The art of caring: in March this year the former singer and actress Miyagi Mariko opened a major...

MIYAGI Mariko founded Nemunoki Gakuen in Shizuoka-ken in April 1968, bravely launching Japan's first-ever school for children with disabilities even though she knew it would plunge her into debt. At Nemunoki, children and young adults with physical, intellectual or familial difficulties are gently encouraged to discover and develop their talents through such activities as painting, music, tea ceremony and dancing. In 1997, the school moved to its current site on a hill, now named Nemunoki Village, in the city of Kakegawa, Shizuoka-ken, and accommodates 56 children and students age