Global News Podcast - The Happy Pod: The cafe where mistakes are expected

Episode Date: December 13, 2025

A pop-up cafe in Tokyo is giving people with dementia a place to volunteer as well as a sense of community. Its owner Toshio Morita has become something of a local celebrity. At Orange Day Café, muddled orders, long pauses and gentle confusion aren’t mistakes — they’re the point.Also:A Northern Irish man who suffered a cardiac arrest had his life saved after his golden retriever, named Polly, alerted his wife after he stopped breathing. Polly the dog has been hailed a hero by the charity, the British Heart Foundation.A revolutionary gene therapy has successfully treated patients with aggressive and previously incurable blood cancers. In Kenya, the Rare Gem Talent School has been set up specifically to teach dyslexic children. A condition that is believed to impact around 10% of people globally.A woman in Kerala, India, has started a camp to help women who are going through a divorce. And a French man in London has become the face of a homelessness charity after his virtuoso piano playing at a train station went viral. Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.

This is the Happy Pod from the BBC World Service. I'm Joanna Keane and in this edition... Everybody needs a place to be needed. Since they need identity, they need a place. They need a place to be himself or herself. The cafe in Tokyo that allows people with dementia to volunteer as servers. It's not a day I go by right on to think about that fact and forever indebted to the both of them

and thankfully I get to tell them and thank them every day give Polly a big hug We meet the man whose life was saved by his dog Plus I can't compare that level of happiness To anything that I have ever felt like The amount of emotion And just going from a place where you thought

That you were never going to grow up The groundbreaking gene therapy, which has helped people with previously incurable blood cancers. The school in Kenya set up for dyslexic children and a camp for women in India who are going through divorce. Trekking up the mountains or sitting by the beach, listening to each other and playing games together, dancing together and also listening to music together. We start in Tokyo, where one small cafe has become famous for far more than its cakes and coffee. An Orange Day cafe muddled orders, long pauses and gentle confusion aren't mistakes. They're the point. The monthly pop-up was created to give people living with dementia a place to volunteer.

And one of its best-known helpers is Toshio Marita, an octogenarian living with. with dementia, who's become something of a local celebrity. Our correspondent, Shaima Khalil, went to meet him and to see how a simple cup of coffee can turn into an act of community. Once a month, this small cafe in Sengawa Western Tokyo turns into something different. There's still delicious cakes, coffee and tea, of course, but the mood and the purpose of this place change. My name

Morita Toshio. Gozy. It's very charming. 87-year-old Morita-san has been living with dementia for years. He's one of the volunteers at the Orange Day Cafe,

or the Cafe of Mistaken Orders, as it's now famously known. Morita San welcomes customers wearing an orange apron, a black and white headband, and a charming smile. This monthly pop-up gifts people with dementia

a chance to volunteer. and connect with the community for a few hours. You can see just how much Morita-san enjoys it. It's fun and lively here when there are many customers. I'm excited when I see people enjoying their drinks and when they start chatting to me. Mix-ups can happen, of course, but it's all part of the experience and all taken in good humor.

Morita San is supported by another younger volunteer. The menus and tables have been color-coded to make it easier for the elderly waiters to take care. the orders. We have a six table here, so we put the six colors of the flowers on each table. Akiko Kana is the founder of the pop-up cafe. It's starting with my father, I think it was five years ago, and he couldn't renew his driving innocence. He was so shocked about that, but he was trying

to get something to work. He tried to get work. One of Akiko's friends mentioned the cafe idea, But the initiative was delayed because of the COVID pandemic. By the time it took off, her father's dementia got worse, and he couldn't take part. Still, Akiko tells me, this has been a gratifying experience for her and the elderly volunteers. People want to draw a line, a person who is not disabled and able. I don't like that. And everybody needs a place to be needed.

I think they need identity. They need a place. They need a place to be himself or herself. I didn't want my dad to work here. And I really want it to be needed here. Johanna Rivera is an exchange student from the Philippines. She studies nutrition and mental health and has heard about the cafe through social media. I freed up my schedule to visit today since they only open once a month.

And I wanted to see how they operate, and I was really curious about the process of ordering with the staff. What was it like interacting with Murita-san? We encountered a little bit of difficulty because I'm not fluent in Japanese. So it was more of my unissue with me. He was very patient. It's been just over years since Morita San started working here. His wife, Masako, comes with him every time.

