RMJ 1st Foreign & Japanese Mom's Meeting! (Katsushika-ku, Tokyo)
Hello, my name is Moe and I am the president of RMJ.
It's been a little while since I've posted here, but I've been reporting on our activities daily on Instagram! Please follow us!
Well, it has been about 6 months since we started RMJ, and one of our two pillars, the "Online Support Center," has over 100 registered members on LINE.
Finally, this month, we were able to hold the "RMJ 1st Foreigner & Japanese Mom's Meeting" (hereafter referred to as "Mom's Meeting") as our other pillar, "Face-to-Face support for foreign mothers".
RMJ is active in Katsushika-ku, Tokyo, and thanks to posters at Coop Mirai Katsushika Shirotori Store, Katsushika-ku International Exchange Center, and Aoto Koudan Community Association, we were able to increase the number of users and hold the mom's meeting!
Many other stores and facilities have also put up flyers or installed them. We will introduce them later. Thank you very much!
This time, we would like to report on the memorable first mom's meeting! (It's long)
What is the purpose of RMJ Moms' Meeting?
RMJ's goal is "a world where all moms in Japan (regardless of race or nationality) can enjoy raising their children without feeling lonely." We held the moms' group to create a place where foreign moms & Japanese moms can interact with each other in real life.
Preliminary meeting at the venue, MinCafe
We decided to hold the event at MinCafe because the atmosphere of the venue was good and MinCafe is also interested in supporting foreign residents.
＊Click here for MinCafe's official website
We weren't sure how things would go since many one-year-olds were expected to attend, but we asked the mothers to give it a try anyway, asking that there be no baby guards and that they share the space!
And on the day of the event...
There were 7 participants this time: 3 English-speaking Japanese mothers (one couldn't attend due to illness) and 3 foreign mothers (Mongolian, Taiwanese, and Filipino).
We served financiers from ”be me”, which is open on Thursdays and Fridays at Cafe Tateishi base in Katsushika-ku, a large amount of sweets bought from Coop Mirai, and fair trade drinks from MinCafe.
There are many individual stores in Katsushika Ward, and in addition to long-established stores, the younger generation is also doing their best. We wanted to support such local stores, so we ordered this financier.
They came with a written explanation of the ingredients in English and a warning not to give it to children under 1 year old because it contains honey. And they even sent a message saying congratulations on your first RMJ event! Thank you very much!
Just before the event, we went to Alivio, a mama's room in Tateishi, to pick up their flyer. She asked me politely "I can't set up the flyer for RMJ, is that OK?" , but I took the liberty of advertising the service because I wanted the moms' meeting participants to take advantage of any service that would be helpful to them.
On reflection, I could not find any volunteers to take care of the children, so I, as the organizer, had to take care of them all the time and could not participate in the conversation at all. It was very helpful that I did not have to facilitate the conversation, because everyone was having a lively conversation... (Thank you!)
Everyone seemed to be talking much and not enough when the end time came, as they shared their concerns unique to women and their thoughts about the heartbreaking experiences they have had in Japan that are not their home countries!
Mr. Kamekawa from Katsushika Ward's Volunteer and Community Contribution Activity Center, who consulted with me on the phone when we started RMJ, also came to visit us this time!
I met him two years ago when my son was only 0 years old. For some reason, I attended a briefing session on the establishment of an NPO and greeted Mr. Kamegawa at that time.
At the time, I think I still had no idea about RMJ and was thinking mainly of music activities. It was great to see you again after all these years, Mr. Kamekawa!
I'll reflect on what I did wrong and make the most of it so that we can have a better event next time! Thank you to everyone who participated, to MinCafe for providing the venue, to "be me" for bringing freshly baked goods, and to Volunteer Center Kamekawa-san!
We will send you information about the next mommy's meeting on LINE.
Please add our official LINE account from the banner below (or search for ID at @584wtbik).
RMJ, a moms support group, is engaged in the following two activities
Online Childcare Support Center
You can talk to a childcare worker for free 24/7.Face-to-Face Support for foreign mothers
We offer foreign moms friend-matching and consultation, and respond to questions about the Japanese language on LINE or in person.
For more information, please see this article.
Inquiries
Rep: Moe Muroi
Twitter: @relaxmoms_jp
Instagram: @relaxmoms_jp
Email：relaxmomsjapan＠gmail.com ※please change ＠to@
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