Interview with Representative Tetsuya Morikawa
What prompted Morikawa to establish “Soja Shokudo Kuu Neru Asobu”?
We asked him how “Soja Shokudo Kuu Neru Asobu” came about and what inspired him.
How Soja Shokudo Kuu Neru Asobu Came to Be
What prompted you to start “Soja Shokudo Kuu Neru Asobu”?
Morikawa (honorific omitted)
One of the reasons was the birth of my two children.
Until then, I had never really given it much thought, but I began to feel personally concerned about the social environment surrounding children, including poverty.
I came to want to create a place where not only my own children, but everyone in the community could spend time happily.
Another reason was my desire to give back to the town of Soja, my hometown.
As I looked into what I could do, the keyword “children’s cafeteria” caught my eye.
A “children’s cafeteria” doesn’t require any special qualifications or experience.
I learned that all it takes is the will to do it, so I resolved to take action on my 40th birthday.
Morikawa had no previous connection to social welfare activities. What did he do first?
Morikawa
The first thing I did was research online, something anyone can do.
At the time, searching for “Soja children’s cafeteria” didn’t bring up a single result.
That was because there wasn’t a single children’s cafeteria in Soja at the time.
Next, I searched for “Soja childcare.”
I found the nonprofit childcare support organization Ai-Ai, which provides childcare support mainly in Soja City.
Thinking I might get some ideas, I immediately visited the nonprofit childcare support organization Ai-Ai.
When I told the staff I wanted to establish a children’s cafeteria, they introduced me to the Soja City Council of Social Welfare.
How did you build connections with the community?
Morikawa
When I first visited the Soja City Council of Social Welfare, the secretary-general and center director met with me.
When I told them I wanted to open a children’s cafeteria in Soja City, they suggested, “There are probably other people who feel the same way, so why not bring them together and talk it over?”
So I began making a flyer explaining how children’s cafeterias work, to gather people who supported establishing one.
I also put into words my desire to support children and distributed the flyers to people in Soja City who seemed likely to be interested.
As I looked for people who supported the children’s cafeteria, Co-op Soja East volunteered to provide a venue.
We also needed to get information to children who needed support, not just run the children’s cafeteria.
So I visited Soja Elementary School.
The vice principal who met with me at Soja Elementary School had been my homeroom teacher when I was in the upper grades of elementary school.
He remembered me and gladly agreed to help us open the children’s cafeteria.
Where did the name “Kuu Neru Asobu” come from?
Morikawa
The catchphrase “kuu neru asobu” from a car commercial that was popular in the late 1980s had stayed in the back of my mind.
After my children were born and I started playing with them, I began humming it as a kind of motto.
I believe that “eating well, sleeping well, and playing well” are important for children’s growth, so I chose the name “Kuu Neru Asobu.”
Soja Shokudo Kuu Neru Asobu and Morikawa’s Activities
Who makes the flyers?
Morikawa
At “Soja Shokudo Kuu Neru Asobu,” we make flyers every month to announce events.
At first, we made flyers with text only, so they got very little response from children.
Around that time, I was looking for someone who could draw illustrations for another project. The Soja Rotary Club, a service organization, introduced me to Tominaga Hiroshi, who had previously created four-panel comics for Soja City’s public relations magazine and other publications.
Tominaga supported the children’s cafeteria project and agreed to help make the flyers.
Illustrated flyers were extremely effective.
Many adults and children began coming to the children’s cafeteria.
By the way, the other project I mentioned earlier was making a picture book and CD.
I’m good at writing poems to accompany picture books and the like, and at singing, but I’m not good at drawing illustrations.
With the help of Tominaga and the Soja Rotary Club, we produced 500 copies of the picture book.
We sell them for 500 yen each when we hold the children’s cafeteria, and use the proceeds as funding for its activities.
We also play the CD we produced ourselves as background music when the children’s cafeteria is held, helping liven up the venue.
Who distributes the flyers, and where?
Morikawa
On my days off, I deliver flyers in person to elementary schools and kindergartens in Soja City.
For the children’s cafeteria held on May 28, 2023, we distributed flyers to 15 locations.
When you visit facilities and schools repeatedly, people start to recognize you.
I think that building more connections with people helps spread understanding and awareness of the children’s cafeteria and has a positive effect.
People in town might call out, “I have food that’s close to its expiration date,” or we might suddenly get a phone call offering donated supplies—unexpected and welcome offers come our way.
Also, awareness of the children’s cafeteria won’t spread if we only deliver to the same facilities, so I make a point of visiting new places.
