WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY for foreigners living in Japan to learn Japanese in a friendly environment, make connections with Japanese who are actively involved with volunteerism, find short term and long term volunteer opportunities, and have a fun time sharing food, drink and conversation.

19:00 – 20:00 – Private or semi-private conversation/lesson in Japanese

20:00 – 21:30 – Participants can go to the nearby store to buy food/drinks they want and come back for an informal get-together in  English or Japanese.  Learn about volunteer opportunities, make friends with active bi-lingual speakers giving you the chance to expand your network and your perspective.

The Japanese volunteers for this event come from LVC (Language Volunteer Co-Talk), a group which is forming an international volunteer network in Tokyo.  This event will be held at JAMBO SCHOOL on the second Friday of each month for as long as there is a demand.

Sign up here

(Bring your own beverages and lunch box)

We will meet at Seibu Ikebukuro Line’s SeibuKyuujoMae Station’s ticket gate at 11:00AM. Take the 10:10AM Seibu Ikebukuro Line express train (going towards SeibuKyuujoMae) at Ikebukuro Station. This arrives at SeibuKyuujoMae  Station at 10:56AM.

Course: Seibu KyuujoMae Station – Totoro Forest (Section 1)  – Totoro Forest (Section 3) – Sayama Lake Walk and Ohanami – Seibu KyuujoMae Station

Sayama Lake is one of the top 100 man-made (damned) lakes in Japan. It lies within the Sayama Nature Park, which has about 20,000 cherry trees, so the Ohanami should be especially enjoyable!!!
Actual walking time is about 3 hours. Please look at the web sites:
http://www.enjoytokyo.jp/amuse/event/786181/
http://www.jorudan.co.jp/sp/hanami/spot_94.html　
http://tokyosanpopo.com/archives/7311

HALF NEW!
Meeting Place and Time: Exit 3 of Kiba Station (on the Tozai Line) at 14:00
 
The afternoon program is ¥1000 and includes explanations of places along the way in English. Everyone is requested to use English only for the first hour. After that, people may speak in their preferred language, but David will use only English during the walk.

14:00 – 15:30 – Kiba Park to Sarue Park (along the canal) (English Only Please)

15:30 – 16:30 –  Sarue Park to SendaiboriKoen

16:30 – 18:00 – Enjoy the food and drink stands and Ohanami at Sendaibori Canal

The course is about 6 Kilometers.

Evening Program (Free)
19:00 – 20:00 – Yasukuni Jinja Ohanami and eating/drinking
20:30 – 21:30 – 20:30 – 21:30 – See the lunar eclipse (at 9:00PM) at Kita no Maru Park (near the Budokan) (Bring snacks & drinks)
Look for the group in either place at these times. If you can’t find us, please call David at 080-6546-7688.

Participation Fee 1000 yen + 200 yen for Tropical Dome at the Flower Garden.

We will meet at the IzuHakoneDaiyuuzan Line’s Iidaoka Station Ticket Gate at 10:12 AM.
8:11  Depart Shinjuku on the Odakyu Line (Express going towards Odawara) and get off at Odawara, arriving at 9:47. Change to the 10:00 IzuHakoneDaiyuuzan train going towards Daiyuuzan. This arrives at Iidaoka Station at 10:10.
If you’d like to go from Shinjuku, get on the front of the 8:11 Odakyu Line train at Shinjuku Station. David will get on the first car at the next station (Yoyogi Uehara).

Course:  Odawara Station – Odawara Flower Garden – Ikoi Forest – Wanpaku Park (we’ll stay 2 hours with many fund things to do there) – Odawara Castle Park (for Cherry blossom viewing?) – Odawara Station
The total walking time for the hike will be about 4 hours.

Please check the following web sites for the many fun things which this hike entails:

　（わんぱくランド）
http://www.city.odawara.kanagawa.jp/global-image/units/78808/1-20120104154635.pdf
http://www.city.odawara.kanagawa.jp/global-image/units/28610/1-20121128172754.pdf
http://www.city.odawara.kanagawa.jp/kanko/Leisure/aruku/walking/suwanoharawc.html

Please bring your lunch and drinks.

FREE & EASY

The garbage pick-up will be canceled in case of rain, but the afternoon plan will still take place even if it rains.

ARAKAWA RIVER CLEAN UP & Chance to meet people of various organizations!
Meeting Place and Time: The ticket gate of Funabori Station (Toei Shinjuku Line) at 9:30AM

SCHEDULE
9:30AM – Meet at Funabori Station (Toei Shinjuku Line) ticket gate
10:00 – 12:00 – Do a Garbage Clean-up on the Arakawa River (about a 30 minute walk from the station)
1:30 – 3:30PM – International Friendship Circle at Nishi-Oojima Public Hall

Do something good for the environment and join the garbage pick-up. Please bring work gloves if you have them.

