One of my goals for 2024 is to get my excavator certification. It’s not a typical goal for a middle-aged lady, but read on for the why.
Thanks to a lucky chain of events, I am helping to organise an English-friendly certification course in Kamogawa in November. We are currently hustling to get enough students to pay the deposit by September 25th, so I thought I’d throw this out there for anyone who might be interested. You can register on this Google Form and I’ll send you more info.
If you’re still reading, then I’ll bet you’re interested in learning how to operate an excavator. Maybe its on your bucket list. Or a childhood dream. Or perhaps you have an actual reason to get your certification, like a gardening project.
The two-day course includes 13 hours of instruction: 7 hours of lecture and theory in the classroom on day 1; followed by 6 hours of practical work in the yumbo on day 2. You will be certified to use excavators under 3t, which will allow you to rent them and use them in public-accessible places.
You will receive an official certification card with your photo and details. You do not need a Japanese driver’s license to take this course but you must be 18 years or older. The certification does not expire.
Organised by Chio Yamada of Hokei Sansho and taught by instructors from Nihon Kenki, there will be English language textbooks and translation support on site. The test is in English or Japanese. Japanese speakers and multilingual participants are welcome!
Yumbo Certification: under 3 tons
Tuesday, November 5 (9:00 – 17:30) &
Wednesday, November 6 (8:20 – 15:40)
48,000 yen includes instruction, practice, and class materials
Location: Kamogawa, Chiba
You can register on this Google Form and I’ll send you more info.
WHY?
If you didn’t have a childhood fascination with construction sites and heavy machinery, then you won’t understand. But if like me, you played with Tonka toys and got engrossed in watching cranes and trucks at every construction site, then you’ll get it. Heavy machinery is cool.
And now I have a reason to operate it. There are a few projects around 555 that will require a lot of shoveling that could be accomplished in a day or two with a yumbo. (BTW, ユンボ is katakana for Jumbo and is the common term for a shovel excavator here in Japan).
Also, there is sometimes excavation and earth moving work at Oyama Senmaida. While there are currently plenty of skilled and experienced operators, that pool needs to be replenished. I’m no good at farming, but maybe I can become good at moving dirt around. Especially if the old guys teach me their tricks.
And beyond that, this certification can be put to use for natural disaster recovery, general local maintenance, and being a bit more useful in my neighborhood than “token foreign woman with limited practical skills.”
I know where I stand around here: I’m on the lowest rung of the ladder that my elderly neighbors climbed by age 5. But after the yumbo class, maybe I can step up a rung or two. Or at least pick the ladder up with the claw attachment, and take it away.