What kinds of activities have you organized so far?
Morikawa
Before COVID-19 spread, we ran our gatherings with two main components: meals and activities.
For meals, we would all eat curry together or make a cake for Christmas, sharing the joy of eating together.
For activities, we invited guests to put on events, such as magic tricks by a local magician and picture-book readings.
We also invited an instructor to teach braille transcription (converting text into braille) and made business cards, so that people could learn while having fun.
When we invited a sign-language instructor, we also made up our own signs and sang together.
We also provided disaster-preparedness education, including assembling cardboard beds used in evacuation shelters.
However, when priority measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and states of emergency were declared, we could no longer use the venue.
Even when we were finally able to resume, we still couldn’t return to our previous format.
Thinking, “Every opportunity is an opportunity, and every crisis is a great opportunity,” we took inspiration from other children’s cafeterias and adapted by switching to distributing boxed meals, daily necessities, and food free of charge.
Morikawa’s drive and passion
What do you keep in mind when coming up with ideas?
Morikawa
I gather information by searching online and using social media (social networking services).
There are about 7,000 children’s cafeterias nationwide, and nine in Soja City.
There are lots of ideas worth learning from, so I adopt the ones I find interesting.
However, children’s cafeterias are run in many different ways.
Some are held every day, while others, like ours, are held once a month.
Some are run by companies or restaurants, while others, like ours, are independently operated by local residents.
So rather than copying another children’s cafeteria’s plans as they are, we adapt them to suit Soja Shokudo Kuneru Asobu.
When I’m planning an event, I get excited, as if I were preparing for a festival.
How do you balance family, work, and community activities?
Morikawa
My family understands how passionate I am about the children’s cafeteria.
I don’t have hobbies like golf or fishing. The children’s cafeteria is my way to unwind, and I feel like I’m having fun.
I also keep work and community activities completely separate.
At the children’s cafeteria, I put on a happi coat and become an entertainer, carrying a doll of Chuppy, Soja City’s mascot character.
My home in Okayama City, my workplace in Kurashiki City, and the children’s cafeteria and my parents’ home in Soja City.
I enjoy going round and round between these three places every month.
People hear about my activities because they see how much I enjoy them, and children come along. That’s why I want to keep doing even more fun things.
What do you consider important in your activities?
Morikawa
I value meeting people face to face.
As COVID-19 spread, opportunities for people to meet one another became fewer.
Even when people were required to refrain from going out, it was convenient to be able to talk with others online, regardless of time or place.
However, communication over the internet limits the information we receive and doesn’t let us share experiences.
For example, when a large number of people gather at an event venue, unexpected things can happen.
Those kinds of chance events are something participants can enjoy together precisely because they are in the same space.
There are feelings that can only be shared by gathering in the same space.
And it’s by meeting and talking in person that we develop a sense of familiarity and form connections.
When I was setting up the children’s cafeteria, I spoke with many people. Through those conversations, I met people who would lend a hand, and that brought us to where we are today.
That’s why I want lots of people to come to the children’s cafeteria and make connections there.
Taking part in Soja Shokudo Kuneru Asobu
Before the children’s cafeteria opened, the high school students who volunteered were very busy, rushing to make boxed lunches and look after lots of children.
But after the event ended, everyone’s faces were glowing with life.
For the high school students, working for someone else must have been a valuable experience.
At the children’s cafeteria, children ran around and played happily, while their parents chatted nearby.
At Soja Shokudo Kuneru Asobu, it wasn’t just the children who were smiling; the high school students, parents, and everyone else at the venue were smiling too.
A space had been created where Morikawa’s wish—to build relationships through the children’s cafeteria—had come true.
I also had a heartwarming and enjoyable time talking with the high school students and chatting with toddlers who were drawing—people I would rarely meet in my everyday life.
From the Writer
In front of the children, Morikawa comes up with ideas to entertain and make them laugh as an entertainer.
“Our purpose is to make the Soja children happy.”
Perhaps local people relate to and support him because he responds flexibly to everyone and listens to and respects others’ opinions.
Morikawa’s convictions and sincere attitude deeply impressed me as well.
Soja Shokudo Kuneru Asobu details
| Name | Soja Shokudo Kuneru Asobu |
|---|---|
| Held | One Sunday each month, on varying weeks From 11:30 a.m. |
| Location | Soja Branch, Soja City Central Community Center, 2-18-18 Soja, Soja City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Participation fee (tax included) | Free |
| Website | Tetsuya Morikawa |
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