Holding of 3 Volunteer Tours for the Project to Revive "Gyakuden" in Sho En'o

2025.10.31

Project to Revive the Phantom Rice Paddy "Gyakuden" - A Journey in the Footsteps of His Majesty King Sho En'o

Sakata," a rice field said to have been cultivated by King Shoen, the first king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, as a young man about 600 years ago. This valuable cultural landscape has been protected for many years, but the Corona disaster interrupted the cultivation of the fields, and now the fields are a wasteland.

In this project, we will work with local residents and off-island volunteers to revitalize the "reverse rice paddies. We will cut weeds, clear waterways, and revive the fields into rice paddies that will once again nurture life.

This is not just farming work, but a "cultural heritage restoration volunteer tour" to "feel the history of Izena Island and the time when King Shoen lived" and to create "a sense of involvement" for the future together.

Points of this tour

(1) All participants will receive 1 kg (vacuum-packed) of new 2025 Shoen no Sato rice!
(2) From Izena Island, the hometown of "King Sho En," the second Sho clan of the Ryukyu Kingdom, visitors can take a historical tour that takes them back in time to see how he (King Sho En) rose to the position of king!
(iii) Be involved in the historical revitalization of "Gyakuden," a phantom rice field designated as an important cultural asset by the village that was actually cultivated by King Shoen 600 years ago!
(4) Rest assured that local staff will coordinate everything from lodging arrangements to
(5) Volunteer members recruited on the Izena Island side also participated together!
⑥On the second night, the islanders got along well with each other at the "Otsukare" toast exchange party.

Phase 1] Friday, November 28, 2025 - Sunday, November 30, 2025 Application period has ended.
Part 2] Tuesday, December 8, 2025 - Thursday, December 10, 2025
The third round of applications will be accepted from January 28 (Wed.) to January 30 (Fri.), 2026!

For more information

schedule	Schedule
January 28 Day 1	15:00　Meet at Unten Port in Nakijin Village 15:30　Ferry Izena Shoen departure 16:30　Arrival at Nakata Port in Izena Village 17:00　orientation 18:00　Guided tour to the sunset at Izena Beach (may be cancelled due to weather conditions) 18:15　To Accommodation 18:30　dinner Free / Sleeping *Schedule times are approximate at this stage.
January 29. 2nd day	07:00　breakfast 09:00　Departure of Ryukyu history tour following in the footsteps of King Shoen 11:30　End of tour 12:00　lunch 13:30　Start of [Reverse Rice Field Restoration Project (Volunteer Program)] (Bring your own towel for the return trip) 17:00　Volunteer End 17:30　To accommodations (shower and change of clothes) 19:00　Start of dinner social event 21:00　End / Free / Bedtime *Schedule times are approximate at this stage.
January 30 3rd day	07:30　breakfast 09:00　Free time after check-out (rental car or bicycle recommended) Please feel free to spend time on the island on your own. 11:30　Meet (location to be announced) 12:00　Lunch time, review and fill out questionnaire (lunch scheduled) 13:00　To the terminal (souvenir shop) 13:30　Ferry Izena Shoen departs from Nakata Port in Izena Village 14:25　Arrival at Unten Port in Nakijin Village and disbanding Thank you for your hard work... ♪ *Schedule times are approximate at this stage.