One membership for one person
Each person for whom Hosts are contacted (that includes you contacting Hosts on behalf of someone else) must be a member of WWOOF Japan before Hosts are contacted. If you are planning to travel with friends or family, those persons will each need to complete an Application Form on our website, pay, and become a member, before hosts are contacted.
Renew your membership before it expires
If your 12 month membership has expired, renew it before you contact Hosts to make arrangements to go to their place. If you are WWOOFing and your membership is soon to expire, renew it before it expires. Make sure you have received your membership renewal information before Hosts are contacted.
You will receive a discount of between 9% and 72% if you extend your WWOOF Japan membership before it expires.
Membership material is for the individual member only
All WWOOF Japan membership material is for the exclusive use of the individual person who has completed an Application Form and paid for membership, and must not under any circumstances be given to others.
Membership materials is for WWOOFing activities only
You are not permitted to solicit Hosts or WWOOFers, or use WWOOF Japan related information, for commercial, research or any other endeavour without explicit permission from the WWOOF Japan office in writing to do so.
Your WWOOFer Permit
Don't forget to print out & give a copy of your WWOOFer Permit to each Host you go to !!! If you don' bring your WWOOFer Permit, the Host will NOT accept you, and you'll have to leave.
Your WWOOFer Permit certifies that you are a current WWOOF Japan WWOOFer.
You must print out one copy of your WWOOFer Permit, handwrite in pen the Host Code and the Host Name of the Host you are going to, sign and date it, and give that one completed WWOOFer Permit to each Host you go to. The Host will not return it to you, and will instead keep it for their records, and to use in their monthly reporting to the WWOOF Japan office.
The WWOOFer Permit is dynamically generated from the WWOOFer profile. It shows the type of membership you have purchased, ie., whether you are WWOOFing alone or with children, etc. It shows your membership commencement date and expiry date, your name, date of birth, Username, and other basic information about you and your membership.
You must either have a personal photo of yourself in your profile that will print out on your WWOOFer Permit, or, you must have an official form of personal ID in your profile that will print out on your WWOOFer Permit. If you do not provide either a photo or a form of official personal ID, then your WWOOFer permit will be invalid. If you provide both photo and personal ID, then only the photo will print out on your WWOOFer Permit. Photos must show your entire face unencumbered, along lines typically stipulated for passport photos. If a Host cannot see your identity in the photo in your WWOOFer Permit, they will not accept you.
When you arrive at a Host, ensure you show your passport to the Host to verify your identity shown on your WWOOFer Permit.
(Can you see "W W O O F" ?)
No refund
We do not give refunds. Your membership is for whole year, so make a new WWOOFing plan if you change your initial travel plan in Japan.
Cannot change your commencement date
As we explain on the "Become a WWOOFer" page, we cannot change your commencement date after your membership period has commenced.
We can however change it if you contact us prior to your membership commencement date. The new date must be earlier than the date you originally registered, and NOT later. There is a fee of 850 yen to change your commencement date. You can send us that payment by any of the means outlined on our website; just follow the links regarding 'How to Pay'. The quickest way is by PayPal, and our PayPal address is pay[at]wwoofjapan.com (Please substitute the [at] for @).
You participate in WWOOF Japan at your own risk
As a condition of membership to WWOOF Japan, you agree that you contact WWOOF Japan Hosts, make enquiries about visiting them, and go and visit them entirely at your own risk. The money you have paid to WWOOF Japan is for information only; and it does not cover you with insurance of any kind. WWOOF Japan and the individuals who are coordinating WWOOF Japan are in no way responsible for the experiences you have with or at Hosts's places. If any of the above is unacceptable to you, please do NOT visit WWOOF Japan Hosts.
Safety
While staying and working with Hosts, always ask Hosts about the activities they ask you to do as to whether it is safe for you to do them. If you are asked to do something that you don't entirely understand, that to you seems unsafe, or something that you have not done before and cannot judge the safety of it, don't do it. Always consider your safety first.
