Hands-on Programs
Your instructors are the “Masters of the Countryside,” like uncles and aunts who love the seas, lakes, rivers, villages, and mountains of Wakasa.
Slowly… taking their time… they will pass on the joys of living in the countryside.
Our crew, who make their livings by farming, fishing, and forestry, will teach your children. A typical menu, available year-round, is shown below. We also have original menus to suit each area you stay at. We can combine different menus to suit your schedule and purpose to create your own custom hands-on program.
- Our farming and forestry program, held in the hills and villages, will be hosted by Kaminaka Nogakusha, etc.
- Our fishing program, held in the lakes and the sea, will be hosted by one of five fishing villages (Tsunegami, Miko, Ogawa, Umiyama, Sekumi).
- As there are five fishing villages, we can host up to five school (groups) per day.
- As a rule, we can only accept one school per day for any one fishing village.
- After you arrive at the farming or fishing village, as a rule all menu items will be done within that village. (You will not need to bus anywhere.)
- We can create custom programs that combine farming and fishing villages. (You will need to bus between them.)
- The required times shown below may change, depending on the program configuration.
1Watch fishermen use triangular set netsRecommended!
Time required: 1 hour 30 minutes
Watch the sun rise from the Wakasa-maru after leaving port in the grey pre-dawn. Depending on the season, we’ll catch yellowtail, horse mackerel, flying fish, sea bream, squid, and even whales or sharks!
2Watch the catch being landed
Time required: 30 minutes
See the fishing village at its busiest! You might even be a witness to “hourly rate: 10 million yen!?” Seeing all these different fish will make you realize just how diverse marine life is.
3Making dried fish
Time required: 30 minutes to 1 hour
Here we dry horse mackerel. Local elderly folks will carefully teach you how. And you can take the dried fish back home for everyone to eat!
4Feeding farmed fish
Time required: 30 minutes
See what a fish farm is like. The natural fishponds are lively with puffer fish, sea bream, and yellowtail.
5Sea fishing
Time required: 2 hours
Duel with a fish in a natural fishing pond! A battle to the death with nature! You can catch fish like rockfish and horse mackerel. Try and get a big one!
6A chat with fishermen
Time required: 30 minutes to 1 hour
What sort of job is a fisherman? Fishermen might look a bit scary, but once you start talking with them… why, they’re all so friendly!
7Take a cutter or fishing boat to the villageRecommended!
Time required: 2 hours
We’ll come and pick you up from either the National Wakasawan Youth Outdoor Learning Center or the Fukui Coastal Nature Center in a fishing boat. Heave ho, and away we go!
With the assistance of the National Wakasawan Youth Outdoor Learning Center
8Shore studies
Time required: 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hour
The shore is where the land and the sea meet. There’s lots of fun plants and animals to find, like sea slugs or sea hares.
With the assistance of the Fukui Coastal Nature Center
9Making pressed seaweed
Time required: 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes
The seas around Wakasa have created a seaweed culture. Sticking seaweed on is fun. You could even try sending a postcard to your future self.
With the assistance of the Fukui Coastal Nature Center
10Beachcombing
Time required: 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hour
Flotsam is brought here by currents from around the world. You can find shells, driftwood, stones, and other treasures. It really shows how Wakasa and Asia are connected by the sea.
With the assistance of the Fukui Coastal Nature Center
11Snorkeling
Time required: 2 hours
Wearing a wetsuit, you’ll swim through the forests of the sea, just like a fish. There’s all sorts of life down here. But it’s not scary, even if it’s your first time.
With the assistance of the Fukui Coastal Nature Center
12Diving
Time required: 3 hours
Dolphins and whales might come over to play. This is so amazing. What secrets lie in the seas of Wakasa?
With the assistance of the Mico Dive Center
13Kayaking
Time required: 2 hours
Out on the sea, away from the shore, the only sounds you hear are the voices of nature. Lights, scents, winds, waves… a time of harmony between people and nature.
14Cruising the Mikata Five Lakes
Time required: 1 hour
Let’s go cruising on Lake Suigetsu! The global climate from more than 100,000 years ago (!?) can be recreated from the lake bottom. Lake Suigetsu is really amazing.
15Cycling the Mikata Five Lakes
Time required: 2 hours
Cycle around the lake shore of the Mikata Five Lakes, a wetland registered in the Ramsar Convention. Be greeted by flowers, water birds, and even monkeys.
16Mikata Five Lakes trekking
Time required: 2 hours
Walk the sea road from the coast. Once, this road was used to transport salt and fish.
17Make your own magatama
Time required: 1 hour 30 minutes
Experience the lifestyle of the Jomon people, who once lived on the shores of the Mikata Five Lakes, and where no less than eleven Jomon-period dugout canoes have been discovered.
18Make your own plum juice
Time required: 30 minutes
Plums are a major product of Wakasa. The natural juice made with generous amounts of plums is tartly tasty.
19Rice transplanting and harvestingRecommended!
Time required: 2 to 3 hours
Rice is something we eat every day. This will allow you to experience the marvel of life that lies in each tiny grain. Covered in dirt and mud, you’ll finish the day exhausted but happy.
20Gathering vegetables
Time required: 1 hour
How would you like some seasonal vegetables? This is a chance to gather and eat vegetables in season, something that used to be normal way. Fresh vegetables are so full of energy!
21Processing farm goods
Time required: 1 hour 30 minutes
From crop to food. You’ll learn how all sorts of things are made. This is definitely a tasty experience….
22Charcoal burning
Time required: 2 hours
Using saws or hatchets, you’ll learn how to make charcoal from wood. This is a rare chance to experience up close this old-style method!
23Daily farm lifeRecommended!
Time required: 1 to 2 hours
Heating the bath with logs, feeding the chickens, gathering their eggs, cooking local dishes, and more. See what farmers do all day.
24Crafts
Time required: 1 to 2 hours
Use vines, bamboo, or straw, and start right from gathering natural materials. Cutting, shaving, spinning… Who knows what you could make?
Crew leader’s recommended plan
Day 1
| 8:30 | Join the Wanpaku Crew♪ |
|---|---|
| 8:45 | Charcoal burning |
| 12:00 | Lunch |
| 13:00 | Move by bus |
| 13:30 | Shore studies |
| 16:00 | Move by bus |
| 16:30 | Village entrance ceremony |
| 16:45 | Making dried fish |
| 17:15 | Bath |
| 18:00 | Dinner, free time |
| 20:00 | A chat with fishermen |
| 20:30 | Meeting to reflect and check on tomorrow’s schedule |
| 21:00 | Bed |
Day 2
| 4:00 | Wake up |
|---|---|
| 4:30 | Leave port, Watch fishermen use triangular set nets |
| 6:30 | Return to port, Watch the catch being landed |
| 7:00 | Breakfast, experience the fishing village |
| 9:00 | Sea fishing |
| 12:00 | Lunch |
| 13:00 | Village departure ceremony, Move by bus |
| 13:30 | Cruising the Mikata Five Lakes |
| 14:30 | Learning about history and the environment |
| 15:30 | Gathering vegetables |
| 17:30 | Bath (Steel drum baths also available) |
| 18:30 | Dinner, free time |
| 21:00 | Meeting to reflect and check on tomorrow’s schedule |
| 21:30 | Bed |
Day 3
| 6:00 | Wake, stroll, take care of the chickens |
|---|---|
| 7:00 | Breakfast |
| 8:30 | Pulling out charcoal, processing experience |
| 10:30 | Crafts |
| 12:00 | Lunch |
| 13:00 | Cleaning, summing-up |
| 13:30 | Wanpaku Crew certification♪ |