About Harappa Cafe
Harappa Cafe is a community diner open to everyone, children and adults alike. We want it to be a place where people connect, and a space where anyone can feel at ease. The food is a buffet, and the price is up to you.
Everyone here is a volunteer, the owner included. We come from Japan and abroad.
Not all the vegetables we use are organic, but we regularly receive organic and low-pesticide produce from nearby farms we help out.
How WWOOF works
WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) is a worldwide network. It connects hosts (organic-minded farms, restaurants, and the like) with volunteers, called WWOOFers, who want to help and learn. We’ve taken part in WWOOF since 2006.
- Helping: about 6 hours a day
- What you receive: three meals, a place to stay, plus the experience and the people you meet
- Money: none changes hands
- What you need to take part: registration with WWOOF Japan (annual fee ¥5,500)
What kind of help is it?
Here, you cook freely with whatever’s in the kitchen, and put your dishes out on the buffet. Besides cooking, sometimes also:
- Helping out at nearby small organic and pesticide-free farms
- Helping neighbors with whatever’s come up
- Cleaning, carpentry, and so on, to keep the place comfortable for everyone
Who comes?
People who love to cook, and who care about food and everyday life. Most volunteers come from abroad (France, the US, Australia, Taiwan, and so on), and people from within Japan are just as welcome.
Ages are all over the place: teens, thirties, fifties, eighties.
Whatever language you speak is fine here.
What a stay looks like
- How many people stay: around 5 to 8
- How long: from two weeks (a few weeks to a month is common)
- Age: from 16 (under 16 accompanied by a parent)
- Days off: two a week (Tuesday and Wednesday)
How to apply
We ask that you apply through WWOOF.
- Register with WWOOF. Sign up on the WWOOF Japan website (annual fee ¥5,500). You’ll be able to reach more than 290 hosts across Japan.
- Send Harappa Cafe a message. Log in, then message us from the Harappa Cafe profile page.
- Wait for our reply. We’ll get back to you about room availability and the rest.
You can come on your own, or as a couple or a family. We ask everyone staying to register with WWOOF (no registration needed under 16). We set aside shared rooms where we can, but the number of rooms is limited, so we can’t always accommodate every request.
Once your stay is confirmed
There’s a volunteer handbook covering how things work during your stay. Please read it before you arrive.
