01
Live with the sea and the mountains
Learn the way people here live alongside nature, and how it shapes what they value.
For example: going out with local fishers, joining SUP sessions on the bay, a day in the forest with local foresters.
A gap year in rural Japan · for people who want to know a place, not just see it
Live local.
Feel at home.
Spend one or two months in a small town between the mountains and the sea in Tohoku, Japan’s north. Newcomers and local people here are trying new things together. Spend your days with them, eat together and take part in the life of the town, with a coordinator beside you throughout.
Spend your days with local peopleSee Japan from the insideNo Japanese neededAt most six people a term
Join in. Become part of it.
Spring 2027
Apply by 11 Feb · 18 Mar
Rikuzentakata, IwateNewcomers and locals rebuilding a town
1 or 2 monthsLong enough to belong
Spring 2027Apply by 11 Feb or 18 Mar
At most six peopleArrive with a small group, leave knowing every one of them
Is this what you are looking for?
There’s more to Japan than its landmarks. Take a deep dive.
Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima are only part of Japan. Whether it is your first trip to Japan or you have been before, the small towns are hard to get into unless you know someone. This program is that way in.
Some of Japan only shows itself when you live there. Here you meet the people of the town, and through them the culture, the values and the ways of seeing that sit behind it. No special skills are needed, only curiosity.
Live an older way of life, and learn the thinking behind itJoin the young people taking on new challenges in rural JapanFind your furusato, a home town in Japan
Why a month
A short visit keeps you a guest. Stay a month and the town starts to expect you, ask what you think and invite you back.
That is how a visit becomes a furusato, a place in Japan you can come back to.
What you learn
Live as part of the town.
Your days follow the sea, the seasons and the people around you. You join what the town is already doing, and learn ways of living you can only find in rural Japan.
02
Learn from the satoyama
Satoyama is the lived-in land between forest, field and sea. Small farms here grow many crops on little land. Learn how this way of life works, and share in what it produces.
For example: time in the fields with local farmers, and cooking with local produce at a community café.
03
Belong to a loose-knit community
Japanese towns run on a loose, generous kind of community. You learn how it works by being part of it.
For example: festivals, neighbourhood events, youth activities and local projects that run all year.
04
Take it into your own path
A weekly reflection with your coordinator helps you connect what you see here to your own life and career.
For example: a personal journal, one-to-one reflection, and a certificate of participation that records what you did.
Live with the seasons
Learn by making
Share the table
What is Rikuzentakata like?
A satoyama where young people are starting new things.
Rikuzentakata is a small town in Japan's north-east, on the Pacific coast of Iwate, between the mountains and the sea. Like much of rural Japan, its population is shrinking, and its way of life is at risk.
The 2011 tsunami destroyed most of the town centre. Since then, young people from Japan's cities have moved here and started things: social projects, small businesses, non-profits, new work in farming and fishing, a humanoid robot venture, and even local politics.
They work alongside people who lived through the disaster and chose to stay. Together they are building something new: a small, growing network of people and projects that you can join.
Nostalgic and new at the same time. Come and take part in what is happening here, and see what opens up for you.
Tohoku
Where Japanese culture runs deep. A weekend away.
Tohoku is the north of Japan's main island. People have lived here for over 5,000 years, and for most of that time the region kept its own culture apart from the capital. The gold that built Hiraizumi's temples came from here.
History, culture and nature, all within reach on a weekend off.
Hiraizumi
World Heritage temples from the 12th century, when this town was the capital of northern Japan. The golden hall at Chūsonji is the main sight.
Photo: 663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0
Tono
Farm villages and the home of Japan's best-known folk tales. Traditional farmhouses, and kappa in the river if you believe the locals.
Photo: 663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0
Iwate outdoors
In summer, the coast is for swimming, kayaking and SUP. In winter, the mountains inland get deep snow for skiing and snowboarding.
Your week
Live like a resident. Your choices shape the week.
There is no fixed timetable, because this is daily life, not a tour. On weekdays you take part in projects around the town. At weekends there are local events to join, or something of your own to start. You plan your own week, and leave room for chance: some of the best days here start with an unexpected invitation. Your coordinator helps you find the people and projects that match what interests you.
One day in Hirota
Some days start on the bay with a local fisher, while the town is still asleep.
Coffee with your coordinator: who to meet today, and what to try next.
In the fields of the satoyama, then cooking with what came out of them.
