. In addition to taking good care of us I was able to learn a lot about caring for various fruit trees, and the methods in which the Japanese grow their outstanding fruit. (I now understand why fruit is so expensive in Japan. They put a lot of work into it.) I was also able to learn a lot about Japanese culture and history from the host and family. That was back in 2010. This year(2012) I am Studying in southern Japan as an exchange student. I worked an extra summer job just so I could afford to travel back to Yamanashi Prefecture and visit the farm again for a short time during my summer vacation. I wouldn't have been satisfied if I'd visited Japan again without stopping in Yamanashi to visit the Orchard again. This time around I was only there for two weeks, but I loved every moment of it. The host even bought a second house just for the volunteers, so they can have their own space to relax after work. September, 2012 |
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I've stayed in Nakagomi orchard during 22 June 2012-19 July, and
return again during 15-21 Aug. As my first wwoofing destination, Nakagomi is amazing. Here, I got free fruits to eat all the time. The three hosts: Kazu, Yoko-san and her husband are so kind that they ask all the time if we got the biggest peach, sweetest plum or fresh pears. I was lucky also to wwoof there cuz so many wwoofers from all around the world just make there like a miniature of UN! That was a lot of fun. About the work, it's true that working hours are long enough to make you tired or get bored. But teatime and dinner time is always a delight. You may find out that you are not in an "intimate little family", but as long as you open yourself to others they will open to you! That's what exactly I've done. As for the two awful reviews...I have to say, different people have different view. For me, I was alone there and felt like having another family in Japan! I love Nakagomi and its kind members. Why not open your heart and give it a chance? You will obtain more than delicious fruits!:) June, 2012 |
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Me and my husband have been wwoofing on nakagomi orchard - twice!
- and we had a great stay!! It felt like living in a family to us, thats why we came back a second time while travelling through japan. The amount of work was totally justified to the high costs of food and accomodation in Japan. The work was always fun together with Kazu and his family and the other wwoofers. The family took great care and we had delicious food while staying with them. Greetings from Germany :) October, 2012 |
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I am from HK, and I've been here for 2 weeks. Kazu is nice to me and my friends, and the other WOOFFers(From Canada and Germany). I had a great time here. Kazu drove us to Mt Fuji and some other places to sightseeing. The volunteer work is not harsh at all, at least there are tea breaks and farming is fun (though tiring) Plus the accommodation and meals here are really really great, thanks Obasan! We were asked what did we wanna eat, and everytime Obasan tries to fulfill our requests October, 2012 |
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In my recent trip to Japan, my wife and myself made a trip to Nakagomi Fruit Orchard in Minami-Alps-Shi, Yamanashi, Japan. It's just a short trip from Shinjuku, Tokyo by express train - 1.5hrs and near Mt Fuji. Mr Kazu who owns the orchard provided excellent hospitality for us (besides showing us the best peaches, plums and nectarines to eat, he also helped booked a local onsen-ryokan for us to stay overnight) and he speaks excellent English. His is the only farm in that region who welcomes guests from overseas besides Japanese. Jul/Aug/Sep - peaches are in full season, Sep/Oct - Kyoho grapes and persimmons and apples... fruits galore. Please visit his website http://www5.ocn.ne.jp/~kazunaka/image/englishpage1.htm for more details and directions or call him. He welcomes all visitors. Wife and myself missing the excellent juicy peaches! August, 2009 |
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My WWOOF experience at Nakagomi Orchards was 100% positive. In total, I stayed on the orchard for over 1 month and I even returned twice to visit in the years following. I have been travelling and working in Asia for 4 years! Japan was the place I started my travels and in the 4 years of travelling I would consider TWO of the hundreds of places that I've visited home. Nakagomi Orchard is one of my homes, Fressegasse Restaurant in Karuizawa is another, and Toronto, Canada, my birth place, is as well. Kazu an his family were NEVER rude to to me or their customers in my presence. We worked for 8 hours a day but were treated VERY well. On our days off we were taken to Mt. Fuji and taken out to restaurants on occasion. We were given drinks and whatever food we wanted during out breaks and we could talk with fellow WWOOFers and work at whatever pace we wanted to work. During my stay at Nakagomi Orchard there were a total of 11 volunteers besides me and every one of us enjoyed our time. Two girls from Thailand even returned to Nakagomi Orchards a year or two after I met them volunteering on the farm. May, 2012 |
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About Japanese manners | |
