Volunteer in Japan

Volunteer in Japan

by | Jul 1, 2025 | Blog

Volunteer in Japan

There are many fantastic organisations to volunteer in Japan with. However, there are very few comprehensive resources out there in English to help you find them.

If you want to volunteer in Japan, it is helpful if you understand Japanese, as most organizations don’t have any English staff. However, there are many organizations who welcome non-Japanese speaking volunteers too.

So, we decided to create this map to show you all the opportunities for volunteer work in Japan. We hope you find this useful.

Are we missing any? Please email us if you know of any / want to list your organization on this map.

Prefer paid job opportunities in Japan? We can help you find Ski and Beach resort jobs in many regions all around Japan. Learn more or Apply now!

Being a Vegetarian/Vegan in Japan

Being a Vegetarian/Vegan in Japan

by | Jul 1, 2025 | Blog

by Hilal, Okinawa 2014

One thing right in the beginning: If you are a vegetarian or vegan, you are going to have a very difficult time in Japan.

In general, everything in Japan contains meat, even the dishes that seem to be vegetarian. That`s basically because Japanese people love their “dashi“ (a cooking stock made of fish) – miso soup, oden, takoyaki, even pasta and many vegetable dishes in restaurants, all contain dashi. On top of that many meals, even salads, are topped with fish flakes (katsuobushi) or sliced up crab. However, Japanese people don`t consider fish as meat, so you should be extra careful about that.

Also, many snacks are made of fish or seafood and, unlike in many western countries, bread in Japan usually contains lard instead of vegetable oils. Lard is rendered and clarified fat from the abdomen of a pig, so obviously as a vegetarian/vegan you should avoid eating it.

The word “vegetarian“ seems to have a different meaning in Japan. Eating more vegetables is a current trend in Japan, and many “vegetarian“ restaurants like Vegetaria in Shinjuku Station opened. In this one however you can`t find a single vegetarian option.

A very odd thing is that if meat is chopped in very tiny pieces or blended with anything else, people seem to forget it`s still meat.

But don`t worry, you will not starve to death here, there are also things you can eat: For a long- term traveller the best option is to cook for yourself. You can even make vegetarian/vegan versions of Japanese meals using vegan dashi (http://www.justhungry.com/vegetarian-dashi-japanese- stock).

At the resort it can be extremely difficult to keep a vegetarian/vegan diet. Meals are prepared for everyone, and the kitchen staff are unable to prepare anything special. There will be some things that you can eat, although it will probably be almost the same every day as the meat and options which include meat change daily. There won`t be a lot of fruits and vegetables available in the cafeteria. The cafeteria serves up just the main three meals, and traditionally the Japanese diet has less fruit and vegetables than in the West.

At some resorts there is a bus to the nearest supermarket once a week. Many resorts don’t have such a bus, but there are shops near-by, so you can make sure you get enough vitamins. If you`re lucky, your dorm will have a kitchenette in the common room with basic facilities you can use for heating food.

If you`d like to try something traditional, “Shojin Ryori“ (Buddhist temple meal) is the best option. It is completely vegan and doesn`t even kill plants since the vegetables are harvested without killing the stem. But don`t get too exited: You can`t go into any restaurant and ask for shojin ryori. It’s usually only served in temples (Kyoto is a good place to try and find it), and since it is quite expensive, it’s not something you can eat every day.

Do some research about vegetarian restaurants in the place you will be going (here’s a good site for Tokyo) and, if you`re tired of Japanese food, there are plenty of Indian restaurants in Japan which have vegetarian options as well.

By the way, Japanese gelatin is usually made from seaweed, which means you can enjoy delicious Japanese sweets like warabi-mochi.

As you can see Japan is, with a few obstacles, also enjoyable for Vegetarians/Vegans – so I am sure that you will have an amazing and unforgettable time!

Interested in doing a Working Holiday in Japan? Working in Resort Jobs in Japan is the best way to start your adventure. We can find you a job in the best Ski and Beach Resorts around Japan, deliver you to your resort, and support you 24/7 while you’re there. Apply online today!

