MONDAY
Silver Hoops
Basketball18:00–20:00
Silver Hoops Flyer COME TOGETHER
Play.Care.Connect.
Shimonanosato brings longtime residents, newcomers, and visitors together through shared experiences. From playing sports and caring for our old school to celebrating traditions and making new ones, we're building connections that help our community thrive.
Everyone is welcome.
Something happens here every week.
If you’re staying at Shimonanosato, come join us — our weekly sports are an easy way to spend time with people from the community.
WEDNESDAY
Ping Pong
Ping Pong18:00–20:00
Ping Pong Flyer 
THURSDAY
Pickleball
Pickleball18:00–20:00
Pickleball Flyer All levels welcome. Participation is free.
Shimonanosato Gym · 18:00–20:00 · Free participation · Free parking
Drinks are available from the gym refrigerator for ¥200. Buying a drink helps support the programs.
New participants are encouraged to contact Shimonanosato before coming to confirm that week’s session.
More than activities
Some things happen every week. Others happen when the season, weather—or simply enough helping hands—make them possible.
Join the Seasons
Green Tea Harvest
Usually late April to early May
Each spring we harvest tea from three fields near Shimonanosato. The freshly picked leaves are processed soon after harvest and return to Shimonanosato as locally produced green tea.
Visitors and volunteers are welcome to join us.
Harvest timing depends on the weather and the growth of the tea, so the exact day may only be decided shortly beforehand.
Many hands make a place.
For years, the grounds around Shimonanosato were cared for by a familiar crew of local residents, many of them graduates of the elementary school that now houses Shimonanosato. Together, they looked after the landscape surrounding their old school.
With so many hands, their activities went well beyond maintenance. They grew soba, planted trees, and helped shape the landscape. And with everyone working together, the work was usually finished quickly, leaving plenty of time to enjoy a delicious meal together.
As the years passed, the crew grew smaller. The additional activities gradually came to an end, and the area they could maintain became smaller too. Today, their efforts focus on the grounds around Shimonanosato, Yumenomori Campground, and the little road connecting them.
We're hoping to welcome some new hands to help carry this tradition forward.
More recently, we've begun welcoming new faces through Kochi's Ikouchi program, bringing fresh hands and connections to the work of caring for this place.
COME WORK WITH US
Enjoy being outdoors? We could use your hands.
We're looking for people who enjoy nature, gardening, and working outdoors. People who don't mind getting their hands dirty, a little summer heat, or the occasional rainy day.
Just as importantly, we're looking for people who enjoy working alongside others — sharing stories, learning from one another, and the camaraderie that comes from working together. We'd love to bring back more of those shared lunches that made the workdays special.
Whether you're a local resident or someone new to the valley, we'd love to hear from you. There may be opportunities to help occasionally or become more regularly involved as Shimonanosato continues to grow.
INTERESTED IN JOINING US?
Tell us a little about yourself and what kind of outdoor work you enjoy.
A place worth building together.
We've inherited something remarkable: an old school built to last, a campground surrounded by nature, and more space than we know what to do with. There's a lot to look after, and even more to imagine.
Little by little, we're finding new ways to use what we have. Some projects solve practical problems. Others begin with someone saying, “Wouldn't it be great if we could...?”
With shared ideas, borrowed tools, reused materials, and a few willing hands, we're discovering what this place can become.
New ways to play.
From installing basketball baskets to building a bouldering wall, we've been finding new ways to bring the old gym to life.
These improvements create more opportunities to play, try something new, and enjoy the space together.
Leave your mark.
Along the first-floor corridor, Shimonanosato's story continues to grow. Above, visitors can discover the history of the old school. Below, they can leave messages, drawings, and small creations of their own.
Each contribution becomes part of the place for the next visitor to discover.
Children’s Art Wall
Children can create their own small artworks and add them to a colorful nature-inspired wall. Another way to leave a little of yourself at Shimonanosato.
New life for old things.
Sometimes the best new projects begin with things we already have.
In our narrow mountain valley, dealing with branches and other plant cuttings has always been a challenge. In the past, they were often burned or discarded in the river. We wanted a better solution.
We bought a wood chipper and began mixing the chips with spent malt from Mukai Craft Brewing to make compost. But we needed somewhere to keep the rain off.
An unused soccer goal and leftover roofing materials became the perfect shelter. Today, the rich compost helps us grow our own food.
What began as a disposal problem has become a practical cycle of caring for the grounds, reusing what we have, and growing something new.
Solving problems together.
Some of the most valuable improvements begin with a simple problem.
After rain, the playground used to become badly muddy. By working together to install drainage, we've made the area much more usable.
It still gets wet when it rains—but the mud is no longer the problem it used to be.
Throughout the Year
Spring
Green Tea Harvest — Late April to early May
Early Summer
Community Work Days / Aikousagyou — usually June
Nandemoichi — held when scheduled
Summer
Feel the Love in Niyodogawa — held in 2025 and 2026
Autumn
Community maintenance and gardening
Winter
Oosouji — year-end community clean-up
Dates change from year to year. Some activities depend on weather, available volunteers and local schedules. Contact us if you'd like to participate while you're in Niyodogawa.
Community improvement projects also take place throughout the year, depending on ideas, available materials, and helping hands. Contact us if you'd like to get involved.
Feel the Love in Niyodogawa
A different kind of community festival.
Once a year, local businesses, visiting cooks, musicians, artists, volunteers, and neighbors come together at Shimonanosato for a day of food, drinks, music, art, and activities.
It’s also a chance for us to open our doors and share what we’re proud of—from the spaces we’ve brought back to life to the new things we’re building together.
First held in 2025, Feel the Love in Niyodogawa is a celebration of people, fresh ideas, and the possibilities that emerge when a community comes together.
2025 · 2026
Something different.
Something for everyone.
Something worth coming back for.
There's room for you in this story.
We're still figuring out what Shimonanosato can become. There's room for new activities, new projects, and ideas we haven't even thought of yet.
Some things work out beautifully. Others take a little more figuring out. That's part of the adventure—and it's a lot more fun when we do it together.
Whether you have a skill to share, an idea to try, or simply want to lend a hand, we'd love to hear from you.
Come join us.
You don’t need to live here.
You don’t need to know everyone.
And you don’t need to be an expert.
Just come take part.