Possibly, you can search for gJapanese etiquetteh or gJapanese mannersh
in the Google and you can see lots of them, I guess. You shold learn Japanese manners before you come over here. You should NOT bring western culture to us. That's because western culyure is a lot away from Japanese. In addition, in many cases western cultures can be very rude for us. Simply telling you, in the U.S., for example, gFreedomh gEqualityh , those two words are VERY important. Yet, here they can be very rude in many cases. For Americans, individualism is the main mental idea, but that is totally against our nation and our society. gAmish peopleh in the U.S. originally came over to the States from Gemany, in most cases. In the States, people are very gindividualistich in their life style and also in their sense of value. Yet, people of Amish commune, they are completely different. Japanese are in a way, very alike Amish although we are not self-sufficient any more and we are not religious, either. This might help you to understand Japan and Japanese. As proverb tells us, "When in Rome, do as Romans do." |
kazunaka@olive.ocn.ne.jp |
The calendar below shows our farming work @@and roughly what we do in a year. |
Season | work | Purpose of work |
January -February | Pruning branches of apple tree | |
January -February | Pruning, trimming and cutting branches | |
January -February | collecting branches | |
February | peeling the bark of grape vines & apple trees | |
Mid & late March | Thinning out buds of peaches 60-70% of peach buds will be taken away. |
Before they turn to be flowers,we thin out about 60-70% of the buds of the peaches, in order to produce big and tasty peaches. |
Mid & late March | Pruning branches of cherry trees | |
Mid & late March | planting new trees | |
Mid & late March | peeling the bark of grape vines & apple trees | |
April | pollinating various kinds of fruit trees such as plums, peaches, pears, cherries and apples. |
We use bees to help fertilize seeds, especially for cherries. Yet, here in Japan, we people do pollination works manually besides our use of the bees. |
April | thinning out peach flowers. half of the flowers will be thinned out. |
After pollination works, we do thinning flowers. |
April | thinning out apple flowers | |
May | thinning out apples when they are still very small |
in order to produce bigger and tastier apples |
May | thinning out peaches when they are still very small. Half of peaches will be thinned out when they are still small. |
in order to produce bigger and tastier peaches |
May | thinning out plums when they are still very small |
in order to produce bigger and tastier plums |
May | mowing & weeding with machines or tools | not to let weeds absorb fertilized nurishments under the soil, especially around each tree |
May | watering | |
May | putting the signs advertising our frui picking on the main streets |
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June | We place a pair of two sheets of paper around each fruit when they reach proper size. We do that mostly for peaches, pears, nectarines, apples and bunches of grapes |
In order to protect our crops from bugs, damage by strong winds or tyhoons. Furthermore, we can give our fruit a lot more color if we keep inside this specially made paper for a few months. |
June | thinning out grapes | in order to produce bigger and tastier grapes |
June | watering | |
June | harvest of cherries | |
June | cherry picking | |
June | mowing & weeding with machines or tools | |
June | harvest of plums and peaches | |
July | tearing off paper covering the fruit | Removing the paper exposes the fruit is the sun to give it more color. |
July | spreading special nylon paper called "multi " and putting it on the ground under each peach tree to give the fruit more color |
With this method, we can increase the fruit's exposure to the sun and improve the colour. |
July | pruning useless shoots and branches of each peach tree |
In order to give crops more nutrition while giving them sunshine, we try to keep some space between the branches. This work about a week before harvest comes. |
July | harvest of peaches and plums | |
July | putting steel supports under the branches of each tree of peaches and plums |
Before harvest comes, the fruit tends to swell quickly. We need to put steel support under the branches so that they don't break under the weight of the fruit. |
July | mowing and weeding | |
July | watering | |
July | covering the gape vines with nets | to protect them from birds, especially crows |
July | harvest of peaches | |
July | harvest of plums | |
July | peach & plums' picking | |
August | prunning useless shoots and branches of each peach tree harvesting peaches and plums |
In order give crops more nutrition while giving them sunshine, we try to keep some space between the branches. This work comes about a week before harvest |
August | putting steel support under the apples' branches to prevent them breaking. |
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August | mowing and weeding | |
August | harvest of grapes and plums | |
August | grape picking plum picking peach picking |
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August | watering | |
September | taking "multis"out of the ground | |
