My Summer in Aso

After having joined VSA camp in 2015, I had always been interested in participating it again. This August, I participated in NICE International Work Camp in Namino Village, which is situated in Aso-city in Kummamoto-prefecture which is in the Kyushu island (south of Japan). The aim for this camp is to revitalize the local village through the International exchange. This exchange is between Japanese and participants from Thailand, France and Spain.

Another aim for this camp is to do cultural exchange with local people. This is achieved through setting up two festivals: Kagura and Namino summer festival. By doing this, I have learned Japanese culture and its history – Kagura is one of the famous things that makes Namino known and I had a chance to watch it and learned about its history. I also had a chance to join Bon festival and learned Bon-Odori which is its dance. The exchange is also between the campers and local family, we were assigned to stay over at a local family – this enhances the Japanese tradition such as its food, its home and the way they live.

We visited Namino’s elementary and junior high school to foster friendship between the campers and the children at the village. Through this, we exchanged cultures and languages through playing games, making a fan and making a presentation. We taught them English and in return they taught us Japanese language, a Japanese song called “Sakura Sakura” and how to play koto, which is a Japanese musical instrument. We were brought closer with the kids through a weekend camp where some of the kids from Namino village came and slept in a tent for one night. In the afternoon, we played water fight and made pizza with the kids. In the evening, we were assigned to groups to sleep with the kids in a tent. This was a great opportunity to get closer to the kids.

In addition, we had a chance not only to sightseeing around Aso but also in Oita-prefecture. Aso is famous for its mountains and volcano – we hiked up the Mt. Kishima and we also went to see the Mt. Aso, which is the largest active volcano in Japan. We visited some of the Oita-prefecture’s attractions, such as, its famous onsen, a well-known waterfall Harajiri no Taki, and a town called Taketa where we stroll around.

For those two weeks, we lived in Namino Walking Center. We slept in a very Japanese traditional way which is on the tatami, and zabutons are provided (Japanese cushions for sitting but we use them as pillows and mattress). All of us slept together and we were separated into three groups in order to take turn to clean, cook and wash. The only disadvantage of the accommodation is that there is no Wi-Fi and even no signals. However, this can also be a huge benefit as well as it brings all the participants together – we spent most of our time together instead of playing on our phones. During free time, we usually find something to do such as hiking up the mountain where the village is on, walking around the village, playing cards and playing volleyball. We even turned ourselves back in time by playing hide and seek and sparklers. Every night, we used to sit together in a circle and talked about various things, also teaching others our language. Another event that takes place every night is to look at the stars – we would lay down on the grass and looked at the sky together.

These two weeks have turned my summer into an unforgettable one. This is unquestionably one of my best summers, and I will definitely do it again if I have a chance.

Lena