Our student Ryubi had an amazing volunteering trip to Kyushu recently!
Ryubi is a college student at Ritsumekan University in Kinogasa and is a member of the university’s volunteer club.
The volunteer club has about 25 members, both male and female, and they often volunteer for NPO’s (Non-Profit Organizations). Some of Ryubi’s volunteering highlights include:
1. Riverside cleaning along the Kamogawa in Kyoto.
2. Child care in Kyoto for children affected by the Fukushima earthquake zone.
3. Hand cleaning hundreds and hundreds of printed photos found in the Kagawa landslides. Many people from Kagawa had lost their photos during the damage caused by landslides from heavy rainfall. The photos were then retrieved from the soil and mud and Ryubi helped clean the photos by hand! Many of the people cried when their photos were returned to them!
This volunteer trip to Kyushu was to help farmers pick sweet potatoes in Kumamoto.
Ryubi took a morning flight on Jet Star from Kansai Airport to Kumamoto, 8 AM -10 AM, one-way air-fare was about ¥6000.
After landing in Kumamoto, Ryubi and three friends were picked up at the airport and they went to volunteer at the farm in Aso. At the farm, they had an incredible experience picking sweet potatoes! They sat on the back of the farmer’s tractor, on both sides of a conveyor belt. While the tractor was moving and picking the potatoes, Ryubi would quickly grab the potatoes from the conveyor belt, cut the stems off the potatoes, and toss them in a container! Fun! Quick hands are necessary to do that job! One 50m row took about 1-hour!
After their first day, they enjoyed a local Onsen and then stayed at a guesthouse for backpackers.
On their second day they helped pick sweet potatoes from morning till night, and afterwards, ate horsemeat in an Izakaya, which helped cure his fatigue.
On the third day they went to the top of Mt. Nakatake and saw a beautiful sunset. At 1,600m high, it was very cold, about -4 degrees!!
He also brought Basashi back to his family in Osaka.
Great trip Ryubi!
