Experience Well-being, brought to you by Adventure World

The Horse Coaching Program, created by horses and people

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The World Horse Coaching Aims For

At Adventure World, we're all about pursuing Well-being (living better) with people and animals worldwide. Our goal is to create a bright, rich society where smiles (=happiness) abound, celebrating the diversity and sustainability of all 'life.'

The Horse Coaching Program is a special journey where you partner with horses to explore and understand your inner self.

A program that helps people and horses live better, both mentally and physically

Wakayama's Shirahama, known as a 'workation paradise,' is the perfect spot to explore your own way of living and working, and foster diversity through conversations with horses. Why not join us?

Horses are truly humanity's oldest friends. They've always supported us in living rich lives, and we, in turn, have supported them in living healthy ones. We've lived side-by-side, supporting each other's happiness.

At Adventure World, we connect the happiness of people and animals, and we truly believe it's the perfect place to create 'Well-being' together with horses.

What is the Horse Coaching Program?

ホースコーチングとは、
馬を介在したコーチングプログラムです。

馬は、群れで生活する草食動物の中でも特に繊細かつ敏感な生き物で、人間のわずかな感情の機微や気の変化を感じ取り同調する
『ミラーリング』 という特性を持ちます。

馬の持つ特性を使って、自分の感情に気づき、コントロールするチカラを獲得できます。
他者の気持ちを理解し自分の気持ちを伝え、
動かすといった経営者やリーダーのような
“群れを率いる“役割を持つ人材に必須となる
スキルを体得するプログラムです。

Do you have challenges like these?
  • You want to make your relationships with important people more fulfilling.
  • You want to lead your team more effectively.
  • You find it tough to connect with people you work with.
  • Communication with your family isn't going so well.
  • It's hard to understand how others feel.

Program Benefits

Improved Well-being
Strengthens Leadership

感情のコントロールやセルフリーダーシップの弱さは、実は多くの経営者やリーダーが抱える課題だと言われています。

チームメンバーと本当の意味で繋がり、コミュニケーションをとることができているでしょうか？

本プログラムでは、馬を通じて自身の内側の自分と対話をすることで感覚や感情に自覚的になり、セルフリーダーシップを向上させていきます。

また、ノンバーバル（非言語）コミュニケーションで、馬とゼロからの関係を築いていく過程で、他者を信じゆだねる感覚を磨き、本当のコミュニケーションとはなにかを身に着けていきます。

Program Flow

Day 1 Schedule

Starts at 9:30 AM

Check-in & Setup

  • Program Overview
  • Sharing Purpose & Goal Vision
Morning

What is Horse Coaching?

  • Icebreaker
  • Partnership with Horses
  • What is Well-Being?

Learning from Horse Herds

  • Observing and Understanding Horses and Herds
  • Understanding Yourself and Others

Lunch Meeting

Afternoon

Reflecting on Yourself Through Communication with Horses

  • Deepening Self-Understanding Through Brushing and Leading Horses

Check-out

  • Reflection and Discoveries
  • Sharing Your Understanding of Yourself and Others

Ends at 5:00 PM

Day 2 Schedule

Starts at 9:00 AM

Check-in and Icebreaker

  • Day 1 Reflection
Morning

Deepening Your Bond with Horses

  • Communication and Introspection
  • Deepening Your Understanding of Yourself and Others
  • Feeling and Articulating Changes from Yesterday

Lunch Meeting

Afternoon

From Being to Doing: Discovering and Expanding Yourself Through Communication with Horses

  • Through the experience, connect your self-discoveries to recognizing your true self and taking action.

