Weekend 35: July 2-3, 2022
Day 243: July 2, 2022
Saturday - Kyodo Gakusha Volunteer Work Day 1
It's my 35th weekend here in Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) under the JET Programme. For this weekend I will be a full-time cultural ambassador as I'm invited by Adachi-san and Yoshida-san who are my friends from the Rumoi English Chat Club. They asked me if I wanted to volunteer at the Kyodo Gakusha in Neiraku in the town of Obira. When I heard that I'd be doing some meat packing and farming of course I had to say yes.
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| These are probably the cheapest watermelons that I have seen here in Japan |
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| Kitkat Chocolate Orange |
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| My wife and I made buko pandan |
Since Adachi-san will pick me up at 1PM, I got the chance to help my wife make her sought-after buko pandan dessert. I also accompanied her to the bank and to COOP to buy groceries. Today, I got to buy a new KitKat flavor which is the KitKat Chocolate Orange. So far, it's the 14th flavor that I have bought and tried here in Japan.
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| Time to work... |
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| Quality Inspector + sausage packer for the day |
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| I was the one who packed all of these |
Adachi-san picked me up right on schedule and we drove directly to the meat processing center of the Neiraku Kyodo Gakusha. After changing clothes and sanitizing, we joined Yoshida-san and the other members of the Kyodogakusha in preparing and packing sausages. Due to the nature of the work, I didn't take photos. Regardless, I'm happy I didn't as I was also too focused on what I was doing. Work ended at 3:30PM. Overall, it was a fun and memorable experience.
From there, we drove to the dormitory / main building of the Neiraku Kyodo Gakusha. There, I met the other members of the non-profit organization and I was also given my own room.
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| Driving to Tappu, Obira |
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| We passed by the Teshio Mining Site Hopper Remains (天塩鉱業所 ホッパー跡) along the way |
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| Mini golf course along Route 126 |
I was told that dinner was still at 6PM so Noboru-san and I went on a little drive to the nearly abandoned community of Tappu. He showed me where his former Forestry Office once stood 20 years ago.
Obira Dam with Noboru-san
We then went to the mini-golf course at the foot of Mt. Tengu before going to Obira Dam. Noboru-san served as my tour guide as he tried to explain everything to me. The view from the dam was fantastic. Sadly, the Obira Dam Observatory which doubles as a museum was closed when we visited.
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| Dinner with the members of Neiraku Kyodo Gakusha |
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| Here's my dinner... |
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| + fresh octopus |
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| ...and jingisukan meat with cheese |
Noboru-san and I got back to Kyodogakusha just in time for dinner. After dinner, Noboru-san, Yoshida-san, and I had our nomikai (drinking party) until 9PM.
Day 244: July 3, 2022
Sunday - Kyodo Gakusha Volunteer Day 2
Good morning everyone! It's my 2nd day as a volunteer here in Neiraku Kyodo Gakusha. It's a dark foggy morning today and it looks like it's going to rain but according to the weather forecast, it's going to be a hot and sunny day today.
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| It's a cold foggy morning |
True enough, the sun did rise and in a way, I wished that it would have been better if it remained foggy the whole day as we'd be working on the farm after breakfast.
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| Morning prayer with the members of Neiraku Kyodo Gakusha |
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| Here's my breakfast... |
Speaking of breakfast, just like last night, the food was amazing. I know that most, if not all of the ingredients used in the dishes were from the farm. I love the hot fresh milk and the sausages.
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| I was toured inside the piggery |
At 8:50 AM, we sang the morning praise song before heading out to do our farm work. I accompanied Yoshida-san and he showed me to the greenhouse and the piggery. He explained in great detail how piggery works and the strict rules that they have to follow.
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| I helped on the farm... |
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| I removed weeds and helped make a trellis |
After that, we headed to the garden area where I first removed weeds by hand and then with the gas-powered trimmer. Once done, I helped Yoshida-san tie the bamboo vine support together to make a trellis.
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| Lunchtime! Itadakimasu |
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| A gift from the commune |
When we got back after work, it was already lunchtime. I was served a nice warm delicious butadon. Before going home, Noboru-san and I were given some meat and eggs to bring home as gifts.
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| Drive back home. |
At home, my family and I just binge-watched the 3rd season of Umbrella Academy before calling it a day.
Overall, it was a weekend well spent. It was my first time doing volunteer work on a farm. In a way, I fell in love with it and it made me more confident to push for my dream of owning and managing a farm after I retire.
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