There is a very cool organization in Tokyo called “Playground of Hope”:

https://poh.ngo/en/

“Playground of Hope is a Tokyo-registered non-profit organization that works towards providing children in at-risk communities such as children’s homes and disaster zones with access to essential outdoor play equipment.”

They recently came to Mashiki and made a lot of children very happy with a brand new set of playground equipment.

I don’t think there’s been any coverage of this in English but you can see the segment broadcast on NHK (which prompted me to post this) at the following address:

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/kumamoto/20180828/5000003342.html

Another cool thing about the ground is that key members are obviously expats, just like many readers of this page.

Here’s a link to their Facebook page, where you’ll find many posts in English:

https://www.facebook.com/playgroundofhope/

– Kirk