This project is actively working for SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDGs 10 (Reduced Inequalities), organized together with Kyodo Gakusha since 2015, 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. Tateya Farm has 40 members and NICE started LMTV projects here since 2014. NICE also organizes workcamps and LMTV projects in Maki and Shintoku farms of Kyodo Gakusha.
*Outcome of this workcamp: In 2023, 1 mid term volunteer for 2 months greatly contributed to harvest rice which was difficult to finish by the time they needed without volunteers! There was also nice exchange between Community people and vols. through Yoga and Mindfulness. Please see the presentation of the camp leader for the IVS contest in Japan https://www.slideshare.net/nice-workcamp/e4-54764427 (only Japanese for the moment, but you can at least enjoy the pictures!)
Volunteers will help their organic farm (harvesting/ threshing rice, planting vegetables, taking care of animals, etc.) and their house work especially cooking. Volunteers will also carry the things in the mountain to the Maki farm and harvest rice there. Be ready to work for quite a long time (05:30-18:00 with some brakes) and hard. It'd be surely good exercise to make your body more healthy!
Motivation letter is needed. Volunteers need to have good level of speaking for the daily conversations of English or Japaneseand and high motivation and patience to keep the hard, long and important work in the natural place, to respect the way of the local host and to learn and speak Japanese language is needed. No special skills nor experiences are needed.
Shared room in the building for the volunteers and a few members, 5 min. walk from the farm. Meals will be cooked by volunteers together with the community people by turns. Sleeping bag is not necessary. There is limited Wifi.
70 nationalities are exempted to get visa within 3-6 months stay! So, only those who are from other countries or those who will stay for a longer time will need to get visa.
Check the updated info. at this site (https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page22e_000921.html#section2) and this site (https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html) of MOFA, Japanese embassies and any others.
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18,000 JPY (110 EUR by the rate on 2023 Nov. 18th) per month till the 3rd month and 9,000 JPY per month from the 4th month of "NICE Volunteers" fee need to be paid in advance either by Card or PayPal.
This is used for the project preparation/ coordination such as the transportation of the camp leaders while the meals and the accommodation are provided by the local host by free. Odd days are counted as one month (e.g., 170 days are counted as 6 months).
- Study theme
Similar type of communities in each country and their networking
- Other activities
Exchange program, Excursion on a free day (possibly to Hakuba, a famous tourism spot), etc.
- Location
Otari village is a small village located in the region of stunning natural beauty in the northern part of Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It is beautiful village near “Japanese Northern Alps”. It takes 40-50 min. by foot from Minami-Otari, the nearest train station.
- Terminal
The nearest airport is Tokyo (NRT or HND) from which it takes 7 hours to the project by train and bus. However, volunteers need to join On Arrival (in Yokohama for TT05-07, 10 and Osaka for TT01-04, 08-09) and Evaluation Seminars (in Yokohama for TT01, 03, 06, 08 and Osaka for TT02, 04, 05, 07, 09, 10), so firstly should arrive at/ leave NRT or HND if the seminar is in Yokohama and KIX if it is in Osaka, by 08:00 on the starting day and can leave there after 18:00 on the ending day.
-Language
English (Japanese is also welcomed!)
-Other
The first/ last 2 days are On Arrival/ Evaluation Seminars in Yokohama or Osaka.
