Get Support

When life gets hard, don’t carry it alone.

This page brings together concrete places to turn for help, centred on projects Toimikke is involved in.

Emergency Action (start here if you are unsure)

In Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa, we offer consultations and accompaniment for applying for public assistance (seikatsu hogo). For general consultations — including situations where you still have housing — please start with the Emergency Action consultation form.

Because of limited staffing, Toimikke cannot respond directly to emergency consultations sent to us. Please use this form instead.

Sekai Bivouac (if you have nowhere to sleep tonight)

Citizen-supported emergency assistance, available once, to a person who meets all three of the following.

1. You have lost your housing and cannot safely stay anywhere tonight
2. You can commit to connecting with a public consultation service or a support organization the following day
3. You have not used Sekai Bivouac before

• Find a pickup spot on the dedicated site (Japanese)

If you have used it once already, please contact us through the dedicated consultation form.

Fumidan (applying for public assistance online)

Fumidan is a service that lets you prepare and submit an application for public assistance online, before going to a municipal welfare office in person. It supports the first step for people who feel “I’m afraid to go to the counter” or “I don’t know what to bring”.

• Use Fumidan (Japanese)

If your organization would like to use it, or you would like to refer someone you are already supporting, please get in touch through our contact form.

Talking to someone in person

Both of the following are run by partner organizations. “Welfare Uncle” is usually there too, but whether he takes consultations differs from venue to venue. At every venue, staff from the organising team will speak with you directly.

Ikebukuro consultation event (Tenohasi)

Run by Tenohasi (NPO)

• Second and fourth Saturday of each month, 17:00–19:00, Higashi-Ikebukuro Central Park(3-1-6 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-0013)
• Living and medical consultations / legal consultations on the fourth Saturday only
• Join the queue by 18:00 and you can also receive a boxed meal.

No appointment is needed. Staff at the venue will speak with you directly. “Welfare Uncle” is there in person, but does not take consultations at this venue.

• About Tenohasi's food distribution and consultation events (organiser's site, Japanese)

Nakano open consultation event

Run by Nakano Min-iren, Nakano ward councillors, Tsukuroi Tokyo Fund and others

• Fourth Thursday of each month, 17:30–19:00, in front of Nakano Station(the white tent in the north exit plaza)
• Living, medical, legal and labour consultations / no appointment needed / free

Just want to ask something (question box)

If you only want to ask one thing, or would rather not give your name, there is a question box on note.

• Open the question box (Japanese)

Frequently asked questions

Can I receive public assistance if I have debts?

Yes, you can use public assistance even if you have debts. If life is hard, apply first. After that, talk to a service such as Houterasu (the Japan Legal Support Center) and deal with the debts through bankruptcy or similar. We do not recommend repaying them out of your assistance payments, as that makes rebuilding your life harder.

I have found work, but I have no money for fares or living costs until payday.

For living costs and transport, public benefits you can use straight away are very limited. A loan from the Council of Social Welfare may be an option in some cases, but it involves screening and an assessment of your ability to repay, so it is not always quick. Private support organizations, too, generally find it difficult to provide cash directly.

If the priority is not losing your current housing and stabilising both your daily life and your work, temporarily using public assistance may be the most realistic option available right now.

You may feel reluctant or uneasy about public assistance. But public assistance is not only for people who cannot or will not work. You can use it temporarily while you start a new job and get back on your feet. It does not negate the fact that you have found work, or the effort you have made to get there.

Other questions — whether a consultation costs anything, whether you can talk to us without ID — are answered on the FAQ page.

Message "Welfare Uncle"

Please leave this field empty

📮 We receive many messages from outside the areas we cover. Where a request would need hands-on support, we may write back first to talk it through.

If this is urgent — for example you have nowhere to sleep tonight — please use Emergency Action or Sekai Bivouac instead.

I understand that this form may not be able to help with urgent situations such as having nowhere to stay or no money today.

Your name, or a nicknameRequired

Email addressRequired

Phone number (optional)

Where you are (area or nearest station)Required

Are you currently receiving public assistance (seikatsu hogo)?Required

Yes, I am No, I am not

How much money you have right now (an estimate is fine)Required

Where you are staying at the moment (choose all that apply)Required

Internet café, private video booth, hotel or simple lodging (doya) In a car On the street, in a park or by a river A public facility or shelter A home in my own or my family's name A home in a friend's or acquaintance's name Housing provided by my employer Somewhere else

What you would like to talk about (choose all that apply)Required

How to apply for public assistance Food or a place to sleep today or tomorrow Work and income Family and relationships Illness or injury Something else

Tell us moreRequired

You may use the answer to this message in a video, keeping me anonymous (optional)

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