You are welcome to bring tapes, books, videos etc to entertain yourself. As we are located in the countryside there is no outside entertainment and volunteers must be mature enough to accept this fact and cope with it. All volunteers share this and the staff have use of it at lunchtime. Volunteers are expected to buy their own food. Japanese staff have in the past guided volunteers on economical food shopping in Japan and helped to ensure that they make the most of their allowance.
Fresh fruit is available but is sometimes pricey.
If you have special dietary needs or desires, we urge you to bring your own supplies or arrange for someone at home to send them regularly. International UPS service in Japan is pretty reliable. There is an International line located in the Director's house but prior permission must be sought before itsa use. At this point in time it is not possible to have a pay phone installed. If you cannot live without 24 hour access to an International phone, for 3-6 months, then ARK is not the place for you.