She does everything she can to keep him active. Even if he sometimes complains about his exercise classes. But the cafe, she tells me, is different. When I say that, your orange day's shift is approaching, he replies, when, what time? He's looking forward to it. I wonder, though, if he can still do this, especially with his dementia symptoms, progressing. With an aging and shrinking population, Japan faces a major dementia challenge. The Ministry of Health estimates that more than 5 million people

will be affected by dementia by 2030. By 2060, one in three elderly Japanese people is expected to struggle with cognitive decline. And in a country where many of the elderly live alone, isolation only makes things worse. Japan has increasingly turned to technology, especially robots, to help tackle its dementia crisis. But in this tiny cafe,

it's the human connection that makes the real difference. Memories may slip here, but hope, humour and dignity are still very much on the menu. Shima Khalil. Anyone who has a pet dog will say they're a huge part of the family, but for one man in Northern Ireland, his golden retriever saved his life. Hannah and Adam Cook were asleep upstairs when Hannah was woken by their dog, Polly, barking. She found her 37-year-old husband Adam was breathing strangely next. to her and then he stopped breathing completely. Adam had suffered a cardiac arrest but survived

thanks to Hannah's CPR and the help of an ambulance. Now Polly has been honoured as a CPR hero by the charity, the British Heart Foundation. Hannah and Adam spoke to the happy pods Vanessa Heaney and started by explaining what happened that night. In March 24 we went to bed as normal on a Monday night and I woke up at about 1 a.m. to Polly barking below me. So I just jumped up and sort of tried to work out what was going on and he was completely unresponsive. So I rang an ambulance and the ambulance man then talked me through what I needed to do in terms of getting him out of the bed and getting him onto the floor and starting CPR and then the ambulance came about seven or eight minutes later. Really amazing, Hannah. How did Polly know

that something was wrong. I understood she wasn't even the same room as you guys when you were sleeping. No, she doesn't sleep with us, but she sleeps below us, which is the utility room and where we live in Northern Ireland, it's extremely quiet. And Hannah, you kept Adam alive till the

ambulance came. If it wasn't for Polly and you, Adam, you wouldn't be here now. That's correct. That is completely correct. And as not a day goes by right, I don't think about that fact, and forever indebted to the both of them. And thankfully I get to tell them and thank them every day, give Polly a big hug, give Hannah a big hug.

And yeah, it's just very grateful for everything they've done for me. Your story is really extraordinary and most of our listeners would never have experienced anything like this. But many of us listening to this interview and I know myself, I have a dog, I have a black lab and I feel really surgically attached to her. how does it feel to know that you have that special connection and that you were here because she saved your life? Well, it's an amazing feeling and I don't know. I just think dogs are equal to humans. I don't know why people would keep a dog outside in the cold.

I think they should be in the house and they're part of the family. Like, you know, dogs are domesticated because we need them. And humans need dogs and, you know, they're part of the family. And I think that Polly should always be allowed on the sofa, even though Hannah doesn't like it. And does that mean that she gets the treats whenever she wants them? Yeah, we were just chatting about this last night because we were looking at her and we were thinking, she's pulling a bit of weight here. We have to stop the treats. This is, because recently, because of the British Heart Foundation awards last week and stuff, she was getting a lot of treats.

And so she probably needs to cut back about the treats. And Hannah, how would you say things have changed between all of you as a family since this happened? We're very much the same that we're a close family and we're very connected, but we're different in the way that we're just trying to make every day count if we can. Life is stressful and life's hard, but we have a gift that other people don't have that we're able to reflect that Adam was able to be saved. So we've got a second chance and we have to really. realise that when we're stressed or we're angry or, you know, we're upset.

We have something else that makes us put it all back into perspective. How proud were you when Polly got her CPR Heart Award? We were so proud. She couldn't come over to London. We would have looked her to, but it was too much for her. She's the country dog and she wouldn't have managed it very well. We're so proud of her. She had her own award ceremony at home the Friday beforehand,

and that was lovely and that was in her favourite place. We went for a walk. We had Fergo McKinney there, and he presented her with the medal. He's the head of the British Heart Foundation in Northern Ireland. And did she know that she was a good girl that day? Oh, yeah, she loves it. She loves all the attention. He wasn't too happy when she jumped up on his nice coat, though, a couple times.

But I know she's angie's sort of kind of forgive her for that. Hannah and Adam Cook speaking to Vanessa Heaney. A revolutionary gene therapy has success fully treated patients with aggressive and previously incurable blood cancers. It was developed by scientists at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, along with colleagues from University College London. Three years ago, at the age of 13, Alyssa Tapley was the first person in the world to receive the treatment. Now, she's 16 and cancer-free. Alissa, her mum, Keona and dog Holly, spoke to my colleague, Justin Webb. When I was first diagnosed, I was actually

sedated. So I knew later than everyone else, kind of. Which, you know, when I first found out, I don't think I really processed it. It's not really a thing that you think that you accept within like a day or two of finding out the news. I can understand that. People will definitely understand that. But a shock, nonetheless, as it sunk in that you had something that was very, very serious. And you knew that. Yeah, yeah. It was really hard. I think, you know, when I started not being able to go home as much and I started spending a lot more time in hospital, it definitely got a lot harder than, you know. So they say to you, look, we've got this gene therapy trial, we're going to put you on it,

you can be the first person, and you did it. How soon did you realize that it was working, Lisa? Yeah, I was in Great Ormond Street Hospital for four months, and I think we found out three and a half months in that I was cancer-free. And I just remember, I can't compare that level of happiness to anything that I have ever felt, like the amount of emotion and just going from a place where you thought that you were never going to grow up, and you were never going to have a future to live to somewhere where there are endless opportunities

and there's so many possibilities and just being able to have the knowledge that you're going to be able to see your brother again and see your friends and the rest of your family. And I can see your mum, Keona, she's in the same studio as you're looking on as you say those things. It must have been that same thing for you, Keona, at that moment. Yeah, I mean, I think.

