🌱 A Long Time Ago, We Started Something Called “Nōen Project” — And Now, It Begins Again, Little by Little. - インターナショナルデモクラティックスクールまめの木インターナショナルデモクラティックスクールまめの木

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2025年10月16日木曜日 10時 23分

🌱 A Long Time Ago, We Started Something Called “Nōen Project” — And Now, It Begins Again, Little by Little.

About fifteen years ago, before Mamenoki even existed,
Gen Nishimura started something called the “Nōen Project.”

The idea was simple.
Visit local farms.
Pull weeds, harvest rice, care for black soybeans.
Go where helping hands were needed most — and bring people together to lend them.

Travelers and students came not only from across Japan,
but from all over the world — backpackers, working-holiday wanderers,
young people taking time off from university,
and adventurers from Europe, South America, and beyond.

People who spoke different languages, ate different foods,
and had grown up in different worlds,
all worked side by side in the same fields of Tamba-Sasayama.
They laughed together, sweated together,
and at lunchtime, shared local onigiri under the open sky.
Those moments were warm and unforgettable.

In just two short years, more than 200 people joined in,
supporting over 40 local farms.
Farmers would often say,

“This would have taken me a week alone — but you finished it in one morning!”
Those smiles and words of gratitude still remain in our hearts.

🌾 Why Bring Back “Nōen” Now?

Fifteen years later, life in Japan’s rural communities have not improved much.
Aging populations, fewer farmers,
and the quiet disappearance of hands that once sustained the land.
Especially in organic farming — where every task is done carefully by hand —
you often hear the same gentle wish:

“If only there were just a few more hands…”

Mamenoki has always been a place of connection —
where children, local residents, volunteers, and travelers from around the world
learn, share, and create together.

Through those experiences, we’ve realized something:
beyond education or workshops,
we also want to be part of supporting the everyday life of this community.

And so, Mamenoki will once again bring the Nōen Project back to life.

🌱 Starting Small: Introducing “Nōen Day”

Rather than daily farm work like before,
we’ll begin gently — with a single day of hands-on support called “Nōen Day.”

Our first Nōen Day will be held around the second week of November.
We’ll visit a nearby farm to help with one of Tamba-Sasayama’s autumn traditions:
removing the leaves from black soybean plants.

It’s simple work —
picking off the leaves by hand, one by one,
in a calm, steady rhythm that somehow feels peaceful.
If you enjoy quiet, mindful tasks, this is the perfect fit.
And of course, breaks are always welcome.

🕒 Schedule (Tentative)

10:00 — Meet at the farm and begin work
12:00 — Lunch break (bring your own bento!)
13:00–15:00 — Afternoon session
15:00 — Wrap-up and goodbyes

Children are also welcome to join if they wish.
They can try touching the plants, listening to farmers’ stories,
and simply being part of the day — a gentle kind of “learning by doing.”

🌿 Connecting with the Land, Gently and Joyfully

Nōen is one of the ways Mamenoki hopes to continue growing as part of this community —
cherishing the connection between people, daily life, and nature.

It’s not a big or demanding event.
There’s no pressure to do more than you can.
Just the spirit of:

“Do what you can, when you can, with the heart you have.”

Move your hands in the soil.
Chat with farmers.
Share lunch, smile, and head home a little lighter.
That alone brings quiet strength to this region.

And someday again, perhaps,
someone from across the world will wander here —
to work in the same field, under the same sky,
and share the same laughter.
That’s the kind of connection we want to nurture once more.

👉 Details and sign-up information will be shared soon,
once we finalize the date with the farmers and participants.
If you’re interested, please feel free to reach out to Mamenoki.

Let’s spend a “day of good hands and good air” together,
in the wind-swept fields of Tamba-Sasayama. 🌾

投稿者 :Gen Nishimura

まめの木通信

🌱 A Long Time Ago, We Started Something Called “Nōen Project” — And Now, It Begins Again, Little by Little.

🌾 Why Bring Back “Nōen” Now?

🌱 Starting Small: Introducing “Nōen Day”

🕒 Schedule (Tentative)

🌿 Connecting with the Land, Gently and Joyfully

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