Chowa and Aid For Japan

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My first book The Power Of Chowa is published this September. Chowa is a Japanese concept that is often translated as ‘harmony’, but more accurately means ‘the search for balance’. Chowa is both a philosophy and a set of practices that can help us get to the heart of what is most important to us, and, change our way of thinking about ourselves and others.

In one of the chapters of my book, I talk about the charity that I formed, Aid For Japan, and how these ideas helped me to help others.

On 11th March 2011, northeast Japan, was hit by an earthquake and tsunami. This tragic event led to the deaths of around 25,000 people and left over 500,000 people homeless. Over 1,200 children lost at least one parent and over 250 children lost both parents.

This event had a profound effect on me at the time. As a result, I created the Aid For Japan charity to help the orphans during the aftermath of the disaster. The charity lends help to these children through a wide range of activities including team-building exercises, visiting animal shelters and learning about the cultural differences between the UK and Japan. Aid For Japan also runs a ‘home-stay’ programme in which orphans of the tsunami are invited to come and stay in the UK.

The concept of chowa played an important part in my goal of establishing the charity. In particular, the act of bringing some form of meaningful balance to the lives of others.

Chowa is about finding your balance while being mindful of others as well as yourself. Nowhere is this more important than when you are helping other people.

Similarly, I hope that chowa can help other people find balance and harmony in their own lives.


The Power Of Chowa is due for publication on 26th September 2019 by Headline Home.

Pre-order the book via: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Chowa-Finding-Balance-Japanese/dp/1472267850/

Read more about the Aid For Japan charity at: www.aidforjapan.co.uk