Hiwasa

Name: Hiwasa
Start: 2026-10-07
End: 2026-10-13
Location: Tokushima, Japan

Code: 20260217-75af-4815-a261-a8979b78064a Copied

Japan Culture Culture Fixed dates

About the project

Hiwasa

📝 Detailed information

🏢 About the local organisation

This project is actively working for SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), newly organized together with the local group, “Hiwasa tourist volunteer association“. The Hiwasa Hachiman Shrine Festival, held since the ancient times, is a celebration for prayers of abundant catch, good harvests, maritime safety, and the prosperity of the five grains. During the festival, eight Chosa (taiko drum stand) parade through the Hiwasa area. The climax of the festival is when participants carry the Chosa and enter the sea. Although it is a historic festival, there has been a shortage of young people to carry the Chosa due to the region's declining population. The goal is for young people from around the world and Japan to learn about the Hiwasa festival, help preserve its culture and promote its charm. Former NICE volunteers have moved to the area as part of the regional revitalization program and plan to host this first international workcamp to energize the community.

💼 What the programme involves

Volunteers will help with the entire process of participating in a traditional autumn festival, from its preparations, carrying the chosa (portable shrine), to cleaning up afterward. Be ready to work for a quite long time during two days of the festival (6:00-22:00 with some breaks) and hard!

🏠 Accommodation on site

Shared house in the community center. Sleeping bag is not needed!

🍲 Food

Meals will be cooked by volunteers by turns.

📍 About the location

Minami Town, located on the Pacific Ocean in the southern part of Tokushima Prefecture, is a small town with a population of just under 6,000. The town has No.23rd temple of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, Yakoji Temple, and the Ohama Beach, which is designed as a nesting site for loggerhead sea turtles(national natural monument) Other activities - Take a guided tour with a volunteer guide to explore Yakouji Temple, Ohama Beach, and more.

⚠️ Requirements

Male only. Those who can respect, understand and actively participate in the local shrine festival and those who are confident in their physical strength to carry heavy 'Chosa'!

🤝 Meeting point

The nearest airport is Tokushima for domestic and Osaka (KIX) for international flights. From KIX to
Tokushima, it takes 5 hours by train and bus. There is also a flight from Tokyo (HND) to Tokushima
that takes 1.5 hours. Volunteers are recommended to arrive at Japan by the days before the
workcamp starts and leave Japan from the day after the end.

ℹ️ Additional information

Study theme - You can get the knowledge about Japanese traditional festivals and be a part of the community! Participation fee - 18,000 JPY (99 EUR by the rate on 2026 Feb. 14) 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 - Festival Info in Japaneseâ’ https://hiwasahachiman.com/akimatsuri

Interested in this project? Create your account and apply online.

📷 Project photos

Hiwasa

/ 2

📅 Available sessions

NICE-26S-1007A

07/10/2026 at 00:00 → 13/10/2026 at 00:00

Open

0 / 7

♂ 0/7 ♀ 0/0

ℹ️ Key information

Age required

18–60 years old

Solidarity donation

18000.00 JPY ≈ 102 EUR

French tax residents may be eligible for a tax reduction of up to 66% of their costs (membership, plane tickets, solidarity donation).

📍 Location

Tokushima, 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: 21:16 (12/11/2026)

🛡️ Before you leave

Security information

📞 Contact us

[email protected]

+32 2 888 67 13

Contact form

✅ Features

🏠 Accommodation

Collective

🗣️ Languages spoken

English Japanese