Shimanto Gakusha

So the second part of my little Nishitosa holiday was a weekend at the Shimanto Gakusha. It's a renovated school that now operates as an I don't know exactly what to call it--I guess a hotel or resort or something like that. It's very cool, a very casual place. Very much a summer camp feeling. As well as accomodation and food, they have a guided river experience every morning and evening, and a woodworking instructor and possibly, at busier times, other courses (they have instruments, computers, and a bookish looking classroom, so they're set to do many cool things).

Anyway, the best thing about it in my view is that they accept volunteer labour in return for food and sleeping space. Yay! I got a sweet little tatami room on the edge of the woodshop, all to myself (I was totally expecting a dorm situation). There was even air conditioning! I was also expecting that I might be doing a lot of work, but that wasn't the case either. I helped to serve breakfast and supper, portioning out prepared food onto dishes and arranging dishes on trays (each one exactly the same!!). That took maybe four hours each day, two in the morning and two in the evening. After breakfast, I did whatever light cleaning needed doing, and the rest of the time was mine! I also helped out with the cleanup after kayaking, but just because I was at the river and felt like it.

The first afternoon, I learned to kayak in Japanese which I have to say I'm rather proud of. I didn't crash! Okay, I cheated by already knowing how to canoe. But still! The Shimanto River has way more current than any place I've ever canoed, so it was a fun challenge. It also reminded me I really like paddling (I always think this every time I go canoeing, too; some time I should do something about it). I also went out for a kayak spin the second day.



Other than that, I wandered around the area, snapped river photos, read, and took a quick afternoon bike ride. A bike, a book, an ipod, and great scenery are definitely ingredients in my perfect afternoon. It was a really great experience--I'm planning to look for more work-for-staying-in-cool-places opportunities in the future.