Practical subjects
Introduction of practical training subjects
This is a list of the main locations for local internships.
The internship locations are in a variety of regions, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, and a variety of activities are available, totaling approximately 30 programs.
During the first year, students select a preparatory class that is linked to their internship site, and in the second year, they receive preparatory training while deciding on their final internship site.
During their third year, students will go to each internship site and experience around 30 hours of internship.
Regional training interview
NPO Dream Playwoods
Regional training to learn about the local situation and develop problem-solving skills
Professor Toshifumi Yasui
Masahiro Mekata
Main training locations
| Internship location | overview |
|---|---|
| Uken Village, Kagoshima Prefecture (Amami Oshima) | Uken Village, with a population of 1,700, has five elementary and junior high schools with 10 to 60 students each, but no high school. In the internship, students will participate in school life at small schools and investigate the initiatives and activities of the town hall and village, learning how children in remote areas grow up, how the local lifestyle and culture are passed down, and how the village survives. |
| NPO Dream Playwoods | While participating in the activities of Dream Play Woods, an NPO that operates an adventure playground in Ayase City, students will gain hands-on experience learning about children's play environments, the activities of the NPO that makes this possible, and collaboration with the government. |
| Aoshima Pacific Marathon Office | The Miyazaki Aoshima Pacific Marathon has been running for over 30 years and has developed in close ties with the local community. Every year, about 10,000 runners from all over the country participate, making it a major event that involves the prefecture and city. In this training, students will gain hands-on experience in the management of the marathon and its activities in the local community. |
| National Shinshu Takato Youth Nature Center | In the depopulated Nagatani region of Ina City, Nagano Prefecture, local residents and school students are working together to preserve the traditional local culture of Nakao Kabuki. Through participating in these activities, which involve the entire community from children to adults, students will gain hands-on experience of learning about the role of Kabuki in revitalizing the community and the significance of these activities. (Pre-learning will be conducted in Tokyo.) |
| Nasu Koshi National Youth Nature Center | Through collaboration with a local elementary school, students will learn about the significance of supporting children and young people through participation in the "Nasukashi no Mori Second School," which aims to improve basic human relationships and life skills while experiencing academic studies and special activities that cannot be done at school (preliminary learning will be conducted in Tokyo). |
| Akagi National Youth Exchange Center | Participate in the management of a "relay marathon" organized by the local Maebashi City Urban Development Foundation. This event is planned to be held on the grounds of the facility and is open to a wide range of people, including family members and the general public. By participating in this activity, students will gain a hands-on experience of what goes on behind the scenes at an event. (Preliminary learning will be conducted in Tokyo.) |
| Iizuka City Shonai Life Experience School | The birthplace of school camps, opened in 1989 as a facility exclusively for elementary school students. In recent years, the program has also started supporting outdoor experience activities for young children. Students will not only understand the school's business objectives, but also learn about the roles and activities of the people involved. |
| National Youth Center | A woman with experience as a TV and radio personality in Tokyo moved to Gotemba City, Shizuoka Prefecture, where she now runs a local mini FM radio station and plans various events, as well as running an NPO and volunteering as a guide for foreigners (summer only) as part of Gotemba City's tourism efforts. In this internship, participants will gain experience learning about the significance of community revitalization by becoming involved in these activities and learning about her life. (Preliminary learning will be conducted in Tokyo.) |
| Sagamihara City Lifelong Learning Division | By participating in various projects related to the Lifelong Learning Division of Sagamihara City, the students will gain hands-on experience of learning about the role of the government in supporting the learning activities of local residents. Specifically, they plan to focus on the activities of facilities managed and operated by the Lifelong Learning Division of Sagamihara City, as well as resident-led efforts to support community development. |
| Sobudai Housing Complex Hibari Cafe | In addition to operating the cafe, the Hibari Cafe in Sobudai Danchi is a community business that also operates various projects aimed at promoting interaction among local residents. Through being involved in the planning and management of these projects, the aim is to deepen understanding of the practice of community development centered on local residents. |
| Shimane Prefecture's Social Education Projects | Participate in the planning and management of various projects implemented at Shimane Prefecture's Social Education Training Center and youth education facilities, and learn about specific efforts in community development. By experiencing the work of social education staff, you will gain the ability to identify and solve local issues. |
| NPO City and School Future | Based in Ichigao-cho, Yokohama, the NPO Machi to Gakko no Mirai is an intermediary support organization that promotes community schools and engages in activities to connect schools and local communities. By participating in this activity, students will gain hands-on experience of learning about the activities of NPOs and how to collaborate with schools. |
| NPO Ehime Children's Challenge Support Organization | Participate in the management of a deserted island experience program for young people, run by the NPO Ehime Children's Challenge Support Organization on Migoshinjima Island in the Uwa Sea, Ehime Prefecture. While learning about the reality of supporting young people's experience activities, aim to deepen understanding of the activities of NPOs and the collaboration with the Ehime Prefectural Board of Education, which are the premise of this program. |
| National Wakasa Bay Youth Nature Center | Taking advantage of the facility's location on the beach, participants will participate in marine activity programs for children, such as canoeing and snorkeling, and get involved in the efforts of local fishermen. Through these activities, participants will learn the importance of hands-on learning that utilizes marine resources, understand the feelings of local people toward the sea, and consider the significance of creating a sustainable society. (Preliminary learning will be conducted in Tokyo.) |
