Motoko Kimura
Founder and Co-Executive Director

Motoko was born in Hokkaido, Japan and spent her youth in New Zealand. Growing up as the only Japanese amongst students of multi-cultural backgrounds, her passion since then has been to pursue living in harmony while embracing diversity.

After earning her B.A. in Policy Science from Keio University, she started her professional career at Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) where she engaged in projects to support peace-building of developing countries through ODA (Official Development Assistance). After living in the Philippines with her husband, she was involved in NPO work supporting refugees in Japan. She became a professional instructor of Japanese language and culture, teaching students from many countries as well as asylum seekers in Japan. She founded WaNavi Japan after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 to support international mothers and raise funds for the mothers in Tohoku.

Alongside WaNavi, Motoko has been involved in various outreach projects including: teaching Japanese Culture Course to international students at Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy of Hitotsubashi University since 2012;

designing and implementing disaster preparedness education in India with Tokyo University Earthquake Research Institute from 2013 to 2015; and,

serving as a radio-personality for the Youtube program bridging listeners seeking for life advice from highly respected Zen Master Roshi Nanrei Yokota of Engaku-ji Temple in Kamakura, since 2022.

Through teaching Japanese Culture, Motoko has come to realize that inner-peace of each person is indispensable for creating a world of harmony, and has explored various methods to enrich compassion and healing in individuals. She now serves as an instructor of Sado, the Japanese tea ceremony (Oribe-school) , a certified trainer of The Connection Practice, a certified trainer of HeartMath®, and a practitioner of Cranial Sacral Bio-Dynamics Therapy. She is a mother of two daughters.