Children camp for social inclusion/SHIGA
Japan
Children
People with disabilities
Children
People with disabilities
Fixed dates
About the project
Children camp for social inclusion/SHIGA
📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
TENKI-MURA was established in 1987 (registered as NPO in 1994) to improve the surroundings of children in Kusatsu area. Since their slogan is “The earth is a playground” they have been hosting many hands-on programs and organizing many outdoor events in the forest, lakeside and playground. Their activities also help parents have closer relationship within the community. Since 2015, TENKI-MURA start putting more focuses on childcare for disabled children as well as their parents for mental support.
To pursue the organizational vision and ideality, the staff has been working on the reality of disabled children and their surroundings. From 2014, we host 2 days workcamp leader orientation at this location. Camp leaders learn how to cook from a scratch, does many case-study/feedbacks with TENKI-MURA staff. CIEE have very close relationship with this organization. CIEE Japan started STV with TENKI-MURA in 2004 and it will be 13th anniversary this summer.
TENKI-MURA official homepage: http://www.biwako.ne.jp/~nt-tenki/
TENKI-MURA Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nt.tenkimura
💼 What the programme involves
-Camping with children
Volunteers help day camp for elementary school children (6 to 12 years old, about 20 children in total). Volunteers are expected to act as their leaders. Volunteers cook, play in the river (sometimes fish catching) and make a secret basement while making sure that children are all safe.
Not only day camp but also summer camp volunteers take children for 2-3 days in an isolated village. ZUTTO is an old Japanese-style house it has been there for 150 years. During the camp, you will pick up vegetables on the mountain, play games around the Hosokawa River and cook fresh pizza hand-made stone oven. You will have a chance to go experience a hot spring nearby.
-Taking care of handicapped children
TENKI-MURA has played an active role to support those who have disabilities. There are about 10 handicapped children who need support for their daily life. Most activities are taking place indoors because of the safety reason but they sometime take children to a camp for social inclusion. In 2017, TENKI MURA is planning to organize 2 days camp where non-handicapped children and handicapped children are mixed so that they can interact and help each other. This camp will take place at KODOMONO KUNI (which means a nation for children) which is located in alongside with lake Biwa (the largest freshwater lake in Japan).
KODOMONO KUNI facility
http://www.biwa.ne.jp/~kodomo92/shisetu.html#kyanp
🏠 Accommodation on site
Accommodation:
1． Japanese house which TENKIMURA owns next to their office
2． camping facility when camping overnight
Facilities:
1. Japanese Tatami room and sleep on your sleeping bag, washer, kitchen, Western toilet, bathroom with a bathtub, free-wifi is available, convenience store and supermarket is 10 minutes away on foot.
2. Kitchen, western toilet, volunteers will use the shower or hot spring in the neighborhood
Meals:
Volunteer take turns to cook their meals. Volunteers go to supermarket or convenience store together with a camp leader for grocery. Sometimes dinner will be provided by the local partner. When camping, volunteers may use a stone stove outside to cook pizza or steam rice.
📍 About the location
Shiga prefecture is in the central part of Japan and is famous for Lake Biwa, which is the largest freshwater lake in Japan. The lake occupies one sixth of the total area of the prefecture. Kusatsu City is located in the south of the lake and has about 130,000 residents. It takes about 20 minutes by train to get to Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan with lots of historical sites, and about 60 minutes by train to get to Nara, where you can find many UNESCO World Heritage site. A volunteer needs at least 10,000 JPY in cash if she/he wants to go sightseeing on free-day.
⚠️ Requirements
1. Handicapped children can not communicate verbally so each volunteer is expected to be patient and generous.
2. Plan outdoor games that are popular among children in your home country. Make sure you prepare to teach them to Japanese kids.
3. A sleeping mat is a must
4. A motivation letter (more than 5 sentences long) is required. Please include your interest, motivation, experience and strength of yourself in English or Japanese.
A sleeping bag, swimwear, work clothes suitable for outdoor activities (Long-sleeved shirts, T-shirts, pants, long-socks and sneakers), sneaker, hat(or cap), toiletries, bath towels and other things you need for your daily life.
ℹ️ Additional information
This camp is suitable for people who can enjoy being around the nature and taking care of children regardless of their abilities. It would be great if a volunteer is both physically and mentally tough.
Interested in this project? Create your account and apply online.
Sign in to apply📅 Available sessions
CIEEJ1715
17/08/2017 → 01/09/2017
Volunteers registered
0 / 7
♂ 0/3
♀ 0/4
ℹ️ Key information
Age required
18–30 years old
Solidarity donation
0.00
French tax residents may be eligible for a tax reduction of up to 66% of their costs (membership, plane tickets, solidarity donation).
📍 Location
Kusatsu Station, 1-chōme-1 Shibukawa, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-0026, Japan
Japan
🌍 Location info
Local currency
Japan Yen (JPY / ¥)
Exchange rate
1 JPY = 0.005641 EUR
Rate as of 31/05/2026
Timezone
Japan Standard Time
Local time: 21:48 (12/11/2026)
🛡️ Before you leave
✅ Features
🗣️ Languages spoken
English
Japanese