This blog summarizes Campship Academy's Yakushima & Tanegashima program, which was held from August 1st to 7th, 2025.

This will be the first time that the campship has visited Yakushima and Tanegashima, and we hope you will get a feel for what it will be like to take part in a long-term program lasting 6 nights and 7 days.

First, the results and impressions in three lines

Yakushima and Tanegashima are known for being rainy places, but we didn't get rained on once, and we were able to carry out all of the planned activities as scheduled.It was a wonderful program that allowed us to fully experience the sea, rivers, mountains, and science.

The seven days went by in a flash, and it was such a fulfilling week that the children said, "We want to make it even longer next year!"

Furthermore, because it is a long-term program, there were many opportunities for the children to develop independence and cooperation, and the seven days allowed us to truly experience the joys of long camp.

Hub&Labo, the NPO that welcomed us locally

This program provided us with many valuable experiences that Campship Academy could never have achieved on its own. The key players in this were the people at Hub & Labo, the NPO that co-hosted the program.

It all started with a chance encounter with the representative, Ya-kun (Fukumoto-san). We shared the desire to create an opportunity for children to fully develop their curiosity on Yakushima and Tanegashima, and for local and non-island children to live together and experience the differences in values ​​and cultures, and this co-hosted program came to fruition.

The large group of 51 people, including 31 children from Campship Academy, 10 local children from Yakushima, and 10 staff members, camped, cooked meals, and lived together.

There was a scene like this during the program.

As some children on Yakushima were playing by plucking large leaves of grass that looked like ornamental plants growing on the side of the road, a child from the camp ship called out, "No, it's a shame for the plants!"

This raises a question mark in the minds of local children. For children on Yakushima, plants with large leaves are just toys that grow everywhere, but for children living in cities, ornamental plants are something that should be cared for and protected by human hands.

Although the children felt a sense of discomfort due to these small differences in values, watching them grow closer as they played together gave me a sense of their growth as people.

Thanks to Hub&Labo's coordination, we were able to have such a profound experience, observing the moment when baby sea turtles hatch and leave the sea, climbing a stream in a tributary of the Anwa River, seeing a giant wild eel, and diving into a waterfall that only a few people know about.

Once again, thank you so much to everyone at Hub&Labo!

Program Highlights

Day 1

We gathered at Haneda Airport and boarded the plane with our children, who were in mixed emotions of excitement and nervousness about being away from their families for seven days.

A few children were sad and in tears when they had to say goodbye, but they quickly moved on and began to feel excited about the journey that was about to begin.

We arrived at Kagoshima Airport and were joined by other participants from Fukuoka and Kagawa prefectures. Campship Academy is based in Tokyo, but we are flexible in accommodating local meetings and joining along the way, and we now have an increasing number of children from all over the country participating in our programs.

Arrived at Yakushima!

The children are overwhelmed by the local feel that only a regional airport can offer. They pick up their luggage and board the bus. Their first day's destination is the Yakushima Youth Travel Village, located in a village called Kurio in the southern part of the island.

When we arrived at the travel village, the Yakushima group had already arrived and were waiting for us, having prepared dinner for the first night for the camp ship members. We were touched by this warmth and enjoyed a sunset dinner while watching the sun set. The children were excited to see such a spectacular view, which is hard to see when living in the city.

At night, we observed the stars. The children were overwhelmed by the number of stars they had never seen before. They could see the Milky Way clearly and many shooting stars.

A current elementary school science teacher also participated as a leader in this program, and everyone earnestly searched for constellations while listening to a lecture on them.

Day 2

The Yakushima Youth Travel Village, where we stayed for a total of three days on this program, provided us with lovely bungalows that were comfortable and equipped with air conditioning, refrigerators, and showers, but they did not provide meals, so we had to cook all our own meals, making it a mini survival experience.

For breakfast, we all prepared open sandwiches and ate them together.

