From "Waiting Support" to "Going to Meet Support": Kanagawa Prefecture and Amayadori Launch Visiting Support at Schools with Kitchen Car "TOMBO" to Reach Young People's "Invisible Isolation"

To All Media Representatives / Press Release

July 6, 2026

Public Interest Incorporated Association Amayadori

Kitchen Car "TOMBO" Logo Artwork: Yusuke Hanai

Leaving the welfare system at 18. To meet young people aged 15-29 who cannot call for help, a youth support organization visits universities offering free crepes. The logo art was provided pro bono by artist Yusuke Hanai. Building a safety net for youth support with the community. A crowdfunding campaign begins July 7.

Public Interest Incorporated Association Amayadori (Location: Kanagawa Prefecture, Representative Director: Misao Kikuchi, hereinafter "Amayadori") has been commissioned by Kanagawa Prefecture for the "Outreach Support for Students Facing Various Difficulties Due to Isolation from Abuse and Poverty" project. Support staff will visit universities and other locations where young people gather using the kitchen car "TOMBO" to provide direct, in-person support. This year, the project is scheduled to be implemented at three schools within the prefecture. To fund the project's launch with the support of the community, we launched a crowdfunding campaign (READYFOR / Target Amount: 5 million yen) today, July 7, 2026.

The Social Issue of "Invisible Isolation" - Unable to Say "Help Me"

In Japan, the leading cause of death for young people aged 15-34 is "suicide." This is unique to Japan among G7 nations, and the suicide rate among young people is higher than in other countries (Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "2025 White Paper on Suicide Prevention," published October 2025).

Among young people facing mental limits due to abuse, poverty, or falling through the cracks of the system, many have experienced negative reactions like being scolded or having their situation escalated when seeking help. Wounded by the "boundary between helping and being helped" in the support field, they hesitate to ask for help, feeling it is "pathetic," and are unable to send SOS signals to anyone. They endure, hide, and desperately try to survive. Their existence is difficult for society to see. We call this "invisible isolation."

"I might be told it's my fault," or "It might be made into a big deal." Such hesitations are not the individual's problem or lack of strength, but rather stem from society's gaze (stigma) that views "receiving support = being weak." Young people who fall outside the system, especially after turning 18 and no longer being covered by the Child Welfare Act, often find themselves isolated and in poverty at the entrance to society, with no adults or systems to rely on nearby.

Waiting Alone Isn't Enough - The Limits Revealed by Over 10,000 Consultations

Since its inception in 2020, Amayadori has supported young people aged 15-29 who lack close adults to rely on, providing over 10,000 consultations, housing support, and accompaniment to administrative offices and hospitals. Through this work, we have keenly felt the limitation that traditional "waiting for consultations" support cannot reach truly isolated young people. It is extremely rare and a high hurdle for young people in need of support to approach a service desk on their own.

Therefore, We Go to Them - The Kitchen Car "TOMBO"

As part of a Kanagawa Prefecture commissioned project, Amayadori will embark on "going to meet support" by having counselors visit universities and other places where young people gather in the kitchen car "TOMBO." While handing out free, delicious crepes, we will discreetly offer stickers with contact information for consultations, creating a reliable point of contact for young people to connect with support when needed. Not with "We've come to help" or "Please consult us," but with "Would you like a crepe?" We aim to create the first step towards connection from an accessible entrance where they can stop by without feeling intimidated.

Creating a familiar scene in youth areas where they can say, "Let's stop by for a bit."

Why Crepes? - "Choosing Again What Cannot Be Chosen"

There's a reason we chose crepes from among many food options. Dough, fruit, cream, sauce, toppings. Crepes can be infinitely varied through combinations, making them a food that allows for extensive experience in "choosing." Many young people who have put their own desires on hold to survive have a dormant ability to "choose." Choosing today's crepe. Choosing whether to talk or just eat today. The accumulation of these small "choices" can lead to bigger choices in the future regarding work, housing, and life path. "Choosing again what cannot be chosen" is Amayadori's philosophy.