Making something new with the young people who moved here to start things, or starting a project of your own.
Dinner all together. Someone always has a story.
One example. No two days are the same.
Your coordinator
More than support. A partner in what you do here.
Your coordinator lives in the town and knows its people and projects. They look after your daily life, but that is only part of the job.
They talk through your plans with you, introduce you to the people behind each project, and help you and the town get the most out of working together. That is what makes this different from finding your own way in.
Shota Okada, founder of NINGEI, coordinates the program. He came to Hirota as a student volunteer after the 2011 tsunami and fell in love with the town. Since then he has helped start the non-profit SET and built exchanges between local people and young people from Japan and Europe.
Real participants · real stories
What a local stay can feel like.
Participants have joined from all over the world. Two of them told their full stories to NINGEI, followed by voices from the group who stayed in summer 2026.
- Belgium
- Canada
- Denmark
- Greenland
- Kenya
- Netherlands
- UK
- USA
“I value ‘social capital’ or ‘relational capital’ more now. Being welcome to walk into a house, say hello, and sit down to talk—I would value that way more now.”
Participant from the NetherlandsPrevious participant
“It has taught me to slow down and enjoy smaller things. I want to take that friendliness and patience home—especially for those who might feel like outsiders.”
Participant from the USAPrevious participant
Summer 2026
“The most important thing I have learned is that I have a place in Japan I can consider a home away from home.”
“I came to Rikuzentakata to volunteer, but I feel that I received much more than I gave.”
Fees
Choose one or two months.
Your fee pays for people, not beds. A local coordinator who talks through your plans each week, connects you to the people and projects in the town, runs your reflection, cooks and eats with you, and can be reached 24 hours a day. The fee also covers groceries for shared meals. Each term takes at most six people.
Your room is rented directly from your host. Travel and insurance are not part of the fee. The full amount for a month is shown below, with nothing added later.
Spring 2027: apply by 11 Feb (Group A) or 18 Mar (Group B).
1 month
≈ €2,300 / US$2,700
Billed as ¥400,000 incl. tax · Groceries included.
Enough time to go from guest to part of the town, with a coordinator beside you.
Apply for this stay2 months
≈ €3,950 / US$4,600
Billed as ¥680,000 incl. tax · ¥120,000 less than two single months.
Time to take one local project from start to finish, with regular one-to-one mentoring.
Apply for this stayWhat a month costs in total
- Program fee
- ¥400,000 incl. consumption tax (about €2,300)
- Room
- about €175 (¥30,000), paid directly to the host
- Groceries
- included
- Local transport and personal spending
- most participants spend €150 to €300
- Flights and travel to Rikuzentakata
- booked and paid by you
In total, a month comes to about ¥460,000 to ¥480,000 (≈ €2,700 to €2,800), plus your flights.
We can introduce housing and travel options. You book and pay for them directly.
Coming with a friend? You each pay 10% less.
Apply together for the same term and the program fee is ¥360,000 each for a month, or ¥612,000 each for two months. Write your friend's name in the application and we will confirm the price in writing. You can also come alone: a small group starts each term together, so you will not be the only one arriving.
Program fee includes
A coordinator who supports your plans each week · introductions to local people and projects · pre-departure online orientation · weekly reflection and one-to-one mentoring · groceries for the shared cooking · welcome and farewell gatherings · certificate of participation and, on request, a reference letter for your university or employer · daily-life support · 24-hour emergency contact
Not in the fee: paid directly, not to NINGEI
Your room (we introduce the host; you rent from and pay them) · flights and travel to Rikuzentakata · local transport · insurance · visa costs · personal spending · optional activities you choose yourself
Fees are invoiced in Japanese yen and include 10% Japanese consumption tax; the yen amount is the price. Euro and dollar amounts are a guide only, at about €1 = ¥172 and US$1 = ¥148 (October 2026). What you pay in your own currency depends on the exchange rate and bank charges on the day.
How it works
What we do, and what you arrange.
We run the program and are there when you need us. You book your own travel and rent your own room. All costs are on paper before you pay.
You book your travel
Flights and trains are booked by you. If you want, we can introduce a licensed agency. You deal with them directly.
Housing is separate
A shared room in a local house is usually available for about €175 (¥30,000) a month. We introduce the host; you rent from them, not from NINGEI.
A gap year stay in rural Japan
Not a job and not a classroom: for one or two months, a town is your school, with a coordinator beside you. A journey of self-discovery, career exploration and taking part in a community, as a citizen of one world. Activities are unpaid; there is no wage and no job placement, and you do not replace anyone's job.
