Educational training and Mine Village Life/ YAMAGUCHI
Japan
Education
Culture
Education
Culture
Fixed dates
About the project
Educational training and Mine Village Life/ YAMAGUCHI
📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
Koen Gakuin is a private mission school, having its origin in Mercedarias Misioneras de Bérriz (Spain). In 1952, they established junior high school, placing high school on the side. The school is small in size, with only 160 students (from 7th to 12th graders). They focus on religious field (Catholic) and English teaching. This is a joint program with Mine slow tourism network. Volunteers have chances to deeply experience a rural Japanese school life in Yamaguchi area. The local partner is looking for volunteers who is mature, energetic and interested in revitalizing the community and accelerate communication among Japanese and international members. CIEE Japan started STV with Koen Gakuin back in 2008 and the joint program started in 2014.
Koen Gakuin School http://www.hagikoen.jp/
Mine Tourism guide (ENGLISH) http://english.karusuto.com/
Mishima island http://hagikaiun.sakura.ne.jp/
💼 What the programme involves
[First Week] (July 16th- 23th)
-Prepare and support 3 days Mishima island camp for local teenagers (Elementary – High school)
※work may be cancelled if the weather is bad or there are short on students applying for the camp
-Do some manual work at a local share house in Mine
-Intercultural exchange with local community and accelerate communication among Japanese and international members.
-Experience ZAZEN meditation at local temple
[Second Week]
Join summer Program and help Junior high – high school children at Koen Gakuin (July 23th～28th)
-As an active teacher assistant, volunteer support many classes such as culture, music, physical exercise, games, craft, cooking and even field trip to give them chances to speak out and enjoy talking in English
-Introduce children game from your home country
-Play sports and dance with Japanese children
-Cook home country cuisine for Japanese children
-Each volunteer will be responsible for giving a lecture (a presentation) about home country
🏠 Accommodation on site
Accommodation:
[First Week] 120 year old Japanese traditional house which is being renovated for the share house
[Second Week]A school-owned house
Facilities:
[First Week] Japanese Tatami room with futon mattress, a washer, kitchen, shower, restroom, bathroom with bathtub
[Second Week] Sleep on the floor with FUTON (or sleeping bag), a washer, kitchen, shower, restroom, bathroom are available
Meals:
[First Week] Volunteers take turns and cook by themselves every day. Fresh rice and vegetables will be provided by a local farmer. A volunteer is expected to eat rice, miso soup, fish, egg, Tofu, beans on a daily basis without any problem
[Second Week] Volunteers take turns and cook breakfast and dinner. Volunteers will have school lunch at Hagi Koen
📍 About the location
Hagi is located in Yamaguchi prefecture, in the west part of Honshu, the Mainland of Japan, and faces the Sea of Japan. It is a small local city with the population of 55,000. Mishima island is located approximately 44 km from mainland Hagi, it has a population of 800 and Mishima cattle (Japanese native cattle) is registered as a Japanese National Treasure in 1928, and is one of only two remaining breeds of native cattle in the country.
Mine is a neighboring city to Hagi and it is 30 minutes away from Shin Yamaguchi Station which is the hub station for bullet train. The camp location is within the area of a mysterious Akiyoshido Cave(秋芳洞) and a beautiful Beppu Benten pond (別府弁天池). They became a popular touristic spot in recent years. A volunteer needs at least 10,000 JPY in cash if she/he wants to go sightseeing on free-day.
⚠️ Requirements
1. Volunteers need a strong motivation to be an active member to teach/take care of children during each class at Hagi Koen school.
2. Volunteers will do a presentation of their countries during English class. Please prepare the topic such as your hometown, food, sports, architecture, landmarks, greetings or game.
3. Extra fee 5000 JPY(about 40 EURO). Please pay on arrival. This fee will be used for supporting the accommodation fee
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.
Volunteers should bring one white shirt with collar and trousers (either black, navy or beige) for school event. For other days, long sleeve shirt (as well as T-shirt) and long pants, swimwear (for swimming), sneakers, flip-flops, bug protected spray, bath towels, facial towels, toothpaste, brush, shampoo and conditioner, presentation material, seasonings that represent your country (salt, garlic, paste, sauce or pepper)
Interested in this project? Create your account and apply online.
Sign in to apply📅 Available sessions
CIEEJ1705
16/07/2017 → 28/07/2017
Volunteers registered
0 / 5
♂ 0/2
♀ 0/3
ℹ️ Key information
Age required
18–30 years old
Solidarity donation
500.00 JPY ≈ 3 EUR
French tax residents may be eligible for a tax reduction of up to 66% of their costs (membership, plane tickets, solidarity donation).
📍 Location
Ofuku Station, Kami Ofukuchō, Mine, Yamaguchi 759-2301, Japan
Japan
🌍 Location info
Local currency
Japan Yen (JPY / ¥)
Exchange rate
1 JPY = 0.005641 EUR
Rate as of 31/05/2026
🛡️ Before you leave
✅ Features
🗣️ Languages spoken
English
Japanese