think when she first was diagnosed, we thought, oh, she's going to take the normal route and, you know, she's going to have chemo and it's going to be really tough, but we're sort of going to get through it. And then when we found out all the other treatment wasn't working, and we actually got to the point where they were talking, you know, they said we're not looking to cure the leukemia now. We're just looking to keep her comfortable. And you go from a place where you've got absolutely no hope whatsoever. And although it was in Great Ormish, street and we knew she was taking part in this trial you've had such negative news part of you really wants to make it work but then also a part of you thinks you know if it works it's a miracle

and at that point it's quite difficult to sort of believe in miracles after everything you've been through and when they first told us it was you just couldn't quite believe it you were just waiting for them to turn around and say no actually you know we've got it wrong or it's not because it just completely sort of came out of the blue. It was such a long shot that it was going to work that when it actually did, yeah, it's just unbelievable. And part of the celebration, because we do need to get to Holly, because I can see, I've got, I can see you inside the studio

and I can see the occasional wagging tail. But Alyssa, you wanted a dog, didn't you, basically all the way through? But you couldn't because you were immunos suppressed. I mean, Holly is just the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the perfect example of everything that's gone right for you now, I guess. Definitely. So when we first got Holly, it was after my first failed bone marrow transplant. Well, my first bone marrow transplant.

And, you know, it was at this point where it was like I had wanted a dog for so long. And, you know, we had even like brought all the staff in the hospital together to try and persuade my mum and dad to get me a dog. So when it didn't work It was one of the things Where it was like This is what Alyssa has wanted for so long So we need to get her a dog

Which is how we ended up with Holly But then after the trial And I came back home and I was cured She definitely helped with my physiotherapy Alyssa Tapley speaking to Justin Webb Coming up in this podcast I was playing piano every day the best part of it is like I was finally feeling thin

finally feeling like people were actually watching me and appreciating who I was the homeless man who turned his life around after learning to play the piano Welcome back to the Happy Pod. Dyslexia is a learning difficulty, which is believed to affect around 10% of people globally. Though for countries in Africa, data is harder to find. It makes it tough for individuals to read, write or spell,

not because they're unintelligent, but because they think in a different way. In Kenya, the Rare Gem Talent School has been set up specifically to teach dyslexic children. Our reporter Michael Koloki went to the school, about an hour's Drive from Nairobi. Hello, welcome to my school, the Red Zem Talent Schools for the Schlexic students. At first glance, with the children enjoying their morning break, it looks just like any other school. Scores of children dressed in their school uniform are running around an open yard next to the main school block, which is a one-story building made up of classrooms and some dormitories.

The school has 210 students, aged from 6 to 19 years, learning the same subjects as in other schools, including reading, writing, maths, and science. But the teaching here is very different, focusing on how the children learn, using visual resources and practical lessons. Teacher Dorothy invited me into her class. Here you have to teach differently,

even the teaching strategies and methods, they are very different from other schools. we use the hands-on materials, ants-on activities, visuals like videos, because dyslexic learners, or learners with different learning abilities, they learn well with materials and play. And we use visuals, mostly we use materials like the flash cards,

we use the counters, we use other materials that the learners are able to see, not just writing you, they have to see what you mean. Now I see a number of materials. you have here at your teacher's table. Could you describe to me what these materials are next to us? Okay, the materials on my table right now I was using in my last class that I did today.

So as you can see, these blocks are very coloured, right? I have to use beautiful materials. So this one I use them for mathematics, for counting. As a teacher, would you say there are many schools like this in Kenya or is it rare? It's very rare. I have not seen any other school like this in Kenya, but I hope there will be many schools like this in Kenya because we have many learners in Kenya who are going through dyslexia silently. Classes are smaller than usual, with about 17 children per class. This is paid for in part by parents and in part by charitable donations.

By the time the children finish their schooling, they'll take the same national examinations as any other. the child in Kenya. It just might take them slightly longer to get there. But the school also focuses on vocational and technical training aimed at the world of work, including art and design, dressmaking, hairdressing and beauty, and agricultural skills. One of the eldest students, 19-year-old Peter Kimani, took me on a short tour. Where is your classroom, Peter? My classroom is just here next to us here. Okay, can we just pick in and see what's going on? They're learning. Let me see what they're learning. They're learning chemistry.

