Organized together with a local group formed for this project that mainly consists of the local organic farmers and staffs of Center to Promote Organic since 99.

This town is quite famous for promoting organic farming. In spite of such wonderful natural heritages, the population has been decreased, especially children are very few, so the main problem of Aya today is aging. We aim to activate the area by workcamps.

We will be divided into 2-3 groups, help local farmers such as cutting bushes and harvesting vegetables. We will prepare/ run/ clean the local summer festival. There are possibilities to do some other community works. We will join the Kids activities.

Public hall.

South east of Kyushu Island. About 190 km of Fukuoka. This town is quite famous for promoting organic farming and eco-tourism by leadership of the mayor and some others.

Fukuoka airport (3 hours by express train. You need to arrive by 09:00 on 20 July. and can leave there after 17:00 on 30 Jul.). From Osaka, 6 hours by bullet train and 12 hours by midnight bus (you need to arrive at Kansai airport by 19:00 on 19 Jul. and leave there from 11:00 on 31 Jul.)

Interest in Japanese local community. Volunteers need to be able to ride a bicycle, and should not have any remarks on diet.

Organized together with KOBOSHA, a local NPO for community planning, since 1996. We will join the summer festival called ‘TORO NAGASHI’ that is a memorial service for an ancestor by making a lantern and floating it down a river. We will make large TORO (2 x 2 meters) for the festival in this workcamp. We aim to mobilize the area with workcamps. Through workcamps, the local community will be much more activated, redeveloping pride for their community and revival FUKUSHIMA!

We will mainly help and join the festival by making four big lanterns ‘TORO’ (2 x 2 meters) and hundreds of small lanterns together with local students. You can design your own large ‘TORO’ in this festival. It will be physically challenging work.

sports Centre.

Small town in the southern part of Fukushima. 100km far from Fukushima nuclear power plant and the level of radioactivity is 0.15 mSv/h that is far from dangerous!

Tokyo (5 hours from Tokyo by bus. You need to arrive at Narita airport by 07:30 on Frist day. and can leave there after 20:00 on last day.)

Interest in Japanese culture, making big lanterns (‘TORO’) and working with locals!

Organized together with “Morito”, a local voluntary group in Sado Island, since 2001. They maintain the school forest called “Furusato-no-mori Park” in Ogi town, on the southern part of the island. They make it possible for the community to enjoy the forest in every season. They are now trying to focus on caring for the forest in a joint effort with the community. They hope youth and foreign volunteers will mentally and physically help to empower the area.

We will participate in the famous art festival “Earth Celebration” and sell soba (buckwheat Japanese noodles) with the local people. We will also work in the school forests, cutting bushes and creating recreation programs for local youth to experience the forest. Part of the World Tanabata Action.

Tents. SB! CV

300 km northeast of Tokyo. Sado Island is famous for gold and the Japanese crested ibis. Ogi is in the southern part beside the beach, where you can enjoy fishing and the hot spring!

Tokyo (3.5 hours by express train/ 8 hours by highway bus. You need to arrive at Narita airport by 19:00 on 11 Aug. and can leave there after 11:00 on 1 Sep.)

Organized together with the local group, Tsuga Nagafuji Local Conference, since 2011. Recently, aging and depopulation of the area is getting very serious as well as many other villages in Japan. So, they expect the workcamp to help and join one of the biggest festivals in Shimane prefecture called “Bamboo Lantern Festival” to activate the event and the community. Local people want us to know their traditional cultures to be succeeded to the next generation. The first workcamp in 2011 was successful!

We will cut bamboos for improving ecological situation and then, make the lanterns from those bamboos as well as other small stuffs to be used in the festival. We will also organize a program in the elementary school to promoting both inter-cultural learning and also the festival to the children.

In the local exchange center.

Misato-cho located in the middle of the Shimane prefecture, famous for Iwami silver mine as a world heritage. There is hot spa, beautiful nature. You can feel Japanese four seasons.

Osaka (9 hours by midnight bus. You need to arrive at Kansai airport by 19:00 on 09 Oct. and can leave there after 15:00 on 24 Oct.) From Tokyo, 6 hours by bullet train or 14 hours by midnight bus.

People with a flexible, positive, can-do attitude.