Date: Sunday, April 19, 2026
Place: Sawai, Tokyo
Participants: 8 campers, 3 LITs, 3 care workers, 11 Mirai no Mori staff
Sponsor: Adobe
In-kind Donor: Costco

The arrival of spring in Japan brings the excitement of a new school year, in addition to Mirai no Mori’s first Back to Nature program of the 2026 cycle. We returned to the familiar hills of Sawai for a sunny Sunday program kindly sponsored by Adobe under the theme of Easter. While this was a smaller group than the previous day, the cozy size made it smooth for us to provide individualized care and a space where campers felt comfortable trying new things and talking to new people.

We began the morning by separating into teams and diving into a fun icebreaker involving tricky tongue twisters. This energy carried over into our Easter-themed quiz, where teams discussed the origins of the holiday and how it is celebrated around the world. Since Easter aligns with the theme of “new beginnings,” we opened the floor for participants of all ages to share their goals for the upcoming year:

“This year I want to run 50 meters in six seconds and break my record!” by camper, grade 7

“I entered high school this month and aim to start a part-time job to save up money.” by LIT

“I realized I spend most of my time indoors, and would like to experience more in the outdoors this year” by care worker

We then moved into our first indoor team game focused on communication. This activity called “Sneak Peak” served as a real-time lesson in how to put thoughts into words clearly and how to listen actively to others. The results of their communication were visible immediately, and the room was filled with a wonderful sense of sportsmanship.

After exercising our brains, we followed the Mirai no Mori tradition of lunch by the river. The water was incredibly clear under the sun, and the campers shared joyful moments waving to rafting groups as they floated past.

The afternoon was dedicated to outdoor team games, starting with an interactive Easter Bingo. Participants had to mingle across teams to find people with specific Easter-related experiences, ensuring that in our small group, everyone had the chance to speak with one another at least once. We celebrated the completion of our bingo cards with festive chocolates in the shapes of bunnies, eggs and chicks, kindly donated by Costco. 

Before jumping into our tag games, we held a team warm-up that quickly turned into a spontaneous dance party, breaking any remaining ice with laughter. Our final activities were “Shark Tag” and “Capture the Bunny,” an Easter-themed version of Capture the Flag. All participants were immersed in the game, using the strategy and communication skills they had practiced earlier to encourage their teammates when a push of courage was needed. 

In a wonderful show of responsibility, the campers helped clean the field after the games were over, and we closed the day indoors with a reflection session. Campers talked about their challenges and successes of the day through both verbal sharing and journaling- a meaningful practice we do at every Mirai no Mori program. 

We are deeply grateful to Adobe, Costco, our dedicated care workers, and our volunteers for helping us start this program year so strongly. We look forward to keeping the momentum going!

“It was my first time using the ground brush to clean up the field we used during the games. Usually others do it for me, so it was nice that I could help out even though it was tiring.” by camper, grade 7

“I hadn’t come to Mirai no Mori in a long time and it was my first game day program. I enjoyed the running games and thought it was interesting that we did a strategy meeting before starting; I want to try that again.” by camper, grade 9

“I was happy I was able to be ‘it’ in the shark tag with my care worker. We were able to catch many people!” by camper, grade 1

“I started working at the care home in April, so everything- being a new care worker, taking the children on the train, Mirai no Mori, lunch by the river, and the Easter games- was a brand-new experience for me. Despite the whirlwind of firsts, I walked away thinking, ‘I’m so glad I came’ and ‘That was fun.’ If I get another chance to escort the kids, I’d love to participate again!” by care worker