photo by MinJae Kim
2021 was the year that people were forced to cope with many restrictions in everyday, such as requests for short-time operation or refrain from going out or life after the declaration of a state of emergency. However, the declaration of a state of emergency was lifted in October 2021, and people gradually started going back to normal. But things didn’t recover straight away, and many people are still living with some restraints. Foreign residents living in Japan, in particular, tend to have extra burden such as language barriers and informational imbalance. To solve such issues, Tokyo city governments provide many supports for foreign residents.
Tokyo Multilingual Consultation Navi (TMC Navi)
In April 2020, TOCOS, which had been established to support people whose first language is not Japanese to solve their concerns about the COVID-19 related issues, was closed. TMC Navi, which is operated by Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation TUNAGARI, was launched to succeed the supporting services of TOCOS in March 2021. Their services cover free consultation about everyday life in Japan, legal advice by lawyers with an interpreter, consultation about the COVID-19, etc. You need to contact them by phone first, then you will be transferred to an operator of your language. They cover easy Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Russian, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Hindi, Nepali, French and Indonesian.
Tokyo Multilingual Consultation Navi (TMC Navi)
TEL：03-6258-1227
GOWELL TOWN Ginza
GOWELL TOWN is Japan’s first “Job seek café” for foreign residents who are looking for jobs, which provides job vacancy information and career consultation. You will need to obtain membership. Member international students and job seekers can see the information for free, consult staff about their careers, or have visa consultation with an administrative scrivener. There is regular job registration sessions and consultation meetings, supporting many job seekers struggling to find jobs. Of course, it can be used as a normal café.
GOWELL TOWN Ginza
Address: 7F, 3-8-13 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
TEL：03-6272-9651
Opening hours: 11:00 – 19:00 (Close Sunday, public holidays)
RESC Support center for foreigners
Fresc, which is located in Comore Yotsuya Building by JR Yotsuya station, has branch counters of public authorities including the Immigration Services Agency, Visa information of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Japan Legal Service Support Center, which are related to status od residence of foreign nationals. This place is established in order to support foreign residents and local companies that wish to employ foreign workers. The reception is tri-lingual, Japanese, English and Chinese, but there are many more languages available such as Korean, Spanish and Portuguese by using tablet devices. They also provide consultation and booking service for foreign residents who wish to have COVID-19 vaccination.
FRESC Support center for foreigners
Address: 13F, 1-6-1 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
TEL：0570-011000
AMDA Medical Information Center
AMDA Medical Information Center, which provides medical interpretation services upon requests by medical institutions, accepts inquiries from people who do not speak Japanese over the phone. This service is not to give medical advice, but to explain about the medica system in Japan or to give information about available medical institutions that have foreign language services. For Example, when you are unwell but don’t know which clinic you can go to see a doctor, or you want to know where to go to have a COVID-19 test. Also, their website provides useful formats that clarify procedures when visiting a medical institution to see a doctor and that describe symptoms.
AMDA Medical Information Center
TEL: 03-6233-9266
Operating hours: 10:00 – 16:00 (Mon – Fri)
Helps you under the COVID-19 crisis
The COVID-19 crisis started in 2019 all of a sudden. It has given a huge pressure on medical systems and economies all around the world, and turned people’s lives upside down. Japan is not an exception. Many people are living under pressure of health issues or unemployment, and foreign residents living in Japan are coping with more burden because of language barriers and cultural differences. In Tokyo, there are many services to help such people. If you have something you want to discuss, contact any of these agencies introduced in this column.