Check-out

Ends at 4:00 PM

Meet the Staff

Horse Coaching Program Staff

Naoko Kubouchi
Naoko Kubouchi
Born in Osaka Prefecture. Graduated from AWS Animal Academy and joined the company in 2011. When she first joined, she wanted to work with carnivorous animals, but after being assigned to horses in 2015, she fell in love with them. She even goes to watch racehorses run on her days off! What's so great about horses is how they communicate their feelings. They seem to worry about you when you're down and share your joy when you're happy. The more you get to know them, the more you'll love them!
Her Message
The program includes many opportunities to hear what other participants think, and you'll gain new insights by listening to diverse perspectives and feelings. We'd love for you to chat with everyone who shares this experience, including us!
Hazuki Fujimoto
Hazuki Fujimoto
Born in Hyogo Prefecture. Although she majored in Japanese literature in college, she joined the company in 2014 to pursue her childhood dream of working with animals. After working in sales, she moved to her current position in 2015. What's so great about horses is how incredibly deep they are. They have such rich expressions and personalities, making it easy to feel a connection and a sense of growing together. She sees them not just as animals to care for, but as partners.
Her Message
Most importantly, we want you to have fun! The horses will help you realize what you'll take away from the experience. This isn't a one-way training session; it's a program where you can grow by facing yourself, thinking deeply, and learning to value who you are even more.
Mei Sasaki
Mei Sasaki
Born in Wakayama Prefecture. After graduating from AWS Animal Academy, she joined the company in 2013, aiming for a career working with animals. After working in sales and planning, she's been in her current role since the launch of the Horse Camp. What's so great about horses is their rich emotions and how their reactions change depending on how you interact with them. It's almost like they can see right through you! They're not just animals being cared for by staff; they're more like colleagues.
Her Message
I believe your experience with horses won't be just a superficial interaction, but a time that helps you discover what's truly important to you. I hope it becomes a time for you to truly get to know yourself, and to deeply reflect on how you interact with others and build relationships.

Horse Coaching Program Supervisors

Shu Kawasaki
Shu Kawasaki
Associate Professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture. Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. He researches Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT), which uses animals in fields like medicine, welfare, and education. He specializes in 'Equine Therapy (Horse Therapy),' which uses horses as intervention animals to support people's reintegration into society. He also works hard to develop employment support programs that create workplaces for people who find it difficult to achieve independence through work. This is done through 'Nofuku Renkei' (Agriculture-Welfare Collaboration), which creates new businesses by linking the agricultural sector (facing labor shortages) with the welfare sector (lacking employment opportunities for those receiving care).
Tomonori Miyata
Tomonori Miyata
Horse Clinician. He studied equine psychology, ethology, farriery, and logic training in the U.S. and other countries. He trains racehorses, riding horses, competition horses, and therapy horses, and corrects bad habits. He holds clinics nationwide for riders ranging from beginners to professional dressage riders and jockeys, as well as natural horsemanship workshops centered on 'whispering.' In 2012, he participated in the International Horse competition at the Road to the Horse Tootie Bland Family, where top clinicians from across the U.S. gather.
Yuka Shimada
Yuka Shimada
Co-founder and Representative Director of YeeY Inc., CWO (Chief Well-being Officer) at Asteria Corporation, and Representative Director of the Japan Well-being Promotion Council. After graduating from Keio University, she worked at Pasona before earning a Master's degree in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University Graduate School in the U.S. She gained experience as an HR Manager at GE Japan, then joined Unilever Japan in 2008, becoming the Director of HR and General Affairs in 2014. Focusing on human motivation, she implemented numerous unique HR initiatives like 'WAA.' In 2017, she co-founded YeeY Inc. and became its Representative Director. She is dedicated to realizing well-being management in Japanese companies through management support, HR consulting, and organizational culture building.
Hiroki Toriyabe
Hiroki Toriyabe
・Representative Member, Well-Being & Coaching Nangoku, Inc.
・Manager, Human Resources Development Department, Will Group Inc. (TSE Prime)
・U.S. CTI Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC)
He primarily researches well-being at Will Group, promoting the well-being of approximately 6,000 employees. He also founded a company on Kumejima, an outlying island of Okinawa where he relocated, providing well-being services. He particularly focuses on 'human relationships' and 'communication,' which are considered core to well-being, and provides coaching, dialogue lectures, and facilitation for executive management.
Shinsaku Yonaha
Shinsaku Yonaha
Director, GIVENESS&Co. Inc. Head of PONY Business Development
He has executed business development in the human resources and welfare sectors, including launching new businesses at LITALICO Inc. and serving as the head of a human resources venture branch.
Currently, he is responsible for the development and operation of welfare services for children using horse therapy in Kin Town, Okinawa, and directs horse therapy business development.

