Sado Island is a charming and very interesting place. It was a place of exile for many politicians and dissidents in the 1200’s. In the 1600’s gold and silver was discovered and it revitalized the island. Sado became a melting pot of culture, entertainment and art. As the gold ran out and people had a harder time living on an island detached from the mainland and the population decreased. Now they are left with an island which is fighting to keep it’s culture and history alive. Younger people are leaving and many buildings have been abandoned. There are less and less children to fill the schools. The temples are having a hard time to survive as members have decreased and no one is left to take over.
World Unite volunteers help clean temples and work to maintain and sustain Sado Island. We live in a old temple that is inhabited only by the Buddhist monk’s mother. The monk comes back from Kyoto maybe once a month to meet with people. His mother, Keiko, works in the yard and maintains the property as best she can. We help her as needed. We also provide monetary assistance because the volunteers pay to work and live here. Besides helping her, we also do other environmental and sustainable projects. We made a type of genki balls. We made the balls with rice, iron, charcoal and latic acid. We were told, when these balls are dropped in the water assist in revitalizing the ocean.
We planted flowers to attract bees and made a home for bees to nest in.
We also went to another Buddhist temple and did sweeping, vacuuming and dusting.
We also learned about and visited the old historic buildings in Sado.
Not to mention, going on a tub boat ride in the harbor.
Everyday we seem to do something a little different. But all focused on sustainability.
Dream, Create, Inspire 