Dough, fruit, sauce. Infinite combinations. Crepes are the very experience of "choosing."

World-Renowned Artist Yusuke Hanai Provides Artwork

World-renowned artist Yusuke Hanai, in support of this project's purpose, has provided the logo artwork for the kitchen car "TOMBO" as pro bono charity art. The design, featuring a dragonfly (TOMBO) gently resting on a raindrop falling from a leaf, echoes Amayadori's (meaning "shelter from rain") core mission: "to create a safe place to shelter from the rain."

Yusuke Hanai creating art in his studio.

Hanai's artwork will also be featured in the crowdfunding returns (original merchandise). Owning a piece by a globally beloved artist will directly contribute to supporting isolated young people.

Original T-shirt with Yusuke Hanai's artwork (example return)

Why Build This Together with the Community?

This safety net cannot be completed by the government alone, nor by us alone. We believe that sharing the starting point of this project, the introduction of the kitchen car, with citizens and local businesses is itself a declaration of the intention to "support isolated young people together as a community." That is why we decided to raise the startup funds through an open crowdfunding campaign. From the second year onwards, we plan to expand our activities to general sales and aim to utilize "TOMBO" as a place where young people themselves can work in the future.

Statement from Representative Director Misao Kikuchi

Young people who cannot say "help me" are not weak, nor have their strengths failed to develop. It is simply that they have had few experiences of being able to rely on someone safely and then feeling "it was good that I relied on them." Therefore, instead of waiting, we should go to them. In the relationships that begin with "Would you like a crepe?", we hope that all young people will be able to choose their own way of life and future. Not someday, but starting now. We sincerely hope you will help us run this kitchen car together.

Crowdfunding Overview

- Title: We Want to Meet Young People Living in "Invisible Isolation" with a Free Kitchen Car

- URL: https://readyfor.jp/projects/amayadori_kc

- Target Amount: 5,000,000 yen

- Campaign Period: July 7, 2026 (Tue) 9:00 AM - September 11, 2026 (Fri) 11:00 PM

- Use of Funds: Kitchen car purchase costs / Operating expenses / Equipment costs / Food costs / Personnel costs / Printing costs, etc.

- Format: Combination of tax-deductible and standard donations / All-in

*All-in format means that the raised funds can be received regardless of whether the target amount is reached.

- Returns: 14 courses ranging from 3,000 yen to 1,000,000 yen (including "Tax-Deductible Pure Support Course" and "Yusuke Hanai Artwork Original Merchandise," etc.)

- Project Completion Date: March 31, 2027

About Public Interest Incorporated Association Amayadori

Established in 2020, Amayadori is a public interest incorporated association that supports young people aged 15-29 who cannot rely on family or close adults. We have supported the lifeline of young people isolated and in poverty at the entrance to society through five pillars: "Meeting (Outreach)," "Consultation (Consultation/Accompaniment Support)," "Living (Supported Housing)," "Being (Dedicated Space for Young Women - Amayadori Studio)," and "Working (Employment Support)." The "TOMBO" project is a new challenge to move "beyond when life is saved."

Press Materials

High-resolution data for the photos included in this release (logo, crepes, image photos, portrait of Yusuke Hanai, original merchandise, etc.) can be provided for reporting purposes. Please contact us at the inquiry details below.

*Photo Credit: Public Interest Incorporated Association Amayadori (Please include when publishing)

Source

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "2025 White Paper on Suicide Prevention" (Published October 2025) https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/hukushi_kaigo/seikatsuhogo/jisatsu/jisatsuhakusyo2025.html

Inquiries Regarding This Matter

Public Interest Incorporated Association Amayadori (Public Relations Contact: Miyamoto)

Phone: 070-6669-2020 / E-mail: [email protected]

Project URL: https://readyfor.jp/projects/amayadori_kc