Supporting children with cancer and other serious illnesses in Japan and their families.
July 1, 2025
Summer Greetings!
A big summer “Hello!” from everyone at Shine On! Kids.
Our dogs may look like they’re on holiday, but there’s lots of exciting things happening throughout the organization this summer!
Executive Fight Night XIII
And it’s a wrap! We’d like to thank everyone who came to cheer on the 20 AMAZING fighters at Executive Fight Night at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo. Thanks to our generous guests, sponsors, and the fighters themselves, we raised over 20 million yen to support our Hospital Facility Dog program!
A special thanks to Club 360 for their hard work in training the fighters to become the absolute best they could be, to Empire Entertainment for helping to create a dynamic, flawless evening, and to our MC extraordinaire, Max Powers!
Not only do our fighters subject themselves to a gruelling 3-months of training, but they also personally commit to support Shine On! Kids and connect with some of our program participants through the Fighters Meet Fighters event midway through their training journey.
It was a hugely fun and inspiring evening – check out this reel to relive the highlights.
Tryouts for EFN XIV coming February 2026 – and save the date – May 29th 2026!!!!!
Beads of Courage
In the Beads of Courage® Program, children receive colorful glass beads that correspond to each aspect of their treatment journey to tell their personal story of strength and resilience. An important part of the program are ‘special’ beads given to encourage a child who has shown exceptional effort called “Ganbatta-ne Beads” (You did a great job!).
These beads are accompanied by a hand-written message by a supporter – as a random act of encouragement and kindness.
We’d like to thank Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for participating in our workshop and creating 30 cards for these special beads.
Participants learned about the reality of childhood cancer through an introduction to Shine On! Kids’ activities and personal stories from childhood cancer survivors. Afterward, everyone wrote heartfelt messages for children who are bravely undergoing treatment, while thinking of the children’s experiences. Many added cheerful stickers and decorations that are sure to bring a smile to the children’s faces.
Here’s some of the feedback from participants:
“Hearing the voices of the children reminded me of why I started.”
“It was a rare and valuable opportunity to hear directly from the patients, and I’d like to apply this experience to our activities.”
To everyone at Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., thank you so much for your warm and heartfelt support!
If your company is interested in an engaging support activity like this, please contact kim@sokids.org.
Hospital Facility Dog Program
Official Collaboration with Tokyo Metropolitan Children’s Hospital
We are thrilled to announce that Shine On! Kids has signed a collaboration agreement with the Tokyo Metropolitan Children’s Medical Center, where Facility Dog Ivy has been working, to formalize joint efforts for the Hospital Facility Dog program.
Building on six years of achievements by Hospital Facility Dog Ivy, the hospital launched a crowdfunding campaign in January this year to introduce a second Hospital Facility Dog team, focusing primarily on the psychiatric ward.
But this agreement goes beyond collaboration with a single hospital—it aims to establish a national model for introducing Hospital Facility Dogs to pediatric hospitals across Japan. It represents an important step toward increasing public awareness of Hospital Facility Dogs and advancing research into animal-assisted therapy.
Shine On! Kids will continue to lead the way in training Hospital Facility Dogs specifically for pediatric healthcare settings and will strengthen partnerships with medical institutions to promote sustainable and strategic program expansion.
Check out the video on YouTube here (Be sure to turn on English captions).
Launch Prep for Western Japan’s First Hospital Facility Dog Program!
Hyogo Prefectural Kobe Children’s Hospital is currently running a crowdfunding campaign through July 10 in support of introducing the first-ever Hospital Facility Dog program in western Japan.
Take a look at the video of Miko, the candidate dog-in-training, visiting the hospital. Despite it being her first time in that environment, Miko appeared calm, confident, and completely at ease. The relaxed expression and smile on the face of the child who had been eagerly awaiting Miko’s visit are a beautiful reminder of the joy this program can bring. We hope that same joy can be shared with many more children in pediatric wards across the region.