No matter what your plans, we’re here to help. Contact us anytime.

Japan Working Holiday | Our Best Suggested 12 Month Itinerary

Japan Working Holiday | Our Best Suggested 12 Month Itinerary

by | Jun 8, 2025 | Blog

Japan Working Holiday | Our Best Suggested 12 Month Itinerary

Japan is an incredible country, for so many reasons. If you’re planning to come on a Working Holiday Visa, you’ve got a full 12 months to really make the most of your experience. There’s so much to do, so many places to see, and so many wonderful people to meet. So where do you start? Here’s our suggestion for the best itinerary for a Japan working holiday 😉

When you first arrive in Japan, the 1st few weeks can be hard. Culture shock can be very strong in Japan, because it really is SO different to every other country in the world. As one of the world’s most homogenous societies, the Japanese way has become deeply ingrained in its people, and therefore it’s important to really do some reading into Japanese culture before you come.

After preparing yourself mentally for the adventure, the 1st decision you need to make is: where should I go first? In the beginning, your major focus is probably going to be on learning the language, so you can really meet local people and learn more about the culture. But there’s also the important question of, how will I support myself?

For this reason, we recommend working in a Ski or Beach Resort as your 1st port of call. Over a few month period, you’ll be completely surrounded in a Japanese rural environment, which means less contact with foreigners, which means more Japanese practice 😉 In addition, working with hundreds of other young Japanese people, and living with them in dormitory-style accommodation, you’ll make friendships that last a lifetime. And apart from the obvious fringe benefits of getting to enjoy skiing / snowboarding, or lazing on a tropical beach in Okinawa, you’ll also finish up your contract with some hard-earned cash with which to spend on the next exciting chapter of your adventure!

You might like to journey into the city afterwards, to get your neon fix. This is totally expected, especially after a long winter season. Our best suggestion for this time is to travel around, visiting all your new-found friends from the Resort, in their hometowns. Explore old Kyoto, party all night in Tokyo, Wander peacefully through shrines or temples in any number of amazing spots around the country (Koya-san near Osaka, Kurama Onsen in Kyoto, or Nikko near Tokyo are some of our favorites). Essentially, just be a tourist for a while, and enjoy every day that you’re not working 🙂

Once you’ve had enough of this, we recommend either WWOOFing (http://www.wwoofjapan.com/main/), or volunteering with one of the many Volunteer organisations in Japan. This will be a fascinating, extremely eye-opening experience, and you’ll also meet some amazing people in the process.

After this, you’ll probably still have about 3-6 months left on your Working Holiday Visa. This is when we highly recommend living in one of the big cities, and enjoying modern Japan in all its glory.

Check out Gaijinpot (https://apartments.gaijinpot.com/en/rent) or Metropolis (Tokyo area – http://metropolis.co.jp) or the Kansai Flea Market (Kansai area – http://www.kfm.to) classifieds for a share apartment to stay in for a few months. You’ll also find job listings on those websites. Don’t be too picky with jobs, you’ll probably only be there a few months, so just make the most of your time on the job, interacting with the Japanese people, and off the job, going out as much as possible and cultivating some great lasting relationships (so you’ll be tempted to come back to Japan again in future!!) 😉

Most of our team at boobooSKI have been living in Japan for the majority of our adult lives, for good reason. We LOVE Japan. Of course, it has its odd parts, as any country does, but once Japan lures you in, it’ll forever hold a special place in your heart…

We really hope you fall in love with the country as much as we have. If you ever decide to do a Japan Working Holiday, we can find you a job in one of many Ski and Beach Resorts around Japan. We’ll help you out every step of the way to prepare for your trip, have the BEST experience while you’re here, and even after working in a Resort, we’ll ALWAYS be there for you if you ever need any advice/support at all 🙂

Questions about Japan? We’re here to help. Contact us anytime.