The second day was a full day of playing in the sea!

We went swimming at Tsukasaki Tide Pool, which was just a few minutes' walk from where we were staying. A tide pool is a seawater pool created by enclosing part of the ocean with a breakwater so that people can swim safely. Everyone enjoyed the ocean in their own way, jumping in from the rocks and observing the fish.

In the evening, we grilled flying fish, a Yakushima specialty, over a bonfire, and then we gathered ingredients ourselves to make and eat pork soup. The grilled flying fish was so delicious! The pork soup, packed with ingredients, also had a gentle flavor that was perfect for after a day of playing in the sea.

Above all, the process of the children discussing things among themselves, going shopping, and cooking together was educational in itself, and I felt that the children's sense of distance had been greatly reduced through the collaborative work.

Day 3

We all woke up at 4am and walked to Kurio Beach.

What I'm looking for is, yes, sea turtles.

Unfortunately, we were not able to witness the sea turtles laying their eggs, but we were lucky enough to see the moment when the turtles hatched.

A tiny turtle, less than 5cm long, desperately walks towards the sea, relying on the reflection of the light, and sets off on a journey out to sea.

After crossing the Pacific Ocean and migrating to America, sea turtles always return to the beach where they were born to lay their eggs. However, most sea turtles are eaten by other animals before they reach adulthood.

The children intently observed the moment when the newborn baby turtles set off for the sea, thinking about the birth of new life and the laws of nature.

After that, we left the Yakushima Youth Travel Village and ventured into the World Heritage Site of Yakushima via the Western Forest Road on the west side of the island. This area is home to many wild animals, and we were able to observe deer and monkeys.

During our trip, Ya-kun from Hub&Labo told us that there are only seven species of wild mammals on Yakushima.

There are apparently no bears, foxes, or rabbits on Yakushima (seven types of mammals: deer, monkeys, bats, moles, mice, raccoon dogs, and weasels).

After leaving the World Heritage Site, we had lunch at the spectacular Oko Falls, then took a bus to the north side of the island. In the afternoon, we enjoyed swimming in the sea at Isso Beach.

Our initial plan was to just play on the beach, but the kids were so excited by the beautiful ocean! We enjoyed swimming to our heart's content for about two hours. We were also able to observe rays in the sea.

From the third day onwards, we changed accommodations and stayed at the guesthouse "Suimeisou". We had the place to ourselves, the food was delicious and there was a large bath, so the kids were very happy.

Day 4

On the fourth day, we left early in the morning and headed by bus to the entrance of Shiratani Unsuikyo Gorge. From there, we embarked on a 6-hour round trip trek through the Yakusugi cedar trees. While listening to a lecture on what Yakusugi cedars are, we focused on the unique vegetation of Yakushima and walked and walked, enjoying the changing scenery as we climbed.

Just looking at the magnificent Yakusugi cedar trees, which are over 1,000 years old, gave me a sense of great power, and it was a time when I was able to reflect on the greatness of nature, my own smallness, and the history of the past.

I think the children also felt something when they saw and touched the Yakusugi cedars.

After everyone had finished their trekking, they went to a famous local tea shop for soft serve ice cream! The matcha soft serve was delicious, and it instantly blew away all the children's fatigue, leaving them beaming with smiles.

Day 5

On the fifth day, the children were showing signs of fatigue from the long journey, so those who were feeling a bit tired slowed down a bit and used the day to recover their strength. About half of the children visited the Yakusugi Nature Museum, where they enjoyed looking at various exhibits related to Yakusugi and participating in hands-on workshops.

The remaining members, who still had energy left, decided to try their hand at a little-known stream climbing spot, guided by local resident Ya-kun.

Starting with splashing each other with cold water, you'll walk for about 30 minutes, spotting natural eels, crabs, shrimp, soft-shelled turtles and more, before arriving at the beautiful basin at the bottom of the waterfall!

