
Mother Nature Environmental Conservation Camp Sado Island, Japan
1 - 12 weeks
English
Seasonal; April 7 to October 27 (for 2025)
16+
625 EUR
Volunteering
What will you experience as a volunteer in this program?
As a volunteer, you will join, ofen alongside Japanese volunteers, a variety of activities, for which our volunteer coordinators create a weekly activity plan. These include, on 5.5 days per week:
Preservation of Chokokuji Temple
As a volunteer, you will assist at least once a week with light maintenance and cleaning work on the temple grounds, as well as some light gardening. A special concern of the monk is the temple’s gardens, which shine in vibrant colors throughout the seasons with a variety of blooming plants, including azaleas, hydrangeas, and cosmos.
Groups of schoolchildren regularly visit the temple, and you will prepare activities for the children to engage in during their visit, such as crafts.
Japanese and foreign tourists visit the temple year-round, especially from spring to autumn. The monk offers guided tours and spiritual experiences such as sutra writing, Zen meditation, and Buddhist sermons, which visitors can take part in. You will help the monk prepare these tourist offerings and support the temple with social media marketing.
Our volunteers launched and have been running a small shop since the 2024 season, selling devotional items from Chokokuji Temple, fair trade products, and locally produced natural goods to tourists to generate a small additional income for the temple’s preservation.
Habitat Restoration for the Japanese Crested Ibis
To stay informed about the details of the ibis reintroduction efforts, we regularly visit the government-run Japanese Crested Ibis Breeding and Research Center and the Japanese Crested Ibis Visitor Park.
Beach Cleanup
Bamboo as a Sustainable Material
Environmental Education and Cultural Exchange with School Children
Community Work
Cultural and Traditional Workshops
Wild Herb Activity
Organic Farming
We collaborate with various farmers who practice organic farming and can explain their principles to you. You will assist on their farms. For example, one farmer keeps ducks in the rice fields to eat potential pests, eliminating the need for chemical pesticides.
Supporting Pollinators
Leisure Activities
We also rent bicycles and kimonos at affordable prices. Snorkeling equipment is provided free of charge.
About the Reintroduction of the Japanese Crested Ibis
The Japanese Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) is a bird measuring 54-88 cm in length with a wingspan of 140 cm. It was relatively common in Korea, China, Japan, and parts of Russia until the rise of industrial agriculture in the mid-20th century. However, habitat loss, particularly due to the use of chemical pesticides in rice fields that destroyed its food sources and harmed local wildlife, pushed the species to the brink of extinction. By 1981, the species was officially declared extinct in the wild, and the last five Japanese ibises were captured to start a reintroduction program on Sado Island. In 2008, the first captive-bred ibises were released back into the wild. The first wild-born chicks were observed in 2012. Today, there are around 700 ibises on Sado Island and the neighboring Honshu mainland.
About Chokokuji Temple
The temple is said to have been founded in the year 807 by the Buddhist monk Kukai. It houses a variety of cultural treasures, including three Eleven-Headed Kannon statues, which are considered nationally significant cultural assets and were created by Kukai himself. These statues are only presented to the public once every 33 years, with the next display scheduled for the year 2034. Additionally, the temple features statues of Kongo Rikishi (two wrathful guardians of Buddha) dating back to the Heian period (10th–12th century), as well as the Gochido Hall, which is classified as a cultural property of the prefecture. In 2018, the current monk, Tomita, added a large stone "Rabbit Kannon" statue, which is dramatically illuminated at night. In Buddhist teachings, Kannon is a Bodhisattva—a being that has attained enlightenment but chooses to remain in the cycle of birth and death to help all living beings achieve salvation.
On the temple grounds, there are three very large cedar trees that are believed to possess spiritual powers. Their age is estimated to be over 1,000 years, as is that of a Japanese umbrella pine tree, which is over 500 years old. These ancient trees have been designated as natural monuments by the prefecture.
Program details
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What is included?
- Participation in all program activities (offered 5.5 days per week)
- Orientation and introduction to project activities
- Transport for program activities on Sado Island
- Accommodation as booked
- Full board (3 meals per day) and unlimited drinking water, coffee, and tea
- Personal consultation and preparation before your arrival
- Access to the World Unite! Knowledge Base with preparation materials, including intercultural preparation
- Group preparation session via zoom with other participants
- Pickup and transfers from/to the Sado (Ryotsu) Ferry Port (Mondays) upon arrival and return to/from Chokokuji Temple (Mondays/Fridays)
- Support with travel to Sado by our team in Tokyo
- 24-hour emergency availability of the local support team
- CO2 compensation for your long-haul flight: Cost coverage for planting 10 seedlings of native trees, which we plant on Kilimanjaro
- Writing confirmations/certificates for your university, scholarship, child benefit, insurance, etc., as well as completing/signing internship contracts
Not included?
- Travel to/from Sado Island (you book it on your own, we can assist)
- Insurance (Travel Health Insurance, Liability Insurance, Travel Cancellation insurance)
- Personal Expenses
- Vaccinations
- Weekend leisure activities
INSIGHT
this program
Insights into rural Japanese culture and lifestyle
Contribute to preserving Sado’s cultural heritage
Get involved in and learn about environmental conservation
A breathtaking natural setting
A diverse range of program activities
Questions?
your consultant for this program is
Chris Engler
(he/his)
- PHONE numberView our international phone numbers
- Email
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Whatsapp+81-90-4702-1361
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