Japan English Ministry Volunteer
Himeji, Japan
Location: Himeji, Japan
Opportunity Type: Career or Launch ShortTerm Missionary
Dates: January 20 - November 7, 2021
Most of our opportunities are helping people with their English. We have a full time school called SYME which teaches Bible and English to post-high school adults. Missionaries can come for any, multiple, or all of the four terms throughout the year. The weekly schedule for our SYME school is 1:00-9:00 PM Tuesday through Saturday during the terms. Actual dates to depart the USA and to depart Japan: Winter Term: 1/20/2021 – 3/22/2021 Spring Term: 3/31/2021 – 5/30/2021 Summer Term: 6/2/2021 – 7/25/2021 Fall Term: 9/1/2021 – 11/7/2021 Actual term dates: Winter Term: 1/26/2021 – 3/20/2021 Spring Term: 4/6/2021 - 5/29/2021 Summer Term: 6/8/2021 - 7/24/2021 Fall Term: 9/7/2021 - 11/6/2021 We also have an English Café that offers Japanese teenagers and adults the opportunity to practice speaking English with native English speakers. Our Sendai location has a missionary couple that have English ministries for youth and for college students.
Japanese people are interested in learning English from native English speakers. We actually advertise the fact we have several native English speakers to help them. This brings in more students. There are also opportunities for people to help with advertising, videography, and social media. There is also a need for people to come and teach English at our SYME school. Through these ministries we are able to build relationships and then share the Gospel and disciple believers. We desire to see Japanese young people strengthened in their faith, equipped to reach youth, and to share the Gospel.
Details
Travel
a. What is the best airport to fly in and out of? Osaka International (ITM) or Kansai (KIX) b. What city the airport is in? Osaka
Visa
The staff here will help each volunteer arrange for their visa trip.
Food
You will need to prepare your own meals. Depending on the ministry activities you are involved in, lunch and/or dinner will be eaten at your home or packed as a "lunch box" and eaten with others on the WOL property. Breakfasts will be eaten at your home. We will help you get to the grocery store and become familiar with cooking here. Grocery stores are also accessible by a short bicycle ride or walk, here in Himeji.
Housing
Single adults can often stay in our local apartments with staff or SYME students. Married couples need to find private AirBnB type residency.
Transportation
Bus, train, walking, and bicycle
What To Bring
Things to bring: * Bath towel & washcloth. Thin towels are recommended as it can be a humid climate. * Slippers. It is very common to wear slippers in homes. Also, if you come during the winter you will appreciate the extra warmth for your feet. * Most gyms (for a ministry activity) request a clean-soled separate pair of shoes be worn than what you arrived in. * Also, be aware that shoe size over women's 8 or men's 10 is hard to find. Most clothing sizes are smaller sizes. * Himeji's climate is very hot and humid in the summer and cold in the winter, but it is rare to see snow. The winter daytimes are usually in the 30's-40's and evenings in the upper 20's-30's. * For most ministry activities, nice tops (no T-shirts) and dress pants, unfaded or un-frayed dark jeans, or skirts are appropriate. Dress shoes or nice casual shoes. If serving in camp ministry, modest but casual clothing is acceptable. Having a set of clothes you don't mind getting stained or damaged for a possible work project would be helpful to bring. * We suggest trying to avoid body piercing and to cover any tattoos as much as possible. * Some hygiene items that are difficult to find or expensive here are: Deodorant, body lotion, Tylenol/ Ibuprofen, vitamins, chapstick, and sunblock. We highly recommend bringing some familiar over-the-counter meds for cough/cold/sinus infection/allergies or other OTC meds you use. * FYI- Homes do not have clothes dryers, so you will be line-drying your clothes. * You may want to bring a set of measuring cups & spoons, as the cooking utensils here use the metric system. * You will need to be able to access cash to use here. Some stores and restaurants only accept cash. ATM's work best to withdraw money. Visa and MasterCard are most accepted. * Japan's electric outlets are the same as the U.S., but are only 2-prong outlets. Adapters for a 3 prong plug can be bought cheaply here. The electric current is a little lower than the U.S., but hairdryers, etc. can be used just fine. Things not to bring: * Note on medications – check this website for information regarding what you can and cannot bring into Japan: https://jp.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/doctors/importing-medication/
What To Wear
For church and most ministry activities, nice tops (no T-shirts) and dress pants, unfaded or un-frayed dark jeans, or skirts are appropriate. Dress shoes or nice casual shoes. If serving in camp ministry, modest but casual clothing is acceptable. Having a set of clothes you don't mind getting stained or damaged for a possible work project would be helpful to bring. For going out in public in general, the best advice is to dress respectfully and modestly. You can wear shorts and t-shirts, flip-flops, but only with good taste.
Other
For teachers wanting to stay multiple terms, an extra $500 per person or more should be added to the budget for a round trip ticket to Korea or a nearby country for a VISA trip. This cost is an estimate and would cover lodging, airfare plus transportation to and from the airport in Japan.
Finances
Cost
$30.00
About the Finances
Major One Time Expenses - Airfare - $1,400.00 +/- Visa Airfare Trip - $500.00 +/- Monthly Budget - Field Expense - $750.00 Stipend - $300.00 Airport Transportation - $100.00 Insurance – $4.57/day +/- 12% Admin Fee