Language Volunteer Co-Talk (LVC) is looking for volunteers to sit at their “English Challenge” booth for one hour or more anytime between 11:00 and 15:30. It’s a wonderful chance to meet the good people from this organization, which is making a volunteer network of Japanese and foreigners in Tokyo. If interested, please contact rocky_ishii@nifty.com (Rocky Ishii, in English or Japanese).

Japanese box lunch (Bento) & Bottled green tea will be provided free of charge if you request.

You may join both the garbage pick-up (no reservation necessary) and International Friendship Circle, or only one of them if you prefer.

For those joining along the way, please contact David at 080-6546-7688.

Participation Fee: 1000 yen + Mogusaen Park entrance 300 yen

Course: Takafudadou Station – Takahatafudo Pagoda  – Mogusadai Nature Park (and Observatory)  – Mogusaen (Plum Tree Park) – Nanao Hills Hiking Course (if there is time) – Mogusaen Station (Keio Line)
 
Walking Time: About 3 Hours (10KM)  
 
From Shinjuku, take the Keio Line (Special Express) train at 9:30AM  and get off at Takahatafudou Station, arriving at 10:08AM. We’ll meet at the ticket gate there at 10:10AM
 
People going from Shinjuku Station can meet at the front end of the 9:30 train. 

There are 500 Plum trees in Mogusaen Park with white, pink and mixed flowers:

http://park.tachikawaonline.jp/event/29_mogusaen_ume.htm

http://blog.goo.ne.jp/kyokoma_1978/e/a16cdc15737dfa48013d6e855ec95393

2 Rapeseed Blossom Hot Spots & Mt. Ogusu Hiking!

(Bring your own food and drink for the hike)

We will meet at the ticket gate of Yokosuka Line’s Kinugasa Station at 10:30AM.　From Shinbashi, take the JR Tokaido Line train (going towards Odawara) at 9:07. This arrives at Totsuka at 9:42. Change at Totsuka and get on the 9:47 JR Yokosuka Line train (going towards Zushi), arriving at Kinugasa Station at 10:30.

Leader: Leszek 070-6572-2537

If you want to ride with Leszek and others, please get on the front car of the 9:47 Yokosuka Line train at Totsuka.

Hiking Course: Kinugasa Station – Kinugasa Park – Mt. Oogusu – Koyasu no Sato Park – Zushi Station (by bus or on foot)
The hike itself is about 5 hours.

Both Mt. Oogusu and Koyasu no Sato are famous for their rapeseed blossoms during this time of year.　

From 6:30-9:30pm at the Polygon (behind the Oriental Bazaar on Omotesando)

For JAMBO members, the cost is 3,500 yen for men and 3,000 yen for women w/reservation. Foreigners get a 500 yen discount, or plus 500 yen if you go directly without making a reservation. All beer, wine, cocktails, soft drinks + sushi buffet, garden salad, veggies, cheeses, breads, and pies for dessert included.

Reservations can be made with David at jambodave@green.email.ne.jp or phone (03-6599-8112) by March 13.
Half of your admission fee will be donated to Institute for Transportation & Development Policy.
So you can have an enjoyable evening and help a good cause at the same time.

If you’d like to go with David, please meet at Exit A1 of Omotesando Station at 6:15PM on the 14th.

Planting mushroom spores & wood chopping

10:00 – 15:30

Participation Fee – 500 yen
Canceled in case of rain

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED by March 4 (MAXIMUM 7 people).
 
Meeting Place: 10:04 at Utsugidai Bus Stop
 
Please wear long pants and long-sleeved shirt and exercise shoes.
 
Please bring your own drinks, food (for lunch) and work gloves
 
Fee: 500 yen for non-members

Those who wish to go with David, please meet at Hino Station (on the Chuo Line) ticket gate at 9:40. We will take the 9:46 bus from there (18 minutes).
 
Information (in Japanese): http://www.foejapan.org/satoyama/activity/index.html

March 1 event is rained out. Instead, we meet at Shinjuku Gyoen’s Okido gate at 3:00 (park&eats).

You can choose the easier short course or longer course. 

We will meet at the ticket gate of Ogose at 10:53AM. From Ikebukuro, take the Tobu Tojo Line’s Express Train at 9:40 and　change at Sakado (arriving here at 10:24 to the Tobu　Ogose Line. Take the 10:33AM Tobu Ogose Line train to the end (Ogose Station). It arrives at Ogose at 10:51AM. From here, we hike by a nice temple, down to Ogose Plum Tree Park, which should be in bloom and has 1,000 trees, with some being 600 years old, and then up a small mountain. The short course goes back to Ogose Station and the long one goes to Higashi Moro Station.
 
The short hike (David) itself is about 3.5 hours and the long hike (Leszek) is about 5 hours. Should be a lot of fun! The train fare is 720 Yen one-way.　
 
If you’d like to go from Ikebukuro, get on the front of the 9:40 train at Ikebukuro Station. David will get on that car at Wakoshi Station at 9:53.