Support close by
Local coordinators, a weekly reflection session and a 24-hour emergency contact.
Your first day
From the airport to the dinner table.
1. Fly to Tokyo or Sendai
Book your own flight. Either airport works; Sendai is closer.
2. We send you the route
Before you leave, you get a step-by-step guide to Ichinoseki station by train, with the times that connect.
3. We meet you at Ichinoseki station
A coordinator is waiting on the platform. From there it is about an hour and a half to Hirota, and you are not doing it alone.
4. Dinner with your group
That evening you eat with your coordinator and the others starting the same term. Day one ends at a table, not in a room by yourself.
Full program, housing and cancellation terms are sent in writing before payment. You are responsible for your visa and for travel and medical insurance.
Practical questions
Know before you go.
The program runs twice a year: in spring (mid-April to mid-June) and in autumn (late September to late November). Three terms are open now. Spring 2027 dates are fixed: Group A 12 Apr to 11 May, Group B 17 May to 15 Jun, two months 12 Apr to 15 Jun. Apply by 11 Feb for Group A and 18 Mar for Group B. Exact dates for Autumn 2027 and Spring 2028 will be set later; applying now registers your interest. Your place is confirmed when you pay the first 40% of the fee.
No. Most people in the town speak little English, and that is part of what you are here for. Your coordinator is bilingual and sits in on the first meetings until you do not need them. You will pick up some Japanese along the way.
Yes. Apply for the same term and write your friend's name in your application. You each pay 10% less: ¥360,000 for a month or ¥612,000 for two months, confirmed in the written terms. If you come alone, you still start with a small group: each term takes at most six people, and you meet them on your first evening.
Yes. Everyone receives a certificate of participation that records the dates and what you took part in. If you need a reference letter for a university or an employer, ask your coordinator and we will write one.
Neither, exactly. It is closer to studying abroad, with a town instead of a school. You take part in local life and projects to learn, not to fill a job. Activities are unpaid, you do not fill anyone's job, and there is no wage or job placement. Local people guide you; you are not part of their workforce.
A shared room in a local house is usually available for about €175 (¥30,000) a month, subject to availability. We introduce you to the host; you rent the room from them and pay them directly, not NINGEI. You can also find your own accommodation. Details are confirmed in the written terms before you pay.
No. You book and pay for travel yourself. We can introduce a licensed agency if you ask; you contract with them directly.
You are responsible for holding a visa that allows your stay and the activities. The program does not provide or guarantee a visa. What is allowed depends on your status, especially if you come without a working holiday visa, so check with the Japanese embassy or consulate in your country before you apply.
No. We run the program and can suggest housing and travel options, but you book those yourself. The total cost of a month is shown in the Fees section.
In two payments, in Japanese yen. After you apply, we email you the written terms and an invoice. Pay 40% of the fee within 14 days to confirm your place (¥160,000 for 1 month, ¥272,000 for 2 months), and the rest no later than 30 days before the start. Please use Wise or a similar service that pays yen into a Japanese bank account; our account cannot receive international bank transfers (SWIFT). You pay the sending fees so that the full amount reaches us.
Within 14 days of your place being confirmed, you can cancel for a full refund, including the confirmation fee (unless your place is confirmed less than 31 days before the start). After that, ¥50,000 of the program fee is a non-refundable confirmation fee. The rest (¥350,000 for 1 month, ¥630,000 for 2 months; ¥310,000 and ¥562,000 with the friend discount) is refunded as follows. 31 or more days before the start: 100% of the program fee refunded, minus the confirmation fee. 15 to 30 days: 70%. 8 to 14 days: 50%. 7 days or less, no-show, or leaving after the start: no refund. If you cancel before paying the balance, you do not pay it; we refund what you have paid minus the part we keep. Bank charges and non-refundable costs you have already approved may be deducted. If NINGEI cancels, the program fee is refunded in full, including the confirmation fee. Travel and housing you booked yourself are not covered. Any more favourable right under mandatory consumer law still applies.
Apply
Ready? Come to Rikuzentakata.
- 1Choose your term and length, and apply
- 2Get the written terms and invoice by email
- 3Pay 40% to confirm your place
Questions? Email us at [email protected]
Applications are open for Spring 2027, Autumn 2027 and Spring 2028. Places are confirmed in the order payments arrive.
