This project is actively working for SDGs 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDGs 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), organized together with Kyodo Gakusha since 2000, a cooperative community where people with various backgrounds such as mentally disadvantaged, people who are tired of city life, who want to learn farming, who want to live in the nature, etc. They have 5 communities in Japan incl. Maki and Tateya and grow animals and vegetables in ecological, organic way.
Maki is located in a very isolated area (not accessible for cars and we have to walk 4 km in the mountains!), so it once became an abandon village in 1970s and then, was revived by Kyodo Gakusha. The life is very hard with deep snow during the winter, so the members usually live in the other farm at the foot of the mountain and only sometimes come to Maki to clear the snow in these years. However, the water mill hut, that had been constructed just several years ago by a lot of work and donations, was destroyed in 2022 due to too much snow, they feel the needs to clear the snow more regularly, that's why the winter workcamp here has been revived since 15 years ago!
Tateya is located on the hilly (less than Maki, but still a bit isolated) area where 30-40 members live and mainly do rice farming as well as growing cows and chicken.
*Outcome of this workcamp: In 2023, we had 4 short term workcamps and 1 LMTV project with 13 vols. who greatly contributed to their protecting the houses, farming and caring animals that was difficult to finish by the time they needed without volunteers! See the long-term goal of this project as Local SDGs made by the previous project leader at https://www.slideshare.net/nice-workcamp/2019-ep3-188767935 (only in Japanese, sorry, but you can still enjoy the pictures!)
İş Tanımı
The volunteers will mainly clear the snow on the roofs and the surroundings of the old, traditional houses. They will also carry the things from the town to Maki and join the house work such as cooking, washing, clearing, etc. 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!
Konaklama ve Yemek
Maki: Volunteers will sleep in a few rooms of the volunteers' house that is a very beautiful cultural heritage and equips the basic facilities such as water, electricity, toilets and a bath room! They will have meals, meetings and social life with Kyodo Gakusha members in the main building (just 30 meters far). Meals will be cooked by volunteers together with the members by turns. Sleeping bag is not necessary. Tateya: Building for volunteers and a few members, 5 min. walk from the farm. Meals will be usually cooked by volunteers by turns. Sleeping bag is not necessary.
Konum ve Serbest Zaman
Both are located in the beautiful places near ÔÇ£Japanese Northern AlpsÔÇØ. Maki is in about 900 meters asl. and there is something remained here that most of Japanese areas have lost in modernization. Tateya is surrounded by the farms and 40 min. walk from the train station. Exchange program, Excursion on a free day (possibly to Hakuba, a famous tourism spot), etc.
Notlar
Similar type of communities in each country and their networking
Konuşulan Diller
English
En Yakın Terminal
The nearest international airport is Tokyo (NRT or HND). From Tokyo to the meeting point near the project, it takes 5 hours by express bus. Volunteers need to arrive at the airport in Tokyo by the end of Feb. 18 and can leave there from the beginning of Feb. 24.
