Mother Nature environmental protection camp and temple stay in Sado Island, Japan

In our Mother Nature Environmental Camp Japan you live on the grounds of the beautiful historic Koninji temple on Sado Iceland and sit as a volunteer for the preservation of the nature of the island one, especially for the protection of the Nippon-Ibisses and take on different activities Farming part . You will be part of local communities and get to know a piece of rural and traditional Japan that is often closed to you as a normal tourist or in larger cities. We also always have Japanese participants in this program , so that a cultural and linguistic exchange takes place.

How can you get involved as a volunteer?

As a volunteer, you and Japanese volunteers take part in a variety of activities, for which our volunteer coordinator creates a weekly activity plan.

Activities around the Koninji Temple: The 80-year-old mother of the monk, who now lives mainly in Kyoto, is solely responsible for maintaining the temple's historic buildings and their outdoor areas with an ornamental garden and fruit trees. There is always something to do and you can help her. Japanese youth groups also regularly visit the temple to help, which you can join.

Ogura稻田:世界团结起来!是Ogu的一部分吗ra rice farming community. The rice fields were built in terraces on steep slopes in the 17th century and can therefore only be worked by hand or with small hand-held machines, which does not make their operation commercially viable. They are only used to avoid landslides and as a food source for the Nippon ibis. The rice farmers operate the rice fields as a sideline only on weekends, and you can help. The rice is planted in April and harvested in September and October. During other months, the irrigation system needs to be checked and repaired, which includes a canal from a 17th century water reservoir to the rice fields. The edges of the rice fields must be regularly paved with certain types of soil,

Collect forest herbs for herbal tea blends: A small company from Sado collects wild herbs and tree leaves in the forest and uses them to prepare herbal tea blends. Volunteers in our program accompany the herbalist into the forest, where they receive explanations about the herbs and help with the collection. In the company's premises you can then learn and help to clean, dry, grind the herbs and leaves and process them into tea blends. You can take your own tea mixture with you as a souvenir.

Bamboo workshops with school children: A Brazilian bamboo carpenter and artist lives in Sado and regularly holds workshops on creative design with bamboo with local school children. The children build musical instruments, toys or playground equipment out of bamboo. Bamboo is an extremely fast growing raw material that can replace plastic and other less sustainable materials in a wide range of applications. Unfortunately, in Japan, bamboo hardly plays a role as a building material anymore. As a volunteer, you will first learn how to make the objects from the Brazilian bamboo expert and then you can teach this yourself together with him and other volunteers in workshops to local school children and at the same time practice English conversation with them. In the months of April to June, bamboo shoots are also collected in forests,

Environmental protection organization activities and visits: Various environmental protection organizations, which often cooperate with Japanese universities, are active in Sado Island. They regularly carry out various activities that you join, such as monitoring nippon ibises, finding nests and counting eggs, activities in biotopes at other locations in Sado, as well as carrying out environmental protection events and campaigns. We also regularly visit places of biological or geological interest on Sado, such as the state-owned Nippon-Ibis Breeding and Research Center.

维护Iwakubi群落生境:国际扶轮之间ce fields of Iwakubi there are zones that are operated as biotopes. This creates habitats that are ideal for amphibians, fish and other small animals that the Nippon ibis eat as food. For this purpose, certain types of plants are planted and water levels are checked that are connected to the irrigation systems of the rice fields, but also grass and bushes are regularly cut so that the birds have access to the water surfaces. In addition, the existing animal and plant species must be regularly determined and their density determined. As a volunteer, you will learn about the biotopes, the presence of which of course also benefits many other species of plants and animals as habitats.

Chokokuji Temple: Chokokuji from the year 807 is the largest temple complex of Sado, which is known for national cultural treasures such as statues from the 10th-12th centuries. Century as well as gigantic historical trees to which spiritual powers are ascribed. Hundreds of rabbits live on the site to keep the grass short. As a volunteer, there are regular assignments in the temple complexes such as maintenance work, light gardening and activities with visiting school groups. The monk will tell volunteers interesting stories about the history of the temple and Buddhism.

Farming and forest work: In addition to rice, the many farmers on Sado also plant persimmons, oranges, kiwis, shiitake mushrooms and other fruits and vegetables. The forests in the area are also cultivated. You can help out with these activities at various locations and learn about principles of agriculture and forestry in Japan and Japanese rural life.

在周末空闲时间活动:要么(or if you work in the rice fields of Ogura on the weekend, alternatively on weekdays) there are usually no volunteering activities, but we organize group leisure activities such as going to the beach, hiking and sightseeing at a small extra cost. You can decide on site whether you want to take part.