It’s around noon on a Sunday in January, and the inviting scent of curry drifts through the hallways of a community center in Kameari, a working-class neighborhood in Tokyo’s northeastern Katsushika Ward. A steady stream of children and their mothers stop by, chatting with volunteers and browsing the free recycled clothes and food items on offer.
Today’s event in Kameari is being run by Eme-Ima Kitchen, a group that organizes free monthly lunches for children (¥300 for adults), a separate food pantry for single-parent households, and a weekly kids’ cafe where children can receive learning support and build communication skills by playing board games.
“I started coming to their food pantry when my daughter was still in kindergarten, during a particularly difficult time,” says Marie Fujishima, a single mother visiting with her daughter, who’s now in the third grade. “The people here are kind and welcoming. It was especially helpful during the pandemic when we couldn’t meet others.”
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