Tokyo Coffee Kojima - By adults enjoying seriously, we provide children with safety and motivation.

Tokyo Coffee No.80 Introduction of Activities in Kojima, Kurashiki City

I participated in the activities that were being held at the same time as the interview.

The activity of the day was "Bonfire de Tokyo Coffee," which was held for the third time and was very popular among participants.

Although it was before the activity started, Yuka said with a smile, "There is no special preparation."

I heard about the motivation for the activity.

Encounter with Activities

Can you tell me how you came to know about Tokyo Coffee?

K清板

The opportunity was a talk live by Takashi Yoshida (hereafter, Dada) held in Kasaoka City in July 2022.

However, the content of the talk live was not about Tokyo Coffee.

After I applied, I received a notice saying, "We will start an activity called Tokyo Coffee, and if you are interested, we will set aside time after the talk live."

I thought I wouldn't know unless I listened, so I listened to the explanation, and I thought, "I want to do it!"

This was because, at that time, it had been about two years since my second son had stopped attending school.

I didn't think it was bad to be at home, but I wanted to create a place outside of home for him to have interactions with others.

What was the deciding factor for you to want to do Tokyo Coffee?

K清板

The high degree of freedom in the activities.

I thought I wanted to do something, but when asked if I wanted to do something like a free school, I didn't particularly want to teach structured studies.

I didn't want to create a school for children who couldn't go to school.

Even if asked what it was, I couldn't explain it.

I didn't want to force anything or make anyone learn; I just thought it would be nice if it could be one of the options when choosing a free life.

Talking with adults like me might be a trigger for realizing something.

And I thought it would be nice if there were many places where children could choose to be with adults other than their parents.

The activities of Tokyo Coffee can be anything that adults can enjoy, and participants can come and go whenever they want, and the organizer can hold it once a week or once a month.

If there were things that had to be done or rules, I might not have been able to do it.

Enjoying Beyond Adults

K清板

Also, I strongly resonated with the founder Dada's statement, "The number of children who are not attending school is increasing, and children are crying out; perhaps it is because adults are not updating themselves."

This is because, when I worked as a nursery teacher, I felt that "the care was not centered on the children."

When my child entered elementary school, I was shocked to find that the discomfort I felt in the nursery had not changed at all in 20 years.

After that, I also experienced being the PTA president at school and was quite involved in the school.

It's not that the school is bad, but I think there were things that had to be done under the current system, and I felt that my feelings were not conveyed, and I experienced difficulties in interactions between adults.

That makes everyone gloomy, even though it's not the teachers' fault or the school's fault.

Dada emphasizes the importance of adults enjoying themselves with the expression "putting their lives on the line for fun," but adults become gloomy at school.

From such experiences, I thought that if school could be a fun place, but it is impossible right now, it is much more enjoyable and positive to be on the side of creating rather than asking someone else to change it.

Instead of trying to change others.

As a nursery teacher and as a parent, you have had various thoughts and experiences.
In that context, the "adult enjoyment" activities of Tokyo Coffee indeed feel attractive.

K清板

Yes, it is fun and free, and I thought this could change things.

I also agreed with the idea of creating a movement by conducting activities nationwide to influence education.

While the thought of creating something new is not wrong, I realized that we need to turn each person's feelings into a larger flow, and I thought, "Oh, I see."

However, I also thought that since I am not good at doing things with others, I wondered how it would be to join the activities.

But in Tokyo Coffee, as long as the core part of the activity is the same, the content of the activities is free, so I feel a tremendous sense of trust, and I think that by trying to enjoy themselves, the focus turns to themselves.

What do you mean by the focus turning to oneself?

K清板

Parents and guardians tend to focus on their children.

When a child has difficulty going to school, they worry about what is best for that child, including whether to go or not.

At Tokyo Coffee, many parents and guardians are in the same situation, so many want someone to listen to them.

Everyone wants to vent and becomes engrossed in conversation, which naturally shifts their attention away from the children, and then the children start to play freely.

