April - Get involved in the community

Neighborhood associations carry out a range of activities aimed at deepening ties among residents, and creating the kind of pleasant community which allows people to live in safety and peace of mind. So why not join your local neighborhood association and help make your area a better place for all?
*The specific content of activities differs by neighborhood association.

Neighborhood associations serve as a hub in the community, organizing a range of recreational activities including festivals, Bon Festival dances, sporting events and club activities, thus helping bring people together and foster a sense of cohesion.

Neighborhood associations cooperate with the municipal government to make sure communities are prepared for disasters, such as by running emergency drills and managing disaster supply warehouses.

Providing support for child-rearing and looking out for senior citizens
Neighborhood associations provide support for child-rearing, take initiatives to promote good health and look out for senior citizens by organizing child-rearing salons, health salons and meal gatherings for elderly persons who live alone.

Crime prevention and traffic safety activities
Neighborhood associations work to make the community a safer and more secure place for all, such as through neighborhood watch patrols and looking out for children on their way to school.

Community beautification activities
Neighborhood associations help keep our streets clean, such as by maintaining waste collection sites, staging community cleanup drives, and arranging recyclable resource collection.

If you want to know how to join a neighborhood association, would like to find out the location of your nearest neighborhood association, wish to form a new neighborhood association, or have any other questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

[Inquiries] Chiiki Shinkō-ka (divisão promocional regional), telefone de trabalho de Naka Ward: 045-224-8131 Fax: 045-224-8215

«As comunidades agradáveis não são algo que nos damos, mas somos algo que criamos por nós». Há pessoas que trabalham abaixo deste princípio de melhorar laços na comunidade e promover a boa saúde. Here, we introduce you to some of the many activities taking place aimed at making our area a better place to live and the ideas behind these.
[Inquiries] Fukushi Hoken-ka (Health and Welfare Division), Naka Ward Office Tel: 045-224-8331 Fax: 045-224-8157

*For inquiries relating to community activities, please contact your nearest community care plaza.
Shinyamashita Tel: 045-625-1911 Fax: 045-625-1865
Furocho Tel: 045-662-0161 Fax: 045-662-0192
Honmokuhara Tel: 045-623-0971 Fax: 045-623-0977
Honmokuwada Tel: 045-622-1211 Fax: 045-622-1290
Minosawa Tel: 045-663-6960 Fax: 045-228-1828
Mugita Tel: 045-664-6023 Fax: 045-664-6075

(Photo: From right)
Ms. Nobuko Kudo, director of Naka Ward Community Activity Home for Disabled Persons
Mr. Hideo Matsuzawa, chairperson of the Daini Chiku Federation of Neighborhood Associations
Ms. Yuuki Oozeki, Shinyamashita Community Care Plaza

Multicultural exchanges through a flower planting event
Community care plazas have been holding an event which brings people from all walks of life together to plant flowers in flower beds at certain facilities. We held one such event in November last year as a multicultural exchange project in the hope that it would provide members of the community, Japanese and non-Japanese alike, with the chance to get to know each other through flowers. Planned with the cooperation of Naka International Lounge, people from many countries and regions participated in the event. We hope the foreign nationals who participated in this event will come along to help out with future community activities.

A large event in which a diverse range of people came together to plant flowers and weed flower beds

(Photo: From right)
Mr. Ryuji Yoda, chairperson of the Ishikawa Uchikoshi Chiku Federation of Neighborhood Associations
Ms. Kiyoko Kido, chairperson of the Ishikawacho 2-chome Neighborhood Association
Mr. Yoshiharu Iimura, vice chairperson of the Ishikawacho 3-chome West Neighborhood Association
Mr. Koichi Sato, chairperson of Hiragana Shopping District

Birth of a new social space in a shopping street
O Café de Plataforma de mercado Ishikawacho abriu-se há três anos. Este café, lançado por pessoas de quatro ruas de compras locais, dirige-se por Yokohama Machi Criativo.

Holding of Sweets Club, where anyone is free to drop by
Many different events are being held here thanks to a favorable location and the availability of excellent facilities, not to mention close cooperation between shopping streets and the community. One of these is Sweets Club, a salon for senior citizens. O mote do clube «Vem-se e vá como queira». Por uma taxa modesta, as pessoas podem gostar de café e bolo em uma fenda de três horas.

Um instrutor de aptidão convidou-se para o Clube de Doces deste dia a dar uma lição no exercício interno

Building face-to-face connections between people
It is important for communities to build strong connections in which people get to know each other by face. This is handy in times when something happens and that person is not there, or you realize that someone needs looking after, and is precisely why events of this kind are necessary. But of course, it takes courage for people to get involved in new things. To overcome this hurdle to participation, please invite people you know to come along. Isto pode parecer a alguns gostam de intrometer-se no negócio de outra pessoa, mas vale a pena se reconciliar pessoas e puser um sorriso na cara de alguém. It is this kind of action that is needed to improve our communities.