Newly organized together with Nishiwaga Council of Peaceful home Planning (NCP), consisting of the 6 communities, local NPO, and welfare institution. Nishiwaga is a rural town surrounded by the abundant nature and has been facing serious aging and depopulation problems. NCP has been trying to restore and animate the community, and organize some projects cooperated with local hospital and welfare facility. Nishiwaga is one of the heaviest snowfall area in Japan.
Work:
We will help to build the snow statue with the people from the welfare institution at the local event called ‘Yuki-akari''. We also remove snow of the elder's houses. Over 50% of the villagers are aged 65 or older, so they welcome our help! We will get training and work with the local volunteers.
Study Scheme:
Development of exchanging between urban and rural area. Please bring info.
Accommodation:
Old house (newly-renovated) Cooked by volunteers. Sleeping bags needed!
Location:
Center of Tohoku area, north part of Japan. Nishiwaga is located in border between Iwate and Akita prefecture, surrounded by beautiful mountains.
T: Tokyo (5 hours from Tokyo by train. You need to arrive at Narita airport by 19:00 on one day before the first day and can leave there after 9:00 on one day after the last day)
Leisure Activties:
local hot spring, exchange parties, etc.
Special Remarks:
Interest in community development & exchange with a community.
Organized together with Choma-Club (CC) since 2008. CC is a local NPO working for community development and youth-empowerment. It is a rural village surrounded by the abundant nature and has been facing serious depopulation problems. The numbers of vacant houses and abandoned farms have been rapidly increasing. So, CC is trying to restore and animate the community, and hand down the life in good harmony with nature. Showa-mura also has one of the deepest snow among the Japanese villages.
Work:
We will remove snow of the elder's houses in the mountain area. Over 50% of the villagers are aged 65 or older and they do not have enough physical strength to do it. We will get training and work with the local volunteers. We will discover the charm of rural life through interaction with the elder's!
Study Scheme:
Revival of Fukushima! Community development from the disaster in your country. Please bring info.
Accommodation:
The abandoned house, it is a historically valuable for volunteers. Cooked by volunteers. Sleeping bags needed!
Location:
Small village in the forested area, the population is about 1700. Over 100km far from Fukushima nuclear power plant and the level of radioactivity is 0.08μSv/h that is far from dangerous!
Terminal:
Tokyo (5 hours from Tokyo by train. You need to arrive at Narita airport by 07:30 on the first day and can leave there after 20:00 on the last day.)
Leisure Activities:
Excursions, exchange parties, etc.
Special Remarks:
Interest in community development & exchange with a community.
Organized together with Sumiyaki Kobo Otsuchi Mura since 2013, founded by local people to keep the original landscape. There were 140 inhabitants with 20 houses in 1916, but now no people live there! Still 10 houses are remained and the area was designated as Nation's Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings. We will try to improve the situation of the village by young voluntary power. The workcamp last year did great job to revive the stone wall made about 100 years ago!
Work:
We will do various work to activate the area and success their culture. Main work is shoveling and removing snow from the roofs of traditional houses, but possibly also help to have a kids’ camp with snow activities and staying in the traditional houses and do some other work for the community.
Study Scheme:
Best practice to revive depopulated areas in each country and their networking. Bring some info!
Accommodation:
Renovated house (traditional house!). Cooked by volunteers. Sleeping bags needed.
Location:
The southwest part of Ishikawa prefecture. Otsuchi village is surrounded by mountains, so very isolated, but beautiful place. Charcoal making was main industry.
Terminal:
Osaka (Kansai) airport (2.5 hours by express train). From Tokyo, 4 hours by express train/ 8 hours by highway bus (For Narita airport, you need to arrive by 13th afternoon/ can leave there after 24th noon.)
Leisure Activities:
Exchange parties with local people etc.
Special Remarks:
High motivation to work hard and simple life in the isolated area and respect to the local culture and way of the local organization! Speaking Japanese language is welcomed!
Organized together with some local groups. A giant earthquake occurred in the Tohoku area on the 11th Mar. that caused unprecedented damage. 80% of the houses were damaged in Rikuzen-takata and so many people still have to be living in the temporary houses. We have the special workcamps in Tohoku area for reconstruction work with over 350 vols. (over 3000 vols. x days) including international ones since 2011 Apr. that did great work! But we still need a lot of vol. and plan to continue for 10 years!
Work:
We will be divided into some groups, help local fisherman and farmers, people damaged by the tsunami such as reclaim, cutting grass and harvesting as well as organize some activities for the kids in the temporary houses and do anything else needed.
Study Scheme:
Best practice to revive disaster areas in each country. Bring some info.!
Accommodation:
Share room of the old house. Sleeping bags needed! Cooked by volunteers
Location:
South east edge of Iwate prefecture (very near from Miyagi). Forestry, agriculture and fishing are used to be the main industry, but were severely damaged and may take several years to be rehabilitated.
Terminal:
Tokyo (7 hours by bullet train or 10 hours by bus, You need to arrive at Narita airport by 19:00 on one day before the first day and can leave there after 09:00 on one day after the last day)
Leisure Activities:
Excursion and trekking, etc.
Special Requests:
High motivation to work for disaster area and respect to the local culture and way of the local organization! Motivation letter is required.
Organized together with Maki Farm of Kyodo Gakusha (KG) since 2000. KG is a NPO running 5 organic farming communities in Japan where people with various backgrounds such as mentally disadvantaged, those who want to learn farming, etc. in order to change our society from competitive to cooperative. Maki Farm has 5-10 members and is located in a very isolated area (not accessible for cars and we have to walk 4 km in the mountains), so once it became an abandon village in 1970s.
Work:
We will help their organic farming (weeding in rice and vegetable fields, planting vegetables, taking care of goats and chicken) and also carry the things from the town, renovate the trails, help their house work, etc. Be ready to work for quite a long time (05:30-18:00 with some brakes) and hard.
Study Scheme:
Similar type of communities in each country and their networking. Bring some info.!
Accommodation:
Building for volunteers in the farm. Cooked by volunteers. Sleeping bags needed!
Location:
Very isolated, but beautiful place near "Japanese Northern Alps". About 900 meters asl. There are something remained here that most of Japanese areas have lost in modernization.
Terminal:
Tokyo (4 hours by express train or 6-8 hours by bus and train. You need to arrive at Narita airport by 04:00 on Jun. 18th and can leave there after 24:00 on Jun. 29th.)
Leisure Activities:
Visit to the elementary school, foot ball and baseball (optional), exchange party, etc.
Special Requests:
Good Japanese language is not necessary, but still welcomed. You need to be physically strong and flexible to respect the way of the local host. Motivation letter is needed!
« If anyone is interested in doing some real volunteering and not paying stupid amounts of money to do it just visit VAP's website or drop them an e-mail. »
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