Insurance
Your WWOOF Japan membership does NOT include insurance of any kind. We recommend that you arrange insurance for yourself to cover yourself for injury. Some people say that it is unlikely that one will be injured. But we recommend you take insurance against injury. Depending on what country you are in, there are different products available, often from travel agents. You should make clear on your injury insurance application the details about WWOOF, that it is an exchange program giving you meals and accommodation in return for your helping Hosts with the activities they do, and that many Hosts are farms.
Tell your family where you are going and update them as you move
Please ensure you tell family, friends and those who will be interested in you while you are away, where you are going, the name and contact details of the Host(s) you are going to, and be sure to update this information to them as you move about. Please too tell these same people what WWOOF and WWOOFing is about before you go. If they can't use the internet, print out some pages from our website at http://www.wwoofjapan.com for them to read. Especially please point out to them that WWOOFing is a do-it-yourself thing, that you will be managing your WWOOFing on your own, that you will not be administered by the WWOOF Japan office or by WWOOF Japan Hosts, that we at the WWOOF Japan office will likely not know which Host you are at and may well not be able to contact you at any one time. Please too explain to them that the WWOOF Japan office conduct all communications with WWOOFers and Hosts via e-mail, and we do not use the telephone. WWOOF Japan does NOT accept responsibility for endeavouring to contact WWOOFers who neglect to inform family and friends of where they are and where they are going to be.
To young people going WWOOFing
Please be sure your parents understand what WWOOF is. As you will read, in various ways, WWOOFing in Japan, and in countries around the world, is a do-it-yourself adventure. People who do WWOOFing must be able and prepared to contend with this, and to take all necessary precautions. If your parents are not happy with this, then please participate in a more organized form of travel (such as a tour group), and not in WWOOF Japan. Please remember that Hosts are not hotels and you are not a guest.
Visas & entering to Japan
WWOOFing is about travel and adventure, and making new friends. Don't mistake WWOOF for "work". If you inadvertently talk about "work" in relation to your WWOOFing, Japan immigration authorities may deem you to be potentially an illegal immigrant coming to Japan for the purpose of work, and on that basis deny you entry into Japan. Many people participate in WWOOF as part of their holiday experiences in Japan. Generally people coming to Japan to travel, enter Japan on a tourist visa, or on a Working Holiday visa. Others join WWOOF Japan while they are already reside in Japan, for example as students at a university with a student visa, or working for a company with a visa sponsorship from their employer. Obtaining a visa for Japan is entirely a matter between you and the Japanese Consulate General office nearest you. Your travel agent may be able to offer advice. You must NOT join WWOOF Japan as a means to getting a visa or employment. Neither the WWOOF Japan office, nor our Hosts can assist in any way regarding visa related matters.
No money exchanged between WWOOFers & Hosts
The basis of WWOOFing is an exchange in learning and mutual support. Absolutely no money is exchanged between Hosts and WWOOFers. It is illegal to work in Japan without a proper work visa. WWOOF has nothing at all to do with work.
Discrimination?
In some Host entries in the Host list, you will see statements, for example, saying "only women WWOOFers accepted". This at a glance can seem to be discrimination, but it is not meant to be. We call on Hosts to stipulate what kind of place and people they are, what kind of WWOOFers they want, and as much other information as they can provide. By doing this, WWOOFers are empowered to choose the places that appeal to them and ovoid those that don't. In the case of a Host saying that they want only women WWOOFers, it could be because the Host is a women who lives alone, and she is happier having WWOOFers of the same gender. Conversely, a Host that has only one set of living and bathing facilities that are used by the men at their place might be reticent to accept women feeling that they can't due to them having no separate female facilities. Other examples could be a Host saying that they only want WWOOFers who can speak some Japanese. This is important because the Host can't have WWOOFers with whom they can't communicate.
Complaints about Hosts?
If you have a bad experience with a Host, for whatever reason, please DO tell us. We follow up all complaints and work hard towards maintaining quality for all concerned. If you want your complaint to be