Spend a day helping prune and thin a Yoshino cedar forest.
Closed nowToday Closed
Days open for requests
- 9Mon
- 10Tue
- 11Wed
- 12Thu
- 13Fri
- 14Sat
- 15Sun
Ask anything before you book.
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 3 days before. After that, 50% is charged. If we call off a day because of rain, there is no charge.
Your visit gives back
When you pay, ask staff for the HAKOBUNE QR code and scan it. This place pays us a fee for your visit, and part of it goes to social causes. You pay nothing extra.
Didn’t get the QR?About the class
What you can do here
- Prune cedar branches with a hand saw
- Watch a tree come down during thinning
- Help carry the felled timber
- Kakinoha-zushi lunch in the mountain hut
From the teacher
Cedar only grows straight when people tend it. Even cutting off a single branch, you can see how the light in the forest changes. Come and work up a sweat with us.
Why this place supports social causes
In Yoshino there are many forests whose owners live far away and cannot look after them. We take care of those forests on their behalf and keep up the thinning and pruning. We believe that if more people know what forest work involves, more people will use Yoshino cedar and more will come to help in the forests.
From the place
More and more forests are growing dark because there are not enough hands to tend them. Our crew believes that bringing more people into the forest helps keep Yoshino's mountains full of light.
What the class cares about
Participants use hand saws only
Only our crew use the chainsaws. Participants cut branches with a hand saw.
Bringing light back to the forests in our care
We take care of forests that their owners cannot look after, thinning them so that light reaches the ground.
Every felled tree is put to use
From the thinned cedar, the logs go to the sawmill, and the slender trees are sliced into rounds to make trivets.
HAKOBUNE Spot offers
For first-time visitors
Offer
A slice of cedar for first-timers
Take home a round slice of cedar thinned that very day.
First-timers, once
From your second visit
Offer
From your second visit, ¥1,000 off a full-day session
Come back in another season for our undergrowth-clearing or tree-planting days too.
Second visit onwards, per person
More details
Safety & weather
Location
A cedar and cypress forest in Yoshino town (15 minutes by car from the meeting point, then a 10-minute walk)
Height & fitness requirements
You need to be able to walk on a slope for about 30 minutes. High-school age and up (from Year 4 of primary school on parent-and-child sessions). If you have back or knee problems, you can join to watch only
Rainy days
Cancelled
Cancellation notice time
Sessions are called off in rain or strong wind. We decide at 17:00 the day before and let you know by phone or email
Insurance
Included in the price
Rental gear
Helmet, hand saw, leather gloves, shin guards, jika-tabi split-toe work boots (23–28 cm), rain gear
Licensed guide
Yes
Showers & changing rooms
No
Duration & group size
Duration
420 min
Start times
8:30 (half-day sessions at 8:30 and 13:00)
Minimum participants
1 people
Max participants per session
6 people
Ages
High-school age and up. On parent-and-child sessions, from Year 4 of primary school with a parent or guardian
Suitable for
Beginners
What’s included
What’s included
Loan of all tools, transport to and from the forest, accident insurance, lunch (full-day sessions), tea
Extra costs
Shipping for a cedar log to take home (if you would like one)
On the day
Itinerary
Meet up; talk on tools and safety Drive to the forest Prune branches with a hand saw Watch the thinning (from a distance as a tree is felled with a chainsaw) Lunch (kakinoha-zushi in the mountain hut) Carry the felled timber and clear the branches Come down the mountain and look back on the day
Meeting point
Our crew's work hut, a 10-minute walk from Yamato-Kamiichi Station (大和上市駅)
Meeting time
10 min before
What to bring
Something to drink (at least 1 litre), a towel, a change of clothes
What to wear
Long sleeves and long trousers you don't mind getting dirty. We lend jika-tabi work boots for your feet
Booking rules
Booking deadline
By 17:00, 3 days before
Requirements
Only our crew use the chainsaws. Participants use hand saws only. When a tree is being felled, please stay where we have asked you to stand. If you have ever felt unwell after a bee or wasp sting, please tell us when you book.
Photos
Other (2)
Work (2)
Items (1)
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Class details
- Name
- Kodama Forest Work, Yoshino
- Name in Japanese
- 吉野 山しごと舎 こだま
- Type
- Makers & workshops · Activity
- Address
- 奈良県吉野郡吉野町（架空）Shown in Japanese so you can show it to a taxi driver.
- Nearest station
- 大和上市 Station · 10 min walk近鉄吉野線 大和上市駅 徒歩 10 分（集合場所から山までは車で送ります）
- Hours
MonToday Closed Tue Closed Wed 08:30–16:00 Thu Closed Fri Closed Sat 08:30–16:00 Sun 08:30–16:00 Meet at 8:30 on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays / No sessions on rainy days / Booking required
- Price guide
- ¥6,600–¥13,200
- Smoking
- No smoking
- Children
- Children allowed
- Parking
- Yes
- Payment
- Cash, QR payments
- Languages
- Japanese
The place sent us this information. It may have changed — please check with the place before you go. Last updated Nov 4, 2026.
Map & access
奈良県吉野郡吉野町（架空）
Shown in Japanese so you can show it to a taxi driver.
Nearest station: 大和上市 Station · 10 min walk近鉄吉野線 大和上市駅 徒歩 10 分（集合場所から山までは車で送ります）
