The Town that Children Made

The Town that Children Made: Childcare Support in Nishinari, Osaka
Yasuhiko Murakami

210 mm x 148 mm
270pages
JPY2,500
ISBN 9784790717539
Pub date: May 2021

Nishinari is an Osaka district where budget hotels are conveniently located near the Namba and Tennōji districts. This book depicts the children who live in this “town of day laborers” and the adults who support them. Interviews with five such unique individuals reveal the secrets of a support system that leaves no one behind.

Reviews
“The voice of the children, not a system handed down by the government, determines the shape of the organization. This is why this town was born.” —Tomoko Ako, researcher on contemporary China

“In this book, we meet the supporters of Nishinari Ward who are struggling to bring back children and parents who have fallen into the cracks of society. They are nosy, good-natured, and have a strong sense of justice. How can they be so kind to strangers? Children are the hope and the driving force of renewal.” —Sarai

“This collection of interviews expresses the fact that the ‘meaning’ of helping others is not something that can be itemized. The interviews are about people who look after babies who have been blessed by no one but their teenage parents and children who have no idea of the option of ‘talking to someone about their problems,’ rather than trying to move them as the adults would like. This is a record of their perseverance.” — Toyoko Watanabe, poet

Table of Contents
Preface: The children of Nishinari
Introduction: Supporting children in economically disadvantaged areas

Chapter 1: Tomoko Shōho— “Kodomo no Sato” as a place that children made
Chapter 2: Shin’ichi Nishino— Looking for gaps at Wakakusa Daycare
Chapter 3: Yasuko Kawabe— Concentric circles of watchfulness at the Nishinari Children’s Cafeteria
Chapter 4: Succhi— Entering interstices to work together: Connecting outreach and place
Chapter 5: Hiroe— The capability of SOS: Midwife visits with mothers and children

Conclusion: Society is joined at small gaps
Afterword: The name of a place
First appearances / Notes / Works cited / Index

Keywords
Kamagasaki, Airin, public assistance, ADHD, abuse, special support, single parent, single mother, runaway, childcare worker, day laborer, child poverty, social worker, neglect, homeless

Media Coverage
Asahi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, Kyodo News, Sarai, Weekly Book Reviwes, Weekly Dokusho-jin