The Shanti International Volunteer Association, in cooperation with the Toshima Ward Social Welfare Council and the Tokyo Public Law Office, regularly holds a food pantry (commonly known as “Toshimaru”) for foreigners in need residing in Toshima Ward.
In addition to distributing rice, the food pantry provides life support and legal assistance. And we, a medical doctor and a clinical psychologist, provide free medical/health consultations.
Many of those seeking consultation are from various Asian countries, such as Myanmar and Nepal.
Some of them have lived in Japan for several decades, and they have no problem using Japanese in everyday life.
However, they may find medical terminology difficult when explaining symptoms in detail or medical history, so we ask for the support of an interpreter in those situations.
For adults, consultations often concern chronic diseases such as hypertension and orthopaedic conditions, while for children, the topics are broad, including nutrition and lifestyle considerations for congenital diseases.
We also provide advice on the necessity of hospital visits, which department to consult, and lifestyle improvements such as daily diet and exercise habits.
