Volunteer, farm aid, training, WWOOF

Volunteering

Beyond Nature School welcomes volunteers. Participation is generally available on weekdays only. Please note that we have a limited number of spots and may not be able to accommodate all requests.
Accommodation is available, so long-term stays are also welcome! We also greatly appreciate remote volunteers who can help us from home with tasks like website translation, video creation, and promotional activities!

Highlights

Even a one-day stay is OK!
No special skills required! We welcome everyone, regardless of physical strength.
Experience the fulfilling feeling of helping others! (This is important!)

Examples of Activities

Below are some typical tasks, but we are always open to exploring new areas that leverage the unique skills of our volunteers♪

Please feel free to contact us first!

Building and renovation work
Planning and managing our base of operations
Planning and running events
Creating and updating web pages
Farm work
Land development and pioneering work

Our Volunteering Philosophy

We’ve written an article about our philosophy and background. Please read it if you’re interested.
Reference
What We Want to Achieve with Our Volunteers: Creating a Happy Environment as the New Norm

Details

【Schedule】　Weekdays anytime! (Please contact us first)
For long-term stays (e.g., one month), you can stay for free on weekends as well.
【Hours】　9:00 AM – 5:30 PM (This is a rough guide. Hours may change, such as starting earlier in the summer. We can be flexible for those traveling from afar).
【Cost】　Basically free (including accommodation). However, you are responsible for your own food expenses. As our financial situation is tight, donations for ingredients, utilities, gasoline, etc., are greatly appreciated. ^^
【What to Bring】　Gloves (work gloves), boots, clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, and a packed lunch (bento).
【Meals】　We generally do not provide meals. You will need to cook for yourself or eat out. We can give you a ride to a nearby supermarket or convenience store if you don’t have a car. Depending on the timing, we may cook rice together in a *kamado* (traditional wood-fired stove) or prepare meals using ingredients from the Beyond Nature School farm.
■ Ingredients
You will need to provide your own ingredients. You are welcome to use our rice, seasonings, and venison in exchange for a donation in our wooden “kanpa” box for the amount you use. Cooking utensils and dishes are available for you to use.

【About Accommodation】
◆ Old Farmhouse Guesthouse (Free for volunteers) in Akeno-cho, Hokuto City
This is the primary accommodation. You will be staying in a shared dormitory-style room with other volunteers. It’s located right next to our activity field!
・Cooking facilities: Outdoor kamado (wood-fired stove), shichirin (charcoal grill), gas stove, rice cooker, water kettle, microwave, refrigerator, etc.
・Toilet: Outdoor only (biodegradable type)
・Electricity
・Bath and washing machine
・Bedding: Futon
・Heating: Kotatsu (heated table), kerosene fan heater, etc.

◆ Bring Your Own Tent
Staying in your own tent is also welcome.

◆ Optional Paid Accommodation (4,000 JPY/day) in Akeno-cho, Hokuto City
For those who prefer a quiet, private room, we also offer other accommodation options for a fee.

Testimonials from Participants

Five days was too short! A word of advice for future visitors: **you might need at least a week, or even two**. This is a place that all sorts of people should visit. It’s a place that **liberates you from urban values** and the post-war mindset focused on work, profit, and purpose. I’d recommend the Nature School over a clinic for anyone who feels a vague sense of unease in life, who is wondering about their happiness and purpose, or who is simply feeling exhausted. Just by being here with adults who are truly living in the “now,” you’ll find that the need to question your purpose starts to fade away!
I stayed at Beyond for a week as a volunteer. If I had to sum it up in one sentence, it would be, “I’m so incredibly glad I went!” That’s all there is to it. Surrounded by nature and working with my own hands, I was walking through the fields one day when the thought “It’s so much fun just to be alive!” bubbled up from inside me. And I realized, “Maybe all I ever wanted was just to live.” The representative, Mr. Murota, seems to prioritize “wanting people to experience and feel things” over “needing help.” (my perspective) Instead of telling everyone what to do, his attitude is more like, “Let’s all think about it and try it together.” I think Mr. Murota’s relaxed atmosphere is what sparks the creative desire in everyone who comes here, lol. My stay here taught me that if you just try, things somehow work out, and if they don’t, you can just stop. Beyond is a place that allows for that, and it made me feel that maybe life can be that simple!
Through this experience, **I realized that it’s a waste to decide something is impossible in your head before even trying. You miss out on the information and knowledge you could gain by taking action. From now on, I want to discard my fixed notions and approach things with a zero-based thinking mindset.**
I was deeply moved by Mr. Murota’s words: **”Anyone can walk a path created by others. The person who can create their own path is the one who is truly capable.”** I want to think carefully about what I truly need to be doing now and live with my antennae always up, constantly thinking, “Isn’t there a better way to do this?”
What left the biggest impression on me was his saying, “Anyone can do what’s in a textbook. It’s more interesting to tackle problems that don’t have a ready-made answer and find a solution.” I realized that this creativity is what I’m lacking right now.
I’m now convinced that if I can get used to a primitive lifestyle, I can survive anywhere. I realized that if you have the ability to get along with people, you can live in the countryside or a mountain village without relying on money. I used to assume that “life in Japan is difficult,” but I’ve realized that beyond its social structures and politics, **Japan is rich in nature, and I just didn’t know it was possible to live within it.**
Before coming here, my life’s goal was to do everything by myself and live a self-sufficient life, distanced from society. But after the experience of building a house, I abandoned that goal and started to focus on how I could collaborate more easily with others.
Mr. Murota and the other volunteers are so warm and welcoming. It’s a comfortable place to be. The reason I always come back is because it’s so much fun to be with everyone!
Meeting Mr. Murota made me think again. It should be okay to do what you want, be with the people you like, and live more honestly and simply. But we get caught up in things we don’t understand—what others will say, what we’re “supposed” to do, what we have to do. We overcomplicate things. So, I decided to think simply: I will live in a way that I won’t regret the “now.” I will cherish the people in front of me and live honestly and humbly. For now, that’s all. The moment I had that thought, I became so excited for the future.

ReferenceA Glimpse of Training at Beyond