Japan Division

As of August 2024, The Étoile Foundation proudly marks the launch of its Japan division, guided by Co-Founder Miyu Kobayashi. This expansion signifies a pivotal step towards addressing menstrual health education and awareness in Japan, an area where stigma and misinformation often create barriers for young women.

The Foundation kicked off its initiatives with an intimate yoga event designed to promote community wellness and begin creating a safe and inclusive space for awareness and knowledge-building around menstrual health. To ensure inclusivity and accessibility, all materials and communications related to this initiative are fully translated into Japanese, allowing seamless engagement with our audience on social media platforms. The yoga class led by volunteer yoga instructor Mai, hosted a class with movement specifically designed to provide health benefits during menstruation. Each attendee was also gifted sanitary pads from The Week, Japan’s first 100% cotton period pad, as well as a lip product by Menary, Japan’s first 100% plastic-free lipstick created by Mai Kinshino.

We sincerely express our gratitude to Mai our yoga instructor, and our supporters PLAZA Nice To Meet Me and Menary JP.

Six women smiling and holding gift bags and plastic water bottles in a bright room with large windows and cream curtains.
Two young women smiling inside a dance studio holding a newsletter and a poster, with yoga mats and water bottles, and other people practicing in the background.
A woman holding white shopping bags decorated with pastel-colored ribbons, smiling, outside on a sunny day with a building and parked cars in the background.
A group of women practicing yoga in a studio with floor-to-ceiling mirrors, white curtains, and large glass doors, all stretching with arms extended outward.
Display of water bottles with pink ribbons, event flyers, and QR codes promoting Etoile Yoga at a Japan Tokyo Yoga event on August 11, 2024.
Multiple packages of The Week sanitary pads in pink and purple packaging, labeled as organic cotton, brand Chericott, made in Japan.

Educational Partnership

The Étoile Foundation is proud to announce our exclusive partnership with Hakuho Girls High School in Kanagawa, Japan!

Like Côte d’Ivoire, menstruation is rarely openly discussed in Japan, due to long-standing period shame and social stigma. In fact, menstruation is a taboo subject. It is normal that when Japanese women purchase sanitary products at a supermarket, the cashier will likely always wrap them in a paper bag, assuming it is embarrassing to be seen with them. From surveying the local community, over 30% of young Japanese women said they were worried and embarrassed if a colleague or classmate would find out they had their period.

So at Étoile, we decided to expand our reach across continents, to help provide menstrual education to young Japanese girls, and help improve the social stigma of menstruation. Our Co-Founder Miyu will be leading this initiative, as an Alumnae of Hakuho Girl’s High School. The workshops will provide girls with an advanced understanding of women’s health and menstruation through a series of introductory lesson topics and women’s empowerment activities and discussions.

We are extremely proud and honoured to be one of the first independent organisation teaching girls about their periods in Japan!

Of course with this honour, requires a diligent and careful approach to this education. We appreciate and understand Japanese values, and we are approaching the situation with care, respect and grace. We are proud to have Miyu as a representative of Japanese culture, as a Co-Founder at Étoile, and we look forward to sharing the incredible impact and legacy Miyu is creating for these girls, for the local Kanagawa community, and for Étoile.

Two young women standing in a hallway, smiling, wearing white t-shirts with a logo, with many notices on a green bulletin board behind them.
School classroom with a teacher speaking to students seated at desks, looking at tablets. A whiteboard displays a presentation in Japanese with red and black text, and a projector is mounted on the ceiling.
Classroom scene with students listening to two presenters at the front, a projection screen displaying workshop details, and students seated at desks with notebooks and laptops.
Students in a classroom listening to a presentation with two teachers at the front and a projected slide on the whiteboard.
A classroom with students sitting at desks, watching a teacher who is pointing at a presentation slide on an interactive whiteboard. The slide contains information about English terminology related to menstruation, including words like 'Flow,' 'Cramp
A classroom presentation with a woman holding two pink snack packages in front of a projected slide in Japanese and English about a product called The Week, featuring a pink and purple snack image on the slide and students seated facing the speaker.