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Tammy and I have an open discussion about suicidal thoughts and how the topic of suicide eventually led her to Japan. Since talking with Tammy a recent article came out here in Japan about suicide stating that 2018 has seen the highest increase in suicides amongst children in over 3 decades. You can read the article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/world/asia/japan-suicide-children.html I interviewed Tammy while she was volunteering at one of the Mirai no More outdoor camps for abused, abandoned and orphaned children in Japan. My interview with Tammy is part of a 4-series talk with Mirai no Mori volunteers from around the world. You will get to know four wonderful people (Tammy, Jane, Gen, and Bry) with four very different backgrounds whose life experiences all brought them together to volunteer for the same cause, and for the same NPO, Mirai no Mori. Each of these volunteers will also appear in an upcoming documentary coming out in 2019 called, The Things We Carry, which follows a handful of children’s homes spending a year out in nature with Mirai no Mori and the challenges and adventures everyone took part in together to face and overcome self-limiting beliefs.

Jane and I talk about growing up as a mix culture child, Finding one's identity while growing up in various cultures, volunteering for causes that matter and being passionate and purposeful with your life. I interviewed Jane while she was volunteering at one of the Mirai no More outdoor camps for abused, abandoned and orphaned children in Japan. My interview with Jane is part of a 4-series talk with Mirai no Mori volunteers from around the world. You will get to know four wonderful people (Tammy, Jane, Gen, and Bry) with four very different backgrounds whose life experiences all brought them together to volunteer for the same cause, and for the same NPO, Mirai no Mori. Each of these volunteers will also appear in an upcoming documentary coming out in 2019 called, The Things We Carry, which follows a handful of children’s homes spending a year out in nature with Mirai no Mori and the challenges and adventures everyone took part in together to face and overcome self-limiting beliefs. MIRAI NO MORI www.mirai-no-mori.jp THE THINGS WE CARRY www.the-things-we-carry.com THE SOUND OF LITTLE FEET www.thesoundoflittlefeet.com

Today’s podcast is with Gen Hidari, a children’s rights advocate currently working with Human Right Watch Japan. Gen has a deep love for children’s well being as you will hear about in today’s conversation. I interviewed Gen while he was volunteering at one of the Mirai no More outdoor camps for abused, abandoned and orphaned children in Japan. My interview with Gen is part of a 4-series talk with Mirai no Mori volunteers from around the world. You will get to know four wonderful people with four very different stories whose life experiences all brought them together to volunteer for the same cause, and for the same NPO, Mirai no Mori. Each of these volunteers will also appear in the documentary coming out in 2019 called, The Things We Carry which follows a handful of children’s homes spending a year out in nature with Mirai no Mori and the challenges and adventures everyone took part in together. Human Rights Watch Japan https://www.hrw.org/asia/japan Human Rights Watch 2014 Report on abused, abandoned and orphaned children https://www.hrw.org/report/2014/05/01/without-dreams/children-alternative-care-japan Human Rights Watch Japan Video Report About Orphans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCH5Rl30Z48 MIRAI NO MORI www.mirai-no-mori.jp The Things We Carry (2019) www.the-things-we-carry.com The Sound of Little Feet www.thesoundoflittlefeet.com

This is the final episode in our 7-part series focused on abused, abandoned and orphaned children in Japan. Today is episode #10 with Naoji Takeda. Naoji runs KEEN footwear in Japan, is a board member of NPO Mirai no Mori. Naoji talks about how September 11th, 2001 had a huge impact on his life going forward, his decision to create a documentary on abused, abandoned and orphaned children living in children’s homes around Japan, and the power that nature has to transform all lives. SERIES RECAP This has been a really powerful series starting with our conversation with Tomoya Nakajima in episode #4. Tomoya shared how he ended up living in a children’s home in Japan and what that experience was like for him. On episode #5 We had a really insightful conversation with NPO Mirai no Mori about their powerful work with abused, abandoned and orphaned children in the outdoors. On episodes #6, 7, 8 and 9 we had conversations with four international volunteers whose own life experiences have created a deep empathy and desire to support orphans and all vulnerable children around the world. They are all currently living in Japan and dedicating part of their time volunteering with NPO Mirai no Mori.

THE FINAL 3 DAYS HAVE ARRIVED TO ENTER OUR CONTEST PRIZE GIVEAWAY: https://gleam.io/dciGs/the-sound-of-little-feets-dance-skip-and-jump-contest-giveaway “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi Today’s conversation is with NPO Mirai no Mori whose mission is to empower and enable abused, abandoned and orphaned children in Japan through the power of being in the presence of nature. NPO MIRAI NO MORI: www.mirai-no-mori.jp YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-2UJEgI9qcnWGuL7ua3dGw?view_as=subscriber WEBSITE www.thesoundoflittlefeet.com FACEBOOK PAGE https://www.facebook.com/thesoundoflittlefeet/ TWITTER https://twitter.com/thesound_feet PATREON https://www.patreon.com/thesoundoflittlefeet APPLE PODCASTS https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sound-of-little-feet/id1441935758 STITCHER https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-sound-of-little-feet-podcast SOUNDCLOUD https://soundcloud.com/the-sound-of-little-feet SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/show/7lLHKCrJuTKowKwUROvL4V?si=4-ZbR1wfQ5WJ-WLOVREkwA TWITCH https://www.twitch.tv/thesoundoflittlefeet INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/the.sound.of.little.feet/

A conversation with Tomoya Nakajima who at the age of 11 yrs old, survived the March 11th, 2011 earthquake and tsunami. He would relocate to Tokyo to encounter abuse and abandonment. Tomoya would be placed in protected child custody and then later into an orphanage. This year, having just graduated high school and aging out of child institutional care, he is now living on his own, trying to figure out how to navigate life and find his way. His journey has already taken him through many challenges but he believes that his feet are on the right path. The Sound of Little Feet www.thesoundoflittlefeet.com The Things We Carry (2019) Documentary www.thethingswecarry.squarespace.com