| NPO Hitotsumugi | Hitotsumugi, an NPO based in Mugi Town, Tokushima Prefecture, contributes to broadening the horizons of both sides by introducing university students from other regions to elementary and junior high school students in the town. We plan and implement a variety of programs, and by participating in some of them, we will learn the basics of town development through experience. |
| Kuebiko Community Activity Support Center | Kuebiko is a community activity center that was opened in 1982 and is run by people with disabilities, including cerebral palsy. During the internship, students will learn about how people with disabilities live in the community and consider what they can do as local university students to enrich the community even more. |
| Urban development around Tottori City | This program provides hands-on learning about urban development in Tottori City and the surrounding areas. The program provides exposure to the reality of urban development through activities such as landscaping old streets, utilizing old buildings, activities to preserve local traditions, and rediscovering local characteristics. |
| Library Friends Imari | "Library Friends Imari" is a citizens' group that has been working with Imari City Library since its construction until it has grown into one of the leading libraries in the country, with approximately 400 members (Imari City has a population of approximately 55,000). By participating in their activities, students will learn about the local community and culture through their internship. |
| Fictional village "Hida City Hometown Tanekura Village" | In order to revive marginal villages, Hida City has established a fictitious village called "Hida City Furusato Tanekura Village." Participants will be involved in the operation of a "village library" that provides materials and information to support the preservation of the original landscape of terraced rice fields and wooden storehouses. Participants will also investigate the background to the establishment of the village and its current state through practical experiences such as workshops. |
| Okinawa Prefectural Library NPO Okinawa Folklore Aoyama Gakuin Archives |
This program will provide participants with the opportunity to learn more about the unique community activities of the Okinawa Prefectural Library, which promotes services to remote islands and remote areas through its "Flying Library" and "Distribution to Community Stores." The program will also involve participating in the activities of the NPO Okinawa Folklore Aoyama Gakuin Archives, which aims to record and preserve disappearing folklore stories and make them available to the public as shared assets. |
| Japan Toy Museum | The Japan Toy Museum collects and exhibits local toys from Japan and traditional toys from around the world, and is committed to passing on and spreading the culture through educational activities, etc. In the internship, students will participate in the planning and management of various events at the museum, and gain hands-on experience of the roles of museums and curators in passing on local culture. |
| Minokamo City Museum | This program aims to provide students with hands-on experience of the role of museums and curators in supporting school education and the learning activities of local residents by participating in the management of school-affiliated programs and volunteer activities at the Minokamo City Museum. |
| Zama City Library Volunteer | This program will provide hands-on learning about the current status and challenges of organizations and groups that support civic activities in Zama City, as well as participating in volunteer groups, such as the Zama City Library Volunteer Friendship Association, which is active at Zama City Library, to gain an experiential understanding of the reality of these activities. |
| Organizations from Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture | The purpose of this program is to participate in the planning and management of private and government organizations related to urban development in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, and to learn through experience about the current situation and issues of regional revitalization, the relationship between the government and the private sector, etc. It is anticipated that participants will participate in activities such as nature school organizations and urban development departments of government organizations. |
| Fukuoka Prefectural Social Education Center Kitakyushu City Gender Equality Center Move |
The Fukuoka Prefectural Social Education Center is a base facility that supports learning activities for prefectural residents and experience activities for young people, and has a Youth Nature Center attached. During the internship, students will participate in the planning and management of a research exchange meeting that brings together local activity practitioners from Western Japan, and learn the significance of networks through various cases of dealing with local issues and personal exchanges. In order to realize a society where men and women can participate equally, Move supports not only the activities of citizens of Kitakyushu but also international efforts, mainly in the Asian region. During the internship, students will participate in the planning and management of projects such as the citizen participation event "Move Festa" and the Asian Women's Conference, and gain hands-on experience learning about the role of civil society organizations and how to collaborate with the government. |
| Sagamihara Municipal Seiwa Gakuen | Sagami City Seiwa Gakuen is an integrated elementary and junior high school located in the Aonohara district of Sagamihara City. In this internship, students will gain an experiential understanding of the reality of community development led by residents at a school through involvement in the school management efforts at Seiwa Gakuen, which are carried out with the participation of residents. |
| Shikaji area, Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture | Participate in annual events held in the Yaeyama region of Okinawa Prefecture and consider the relationship between the succession of cultural resources and community building. In addition, experience creating cultural tourism tools for the four regions (Shinkawa, Ishigaki, Okawa, and Tonoshiro) and understand part of the efforts to extract and utilize local resources and promote the region through cultural tourism. |
| Corporate social contribution activities centered around Nakasatsunai Art Village | Rokkatei in Obihiro City has long been engaged in activities that are conscious of contributing to society. It contributes to society in a variety of ways, such as publishing poetry books for children, supporting artistic and creative activities, and operating an "art village." This program provides hands-on learning about the company's philosophy and the specific implementation of its social contributions. |
| Marugame City Teshima Nature Education Center | Teshima is an island in the Seto Inland Sea, an hour and a half by ferry from Marugame Port. The Marugame City Teshima Nature Education Center is a facility that was converted from the former Teshima Elementary and Junior High School, which was closed down, and is planned to be used as a base for planning and implementing various nature experience activities (although it may be changed to other islands in the Seto Inland Sea). |
