Young kids running amok, dancing crazily, jumping on adults' backs demanding piggyback rides.

For many English teachers, these are occupational hazards. For Mike Maher-King, moments like this are the best part of his life in Japan. For the children, who are growing up in an orphanage in Fukui Prefecture, this is one of the highlights of their month.

But when Maher-King came to Japan on the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program four years ago, founding a group to promote volunteering at orphanages was the last thing he expected to do. He had not been involved in volunteering in his native England.