Why do you think about chemistry? Chemistry is a bit tough, but we are fighting through it. Peter, when did you enroll here at the school? I joined the school when I was a little boy, 10, 11 years. The school is a bit good school. Teachers here are this school, the teachers according to your speed. Not like the other teachers are teaching according to their system and time. So before you came here, you were in another school.

How was it there? Life was a bit tough. Teachers are beating me because of not doing assignments. Students are bullying me because I didn't know how to read and write. And I didn't know. I had this, Lex. And how is it for you now? Now when I read, I do not see the words if they're outside. I see if they are clear. Michael Koloki reporting. And for more stories like this, just search for people fixing the world wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Wherever you are in the world, divorce is ranked as one of life's most stressful events. And in countries like India, there's the added judgment associated with breakups.

But one woman decided to change all that by offering a lifeline to women who felt alone. She started a divorce camp to bring women together for support, encouragement, and yes, even joy. Our reporter, Samadapal, travelled to Kerala to find out more. In India, divorce is something or a separation is something which is still a very taboo topic. And a lot of women who are going through separation, who are going through divorces, they don't really have a space where they can be a part of community, where they can find friendships or a sense of belonging. So we went to Kerala, which is the southernmost state in India.

It is one of the luscious green states in the country. It has beaches. It has mountains. and it's absolutely stunning. And in Kerala, we met Raffia. Rafia is a 31-year-old woman, and she was in a long marriage for about 10 years. And at the end of that marriage, she realized

that she wanted to not be a part of that marriage anymore. And while she made a very difficult decision to separate from her partner, she found herself quite isolated and alienated, like several other women in this country. and she felt this need to travel to connect with similar women who are undergoing similar experiences in similar circumstances and she started an Instagram account.

So that's where her journey really started and in these hills of Kerala, in this stunning background, she felt that she could bring this community of women together where they would not feel so judged. She has sort of managed to bring together over a hundred such women and she's conducted over 10 camps, not just in Kerala across the country and also beyond in the UAE now. They start off with this bus journey where they try to get to know each other. And once they're in the camp, they spend the 48 hours with each other playing games,

trekking up the mountains or sitting by the beach, listening to each other and playing games together, dancing together, and also listening to music together. A lot of the women who I met in this camp were actually traveling for the first time because to travel solo is again something which is not a very common activity that women do in India. So just to travel for leisure and just to travel to see things and just to be able to sing songs and dance and not feel like they have to take care of anything. They came there as strangers and to be able to do these activities together was purely an act of joy and freedom for them. So when they came, they were strangers, but they left with a sense of friendship

and a sense of deep community. Our reporter, Sameda Pajal, Francois Puran, became homeless after moving to London from France in 2014. On his first night in the UK, he had his wallet and passport stolen and spent the next few years finding comfort in a piano that stands in St. Pancras Railway Station. He learnt to play there, and now Francois is living in a safe home, has set up his own business and is working on his own music. He's also become the face of a new campaign by the charity crisis about homelessness in Britain. François has been speaking to the BBC. Hi, I'm Francois. I'm 30 years old. I was on the street for five years.

When I came to England, I was 17 and I started to play piano on the symphon cross. piano, which quickly became my second home. Coming to sing-punk crotch repeatedly playing piano, I've been able to get out of the homelessness cycle by playing and playing and playing from day to night, was also getting support on the side by a corporal organization. But ultimately the piano was the one that's been supporting me through, you know, all of that.

I was playing piano every day. The best part of it is like I was finally feeling thin, finally feeling like people were actually watching me and appreciating. appreciating who I was, I wasn't an outcast anymore. I was somebody that could actually give joy, give love. There's countless stories of people coming to me telling me how much they enjoyed my thing

and just being on the street and receiving this level of love was massive. I would say that letting yourself die, you know, one of the massive things while being homeless. You just don't care anymore. No one cares about me. So, yeah, piano, I've been able to buy time with it the right way. Now I'm studying construction management, I'm on place.

I'm still dreaming of being a pianist, but I'm in a much more better position thanks to crisis, the piano and the people around. My advice for anyone that's, you know, homeless right now is to move, you know. Life with movement just, I know it's hard, but like keep on moving, keep on going out there, keep on trying to find help. There's an organization that I have for you to help you get back upon your feet. And also you deserve it. You deserve to do something with yourself.

You're not alone. Everyone can succeed. And you will. Merry Christmas. And that's all from the Happy Pod for now. We'd love to hear from you. As ever, the address is Global Podcast at BBC.co.uk. This edition was mixed by Charmany Ashton Griffith

and the producer was Holly Gipps. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Joanna Keane. Until next time, goodbye. Thank you.