Kumano

Name: Kumano
Start: 2026-07-31
End: 2026-08-10
Location: Japan

Code: 20260217-75af-4815-a261-a8979b78052a Copied

Japan Culture Environment Manual work Culture Environment +1 Fixed dates

About the project

Kumano

📝 Detailed information

🏢 About the local organisation

This project is actively working for SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), organized together with Association for Promotion of Regional Development in Nishiyama area, Kumano, located in Mie Prefecture. The city is rich in cultural heritage, including the UNESCO World Heritage pilgrimage route Kumano Kodo. The volunteer activities take place in the mountainous Nishiyama area, where the aging population is rapidly increasing. The goal is to encourage exchange between local residents and international volunteers, bringing new energy to the town. As many residents are now too elderly to maintain the historic Akagi Castle, volunteers support the preservation of the castle, clean nearby roads, and engage in cultural exchange activities with local children. Through these activities, international volunteers can experience Kumano's beautiful nature and the warm hospitality of its people while contributing to the community.

💼 What the programme involves

1) Maintenance at Akagi Castle, 2) Visiting a local nursery school and cultural exchange and 3) Ditch cleaning and road mirror cleanup

🏠 Accommodation on site

Community center. Sleeping bag is necessary.

🍲 Food

Meals will be cooked by volunteers by turns.

📍 About the location

Nishiyama area, Kumano city, Mie prefecture. It is more than 200 km far both from Osaka and Nagoya. Other activities - Sightseeing along the Kumano Kodo, hot springs, going to beaches

⚠️ Requirements

Positive attitude to enjoy rural, remoted area. Open mind to respect and communicate with local people

🤝 Meeting point

The nearest airport is Nagoya (Chubu Centrair) or Osaka (Kansai). To the meeting point, it will take
about 4.5 hours by train from Chubu and 6 hours from Kansai. Volunteers are recommended to arrive
at the airport one day before workcamp starts.

ℹ️ Additional information

Study theme - Volunteers will experience the countryside of Japan 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 - Nothing

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

📷 Project photos

Kumano

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📅 Available sessions

NICE-26S-0731A

31/07/2026 at 00:00 → 10/08/2026 at 00:00

Open

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♂ 0/2 ♀ 0/2

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

Mie, 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: 21:17 (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