Volunteers: 3
Age: over 18
Language: English / Japanese
Host organization: NPO Children Network Center “Tenki-mura”
Terminal: Kansai International Airport
Station: JR Kusatsu Station
Background:
In Japan, children are having fewer chances to talk with elder people in the neighborhood and also they tend to stay home playing video games. TENKIMURA was established in 1987 to reconsider and improve the situation that children are put, and to help their healthier growth. This organization has many programs and organizes events related to nature activities for children, aiming to create a better local community and offer supports to parents in their child-rearing. The slogan is “The earth is a playground!” Lots of local people are involved in the events as supporters and TENKIMURA provides children with chances to explore the nature, and hopefully, the event will stay in their minds as a precious memory for the rest of their life.
Work:
This program consists of two sections. 1: Camping with children, 2: Repair work on old, traditional Japanese-style houses.
As for 1: The summer camp is a program for elementary school children (6 to 12 years old). Volunteers will be expected to act as their leaders. You will cook, play in the river and do other activities with children while making sure they are all safe.
As for 2: Volunteers will stay at Japanese-style old thatched house and participate in repair work on those houses. You can experience Japanese old life-style and see how nature was close to the life of people in the past. Volunteers will have opportunities to visit the facility for the elderly.
Accommodation:
Volunteers will be staying at the camping site for the first half of the program and will be accommodated in the office, an old house, for the second.
Facilities:
Bedding will be limited, and may need a sleeping bag in some part of the stay. There are a washer, a kitchen, a lavatory and a bathroom. A small shop, public phone, Internet café are available nearby.
Meals:
Volunteers are expected to cook by themselves, sometimes with children. Foodstuffs (of approx. 500 JPY per meal) will be provided.
During the camp, cooking is done in the camping site, and after the camp, a kitchen in the office is available.
What to bring:
Volunteers need to bring a sleeping bag, swimwear, work clothes and something to introduce
your country with, such as a game. Need Clothing suitable for activities, such as T-shirts, pants,
and sneakers. Long-sleeved shirts and a hat/cap are a must. In addition to clothing, please bring
toiletries, towels and other things you need for your daily life.
Location:
Shiga prefecture is in the central part of Japan and is famous for Lake Biwa, the biggest lake in the country, which occupies one sixth of the total area of the prefecture. Kusatsu City lies to the south of the lake and has over 110,000 residents. The city served as one of “Sekisho”, ancient checkpoints on Five Main Highways in Edo period (1615-1867) and used to be a busy place with many tourists. It takes about 20 minutes by train to get to Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan with lots of historical sites, and about 2 hours by express trains to get to Kansai International Airport.
URL:
NPO Children Network Center Tenkimura: http://www.biwako.ne.jp/~nt-tenki/
Remarks:
Japanese skill (intermediate level) is preferable for communication with kids. This camp is recommended to those who enjoy being around the nature and taking care of children. Volunteer work involved with repairing old traditional houses, it would be great if a volunteer is physically tough.