Workcamp Details

Description: This workcamp has been organized with Kyodo Gakusha since 2000, a cooperative community where about people with various backgrounds such as mentally disadvantaged, people who are tired of city life, who wants to learn farming, just want to live in the nature, etc. They have 5 communities in Tokyo, Nagano and Hokkaido and grow animals and vegetables in ecological, organic way with utilizing bacterium and charcoal. Maki Farm has about 10 members (including 2 families with small children!) 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 and revived by the community. The popular documentary film for this place was broadcasted in 2015 arayashiki-movie.jp/en/

Type of Work: Volunteers will help their organic farm by cutting thatch, threshing rice, selecting beans, taking care of goats and chicken and also carry the things from the town, renovate the trails, help their house works especially cooking, etc. Be ready to work for quite a long time (05:30-18:00 with some brakes) and hard.

Study Theme: Similar type of communities in each country and their networking

Accommodation: Building for the volunteers in the farm. Very beautiful cultural heritage! Meals will be cooked by volunteers together with the community people by turns. Sleeping bag is not necessary.

Language: English (Japanese is also welcomed!)

Requirements: Good Japanese language is not necessary, but still welcomed. Volunteers need to be physically strong and flexible to respect the way of the local host. Motivation letter is needed!

Approximate 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.

Notes: other activities: Exchange program, Excursion on a free day (possibly to Hakuba, a famous tourism spot), etc.