Children’s cafeteria? Why is it popular only in Japan?
Children’s cafeteria, Kodomo Shokudou in Japanese, is a place that provides free or cheap meals for children in poverty in Japan. The number of Children’s Cafeterias has been increasing in Japan. What is fascinating for children is that it not only serves balanced food but also provides an opportunity for them to share their feelings with caring adults and friends under similar circumstances.
Children’s Cafeteria was first started in 2012, and the number was increased to 3718 nationwide in 2019. Despite operational challenges during the pandemic, the number was boosted to 4960 (Katayama, 2021). The widespread concept of a children’s cafeteria is attributed to its easiness of getting started, as no certification or registration is required. Therefore, anyone can start running a Children’s Cafeteria at public facilities, private homes, restaurants, or empty stores. For example, in Japan, various groups, including NPOs or individuals such as housewives are operating the children’s cafeteria (nippon.com, 2021). The size, frequency, participants, and what meals to serve all depend on the owner. The other factor in increased number of children’s cafeterias is the backing from the Japanese government: subsidies are provided to local governments to support its operation.
As the name suggests, “Children’s Cafeteria” provides free or cheap meals to children, yet some places also offer free education. Thus, it has become a place for children in poverty to grow, learn, and share their feelings.
Invisible child poverty in Japan
Although Japan’s rate of child poverty is above the OECD average, the rate has been increasing since the 1980s. It is considered that one in seven children is under the poverty line (The Nippon Foundation, n.d.). It is reported that lone-parent families have an extremely high poverty rate compared to other family structures (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, cited in Abe, n.d.). For example, in 2015, the average annual income of single-mother households was recorded as 2.43 million yen, whereas all households with children were around 7 million yen (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare cited in nippon.com, 2019). Consequently, children with single parents are likely to get less education, basic amenities, etc. However, the university professor at Tokyo Yuasa Makoto (nippon.com, 2019) argues that child poverty cannot be seen solely from financial circumstances since it is defined by three “nos”: no money, no connectedness, and no confidence.
Children’s Cafeteria has been massively contributing to mitigating child poverty by providing food, education, and a place to relax. In so doing, the three “nos” can be covered.
How can Japan be a role model in childhood poverty prevention for the rest of the world?
Child poverty has still been a problem worldwide, and it is not easily solved as there are many factors that cause it. Although Japan still has many child-poverty-related issues to solve, the children’s cafeteria can be a good example for the rest of the world. There may be a place to provide inexpensive or free meals for children in poverty, but they also need a place to share their honest feelings with others, such as Children’s Cafeteria.
REFERENCE
Katayama, A. (2021). Fast-Growing ‘Children’s Cafeteria’ Provides Kids With Food And A Coveted Community In The Pandemic. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/akikokatayama/2021/02/19/kodomo-shokudo-provides-children-with-food-and-a-coveted-community-in-the-pandemic/?sh=5527c8a92b8e [Accessed 11 Apr. 2022].
nippon.com. (2021). Japan’s Children’s Cafeterias Offering Free or Cheap Meals Face Struggle During Pandemic. [online] Available at: https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00970/ [Accessed 11 Apr. 2022].
The Nippon Foundation. (n.d.). Addressing Child Poverty. [online] Available at: https://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/en/what/projects/ending_child_poverty [Accessed 11 Apr. 2022].
Abe, A. (n.d.). Poverty among Japanese Children and Youths: Issues & Policies The 16 th ASEAN & Japan High Level Officials Meeting on Caring Societies. [online] Available at: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/10500000/000469479.pdf [Accessed 11 Apr.2022].
nippon.com. (2019). Civil Society Groups Fill A Need with Children’s Cafeterias. [online] Available at: https://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/d00521/civil-society-groups-fill-a-need-with-children%E2%80%99s-cafeterias.html [Accessed 11 Apr. 2022].