Here, the children enjoyed jumping in and swimming as they pleased, soaking up the negative ions.

In the afternoon, we all took a bus to Onoma Onsen in the village of Onoma. The hot spring water is 49°C, and although everyone was surprised at first by the unusually high temperature, they gradually got used to it after being taught how to bathe by local grandparents.

The high temperature of the hot springs has a relieving effect on fatigue, and the children said that their sore muscles from the previous day's trekking were revived by the hot springs' power.

When conducting a program with a large group, it is inevitable that opportunities to experience the lives of local people will be reduced, but at Campship Academy we deliberately implement these activities in order to get as much of a local feel as possible, based on the idea that inconveniences are part of the journey.

As a result, the children were able to communicate with the local people and had a valuable experience.

Day 6

Time flies and it's already our last day on Yakushima. While trying to calm the kids down, who still seemed to want to play, we headed to Takedakan, a souvenir shop that makes and sells crafts made from Yakusugi cedar.

Within their limited budget, the children carefully considered what souvenirs would best represent their memories of the trip, and purchased souvenirs for their family, friends, and themselves.

In the afternoon, we took the Taiyo Ferry to Tanegashima. Yakushima, seen from the sea, was also magnificent, while our destination, Tanegashima, had no high mountains, making the contrast between the two islands striking.

After arriving on Tanegashima, we walked to our accommodation. We stayed at Minamitane Town Nature House, a town-run accommodation facility. It was housed in an abandoned school building and was a wonderful facility fully equipped with air conditioning, heating, and cooking equipment.

In the afternoon, students worked together as a team to create a plastic bottle rocket, which also served as a way to expand their imagination about the Tanegashima Space Center where they would be heading the next day.

Then, using the spacious school grounds, the teams competed to see who could throw the bottle the farthest! The team that flew the furthest flew about 100m. The children, who had never expected a 500ml plastic bottle to fly that far, showed looks of surprise and excitement.

The creation of this plastic bottle rocket was also a battle to win ingredients for that day's dinner, with judges evaluating the teams based on four criteria: 1) flight distance, 2) rocket design, 3) teamwork, and 4) safety management. The winning team was then allowed to choose any ingredient they wanted.

Each team used the ingredients they had gathered and discussed how to make dinner. Some teams made Italian-style pasta, while others made Chinese-style fried rice. Seeing each team put their ingenuity into their preparations was a testament to the friendship and teamwork they had cultivated during their week of living together.

Day 7

We were busy preparing to check out in the morning, and then headed to the JAXA Tanegashima Space Center by large bus. This facility is the largest rocket launch site in Japan, and we were able to take a bus tour around the vast grounds, see a real rocket, and get up close to the launch site.

The children were able to not only see the sheer scale of the rocket itself, but also experience the grandeur of space when they heard that this huge mass would travel far into space and complete its mission there.

After the tour of the Space Center, it was time to head home. The Campship Academy group headed to Tanegashima Airport. After Hub & Labo members saw them off at the airport, they went to Nishinoomote Port and took a ferry back to Yakushima.

lastly

Looking back on it, I feel the breadth and depth of what they experienced over those seven days. I believe it was an opportunity for the children to deeply etch their understanding of nature and science into their hearts.

Finally, let me share one memorable episode from my perspective as the leader of the group.

Participants in this program ranged from first-year elementary school students to first-year high school students. At first, everyone was trying to gauge their distance from their new friends, but by the fourth day, there was a clear change. During free time, everyone, regardless of age, played card games, and the older children looked after the younger ones. They were eager to make the camp fun for themselves and to help each other.

Seeing this, I felt the true joy of long-term camps and realized that long camps are effective in helping children develop independence and cooperation.

Of course, it is difficult for children who are not used to living away from their parents to suddenly participate in a seven-day program. At Campship Academy, we want to create a place where children with different levels of experience can participate and gradually climb the ladder of developing non-cognitive skills through Campship activities.