Personally, I think it would be good if we could believe that children grow up on their own.

It is difficult to let go of one's own standards or family standards, but through the activities, by touching and talking about various family values, I feel that parents themselves are regaining their senses.

They loosen, break, and let go of the common sense they had unconsciously held as "parents and guardians."

In that way, while parents and guardians are engrossed in their own matters, there are children playing freely.

When they see that, parents and guardians are convinced. They feel like, "I give up."

Rather than parents saying this or that, I think the children are capable of feeling something, and I realize that there is nothing more I can do for them.

Even though I think it is presumptuous to think I can do something for them, I tend to meddle.

So, I believe that coming to such places, where parents and guardians can update and refresh themselves, will create a good cycle in the family, and I hope it can be such a place.

What Activities Create ~ Enjoying and Healing

Are there any memorable moments from the activities?

K清板

Rather than memorable, when the activity ends, children say, "I had fun! I'll come again!" and that makes me happy.

Also, when I hear from participating parents and guardians, "I've never been able to talk this much," I feel happy that this place has become a place where they can open their hearts.

Can you tell me the characteristics of Tokyo Coffee Kojima as you see it?

K清板

Kojima is blessed with an environment that has both the sea and the mountains.

While it is an environment that feels normal when living here, it seems to be pleasant for those coming from outside the prefecture.

We have held several events at Owashi Kiln, cooking rice in earthen pots and having bonfires, but I am actually not an outdoor person.

All of these were things I had never done before.

The foundation is that I enjoy doing things I have never done before.

Since I have been doing things that I found fun, it might be a bit difficult to put into words.

It's based on my own standards (laughs).

If you have any future activity plans or prospects, please let us know.

K清板

In the hot season, I think it would be nice to borrow an indoor space and have a tea party.

I plan to decide loosely based on the situation at that time.

I hope it can be a place where people think, "I want to go there, it will be fun, and I can relax."

So anything is fine. Even the idea of fun is different for everyone.

I don't think there will be a specific thing that I will provide.

Just coming here to pull weeds is fine, or just throwing firewood is fine, or chasing bugs is fine.

You can do whatever you like, but I hope you can feel, "I'm happy just to be in the same space."

Also, Tokyo Coffee aims to create 500 locations nationwide, but personally, I think it would be nice if it were located next to schools like after-school programs.

Conclusion

What left an impression on me when I actually participated was the atmosphere of reuniting with old friends.

Before I knew it, each participant had found their place, and there is a strange sense of reassurance in the fact that there is no one doing the same thing.

Some adults talk, some listen, some interact with children, some look at the surrounding nature, and some take walks...

I truly experienced the comfort of being in the same space even if we are not doing the same thing, as mentioned by K清板.

What was even more impressive was the expressions and postures of the children.

The serious expressions of children trying desperately to start a fire by throwing in leaves and branches, and their forward-leaning postures.

They come up with ideas, run off somewhere, and return with something new.

Seeing children embodying "being engrossed" brings smiles to those watching and somehow relaxes something deep inside.

TOKYO COFFEE is not an activity that promotes not going to school.

Rather than directly approaching children, I felt that this activity aims to become a foundation for children's growth and learning by allowing participating adults to relax and loosen their rigid minds.

As of June 2023, there are five locations in Okayama Prefecture where activities are taking place, and you can search for nearby activity locations on the official TOKYO COFFEE website.

“Please, please, don’t be nervous. This is not that kind of place.”

These are the words of Kiyohira-san.

I look forward to the future expansion of the adult-oriented activity, TOKYO COFFEE, across the country.

TOKYO COFFEE No.80 Data from Kojima, Kurashiki City

Name	TOKYO COFFEE No.80 Kojima, Kurashiki City
Date of Event	Approximately once a month Irregularly held Please check Instagram for activity information
Location	Kojima, Kurashiki City
Participation Fee (including tax)	Adults: 1,000 yen Children: 500 yen *Fees may change depending on the activity.
Website	Instagram tokyo_coffee_no.80

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