Maki 5 | NICE-26V-0914A | 2026-09-14 - 2026-09-19 | AGRI,ENVI,SOCI | Age: 18 - 99

This project is actively working for SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDGs 10 (Reduced Inequalities), organized together with Kyodo Gakusha (since 2000 here), 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 grow animals and vegetables in an 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. Over 10 people were living till several years ago, but less and less in these years (almost nobody in the winter), so vols. are needed even more! *Outcome of this project: In 2025, we had 20 STVs for 4 short term workcamps and 3 LMTVs from 9 countries 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!)

Work: The work will be mainly helping organic agriculture (cutting thatch, harvesting/ threshing rice, selecting beans, taking care of goats, cows and chicken) and also carrying the things from the town to Maki, renovating the trails on the way, reconstructing the neighboring traditional house owned by the ex. inhabitant and destroyed by snow, helping the house works especially cooking, etc. Be ready to work for quite a long time (06:00-18:00 with some brakes) and hard!

Accomodation and food: 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 together with the members by turns. Sleeping bag is not necessary.

Location: Nagano

Location and Leisure: Maki is located in the beautiful place near “Japanese Northern Alps”, at about 900 meters asl. and there is something remained here that most of Japanese areas have lost in modernization. Other activities - Various play in the nature! As this is only 6 days workcamp, there is no free day, so if the volunteers want to enjoy the sightseeing (e.g., Hakuba), they should do it before/ after the workcamp!

Airport: TYO

Train/Bus station: The nearest international airport is Tokyo (NRT or HNH). 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 Sep. 13 and can leave there from the beginning of Sep. 20.

Requirements: Volunteers need to have high motivation and patience to keep the hard, long and important work in the very isolated, natural place and to respect the way of the local host. No special skills nor experiences are needed. Motivation letter is needed!

Language: eng

Extra Fee: 9000 JPY

Study theme - Similar type of communities in each country and their networking Participation fee - 9,000 JPY (50 EUR by the rate on 2025 Nov. 3rd) 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 staff/ camp leaders, visa invitation cost, publications, etc. while the meals and the accommodation are provided by the local host by free (so, your fee is not used for those things!). Other - The popular documentary film for this place was broadcasted in 2015 at arayashiki-movie.jp/en/.