What Participants Say

Ibumi Hirahara
Ibumi Hirahara
  • Adventure World Sustainable Smile Ambassador
  • Representative, HI LLC
  • Japan Representative, One Young World

I was able to talk to myself, face the emotions welling up inside me, and have constructive conversations with my partner.

By joining the horse coaching program, I was able to talk to myself and face all sorts of emotions that came up inside me. I realized that by pausing even for a moment and listening to my inner voice, I could create space for myself, and that others feel the same way.

Now that I've experienced how important it is to reflect and create space for myself, I want to make time to connect with myself for at least 15 minutes a day, even during meetings.

Also, even when talking with a partner who is completely opposite to me, instead of just saying 'it's okay because we're different,' I'll try to control myself to be in a neutral state. This way, I can be more empathetic and communicate more constructively than usual.

During the program, I interacted with horses that had completely different personalities and realized that each of them had their own diversity and culture.

Frequently Asked Questions

I don't have any horse riding experience, can I still join?
This program involves interacting with horses on the ground. No horse riding experience is needed.
Can I participate as a group?
Yes, you can! Please contact us.
I have a horse allergy, will I be okay?
Since you'll be spending a lot of time with horses, we don't recommend participating.
Do you still run it if it rains?
We usually do. However, if a heavy rain warning is issued, we'll cancel it.

Access

Access by train
From Kyoto (JR Kyoto Station)
Kisei Main Line Limited Express: Approx. 2 hours 50 minutes
From Osaka (JR Shin-Osaka Station)
Kisei Main Line Limited Express: Approx. 2 hours 30 minutes
From Nagoya (JR Nagoya Station)
Shinkansen + Kisei Limited Express: Approx. 3 hours 50 minutes
Access by plane
From Tokyo (Haneda Airport)　　　Flight (JAL): Approx. 70 minutes
*From the nearest public transport, please use a local bus or taxi.
Sample Timetable
[Outbound]
From Tokyo
16:30-17:45
Haneda Airport - Nanki-Shirahama Airport (JL219)
  7:30- 8:45
Haneda Airport - Nanki-Shirahama Airport (JL213)
　　　　　　　Airport - Adventure World (5 min by car)

From Osaka
20:13-22:54
JR Shin-Osaka Station - Shirahama Station (Kuroshio No. 29)
　　　　　　　Station - Adventure World (10 min by car)

[Return]
To Tokyo
18:30-19:40
Nanki-Shirahama Airport - Haneda Airport (JL218)
To Osaka
17:20-19:51
JR Shirahama Station - Shin-Osaka Station (Kuroshio No. 32)
19:37-22:08
JR Shirahama Station - Shin-Osaka Station (Kuroshio No. 36)

Program Fees

Program Name
Horse Coaching Program
Program Participation Fee
¥176,000 (tax included) / person
Capacity
5 people per session (minimum 2 participants)
開催日程

【2026年】
4月15日(水)、16日(木)/5月20日(水)、21日(木)/6月10日(水)、11日(木)/7月8日(水)、9日(木)
9月16日(水)、17日(木)/10月14日(水)、15日(木)/11月11日(水)、12日(木)

Location
Adventure World
(2399 Katada, Shirahama-cho, Nishimuro-gun, Wakayama 649-2201)
  • If your company wants to participate alone (6 or more people), we can adjust the schedule to your preferred dates. Please let us know when you apply.
  • What's included in the program fee: Lunch for Day 1 and Day 2 of the Shirahama training, snacks for the evening of Day 1, and accident insurance.
  • What's not included in the program fee: Accommodation fees, transportation costs from the nearest public transport station/accommodation to Adventure World, and breakfast for Day 2.
  • The application deadline is 7 days before the training day.

  • Cancellation fees
    Same day: 100% of the fee, Day before: 50% of the fee, 3 days before: 30% of the fee
    Please note: In case of bad weather, the program may be canceled or interrupted. We'll send you more details one week before the program date.