Mariko Miyagi

An actress who has also written screenplays directed and produced films. Director of Nemunoki Gakuen a school for disabled children the first ever such school in Japan. The school was founded by Miyagi in Shizuokaken in April 1968 using her own money. 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 Shizuokaken and accommodates 56 children and students aged 2 to 38 as well as 22 elderly people all living alongside 96 staff members and their families.