You too can experience life here on the farm!
Kannonyama Fruit Garden offers an internship program to both domestic and international applicants who want to come and see what we're all about. During the internship, you are invited to participate in the wide range of tasks and jobs we do here while staying at our company house. Through this program, you will have the opportunity to experience our world-class fruit and to learn about the production, processing, shipping and marketing involved.
We believe that through the internship program, we can share our passion for agriculture, our business, our culture and most importantly our friendship.
What you'll be doing
We have six main areas that interns are involved in.
In the field (えんち)
- Fruit picking (October - January are the main harvest season)
- Fruit maintenance : planting, fertilizing, irrigation, fruit thinning, etc.
- Farm maintenance : repairs, cleaning, etc.
In the parlour (パーラー)
- Preparing dishes such as our delicious and exceedingly popular parfaits
- Welcoming and serving customers
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Preparing drinks and helping with the dishes
In sorting and packaging (せんかとパッキング)
- Fruit quality inspection
- Fruit sorting by grades or sizes
- Packaging fruit to ready for sale
- Preparing and boxing internet orders to get them ready for sale / dispatch
In the factory (こうぼう)
- Processing fruit into our various products such as jams, curds, dried fruits, syrups, etc.
In the office (じむしょ)
- Maintaining this international website (WordPress) and social media (Instagram @kannonyama_international)
- Blogging about your internship experience in English and/or native language. (See the page INTERNS' BLOG)
- Assisting in expanding market reach. Currently we ship to Taiwan and Hong Kong
- Data entry
In the community (さいじ)
- Participating in community events
- Manning market stalls selling and educating people about our products
Otherwise, helping Kannonyama staff with any special needs or events as they may arise.
When and for how long
What time of year
- Interns are welcome at any time of year and in all seasons. The main harvest season is from October to January.
For how long
- Interns can come for long or short stays. However, it is preferred that interns stay longer than one week.
The schedule
- Every week, interns receive a schedule. Usually, this schedule includes 5 working days and 2 non-consecutive days off.
- On working days, interns work from 8am to 5pm, with a 1 hour lunch break.
- During the hot summer months, field work starts at 7am and ends at 4pm.
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Of course, this schedule can be flexible around individual travel plans and needs.
Accommodation
Here at Kannonyama we have a couple of company houses, or as they are known in Japanese, 社宅 / しゃたく / shataku. Interns are welcome to stay at one of our houses for the duration of their stay. All housing costs are covered, including electricity, water and internet.
One Kannonyama employee will assist the interns and come regularly to caretake the house.
Here is one of our houses.
Food
Kannonyama covers interns' food costs for the duration of their stay.
Groceries are bought at the local supermarket as needed (usually every two or three days). Breakfast and dinner are self-catered by each intern. For lunch at the farm, instant cup noodles are provided, but you are welcome to prepare and bring your own homemade meals.
It should be noted that if an intern wants any personal items, souvenirs, luxury items, etc. these will be at the intern's own expense.
What we're looking for in an intern
Language skills
- Fluency in Japanese is not strictly required. But since most of our staff are not bilingual, we advise coming here with at least basic conversational and reading skills.
- Applicants need to be fluent in English.
Experience and knowledge
- No specific background is required. We do appreciate the unique perspectives that people can offer from their own rich experiences.
- Interns with interests in agriculture, botany, business management, hospitality industry and Japanese language studies are very much welcome.
Physical and mental strength
- Interns will often be asked to undertake physically demanding activities, possibly in adverse weather conditions. Overall, physical fitness is required.
- Additionally, this internship can be exhausting, please take a rest during your days off.
Attitude
- Above all, interns need to have the right attitude : an open mind and a willingness to learn.
- For many, Japanese culture and small-town life may be unfamiliar. Interns need to be aware of this and prepared to adapt and embrace it.
- Additionally, interns will need to have patience and understanding when communicating across a language barrier.