September | taking steel support out of the peach and plum trees |
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September | spreading special nylon paper called "multi " on the ground under each apple tree to expose the fruit to more sunshine and to give fruit more colour. |
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September | putting out the signs of our apple picking business on the main streets |
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September | tearing off paper covering apples to expose them to the sun | For Yoko, Oorin and Shin-sekai varieties. |
September | covering apple orchard s with nets | to protect them out of wild birds |
September | spreading manure | |
September | mowing & weeding | |
September | harvest of grapes grape picking |
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September | harvest of pears pear picking |
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September | watering | |
October | tearing off papers covering apples to give them color out of sunshine |
For the variety of Fuji apples |
October | spreading special nylon paper called "multi "and putting on the ground under each apple tree to give more color to the fruit. |
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October | harvest of apples apple picking |
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October | harvest of grapes grape picking |
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October | mowing & weeding | |
November | harvest of apples apple picking |
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December | harvest of apples apple picking |
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December | taking steel supports out of the peach and plum trees |
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December | taking "multis"out of the ground | |
December | taking nets out of the apple orchards | |
December | Pruning branches of fruit trees | |
December | collecting branches and shoots of fruit trees after trimming works in the orchards |
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December | putting dry straw around each cherry tree | to protect trees from freezing |
December | taking the apple picking signs down | |
December to January | pruning & trimming branches and extra shoots | |
December to January | spreading manure |
March 2006 thinning out peach buds |
March 2006 |
December 2006 | December 2006 |
December 2006 |
December 2006 |
March 2007 thinning out peaches buds |
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March 2007 thinning out peaches buds |
pollinating plums |
painting the cherry green house The mountain you can see in the center is Mt. Fuji. |
April 2007 thinning out apple flowers |
April 2007 | |
May 2007 weeding |
May 2007 thinning out apples when they are still very small |
June 2007 | July 2007 |
July 2007 | July 2007 |
July 2007 | August 2007 |
August 2007 |
September 2007 |
October 2007 | collecting wrapping papers for apples |
December 2007 | |
Mr. Nicholas, I really appreciate you for your great help this time. Please come back again whenever you find any free time. January 2008 |
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January 2008 | March 2008 |
March 2008 | March 2008 |
Pollination work April QOOW | Pollination work April QOOW |
lQOOW | i QOOW |
July QOOW | July QOOW |
August QOOW | August QOOW |
August QOOW | November 2008 |
March, 2009 | March, 2009 |
March, 2009 | March, 2009 |
April, 2009 | April, 2009 |
April, 2009 @@@Pollinating cherrry flowers | April, 2009 @@@Pollinating cherrry flowers |
April, 2009 | April, 2009 @@@Pollinating apple flowers |
April, 2009 @@@Pollination work | April, 2009 |
April 22, 2009 | April 22, 2009 |
April 22, 2009 | April 28, 2009 |
April 28, 2009 | April 30, 2009 |
May 5, 2009 | May 24, 2009 |
May 24, 2009 | May 27, 2009 |
May 27, 2009 | May 27, 2009 |
June, 2009 | June, 2009 |
June, 2009 | June, 2009 |
June, 2009 | June, 2009 |
June, 2009 | June, 2009 |
June, 2009 | June, 2009 |
July, 2009 | July, 2009 |
August, 2009 | August, 2009 |
August, 2009 | September, 2009 |
September, 2009 | September, 2009 |
September, 2009 | October,2009 |
October,2009 | October,2009 |
December,2009 | November,2009 |
January, 2010 | January, 2010 |
January, 2010 | February 2010 |
February 2010 | March 2010 |
March 2010 | March 2010 |
March 2010 | March 2010 |
This is a real "NET WORK"by international volunteers who came over to Nakagomi Orchard through internet. March 2010 |
March 2010 |
March QOPO | March QOPO |
March QOPO | `@QOPO |
May 2010 | May 2010 |
May 2010 | May 2010 |
i@QOPO | i @QOPO |
i@QOPO | `@QOPO |
July, 2011 | September, 20011 |
@@@@@@ | |
November, 2011 | November, 2011 |
November, 2011 | On December 26, Jullian's birthday, we had a small but wonderful party for him at WWOOFER's House. They are from seven different contries. |
Lots of volunteers are visiting us from many countries. They are from Hungary, U.S., UK., Singapore and Taiwan. A lady from Sweden gonna join us tonight. March20, 2012 |
They are volunteers from Netherland, Germany, U.S. and Singapore. April 23, 2012 |
They are from U.K., Singapore, Germany, U.S. and Japan. `C@QOPQ |
They are from Singapore, Germany, U.S. and Japan. lC@QOPQ |
They are from Singapore, Denmark, U.S.,Poland, H.K. and Japan. lC@QOPQ |
renewed date |
May 30, QOPQ |