Reclaiming Sanya, one meal at a time

Japan Times

28-04-2025

Sanya, a low-income neighborhood straddling Tokyo's Taito and Arakawa wards, may be a name that some would like to forget — it was scrubbed from city maps in 1966 — but the kindness of its residents reverberates across the lives of many today.
For 65-year-old Danny Matsumoto, it was the kindness of one person in particular whom he says saved his life.
Born in Japan but raised in the U.S., Matsumoto was deported to Narita International Airport in 2019 after missing a probation appointment. With no knowledge of Japanese or family contacts in the country, he lived in the airport for several weeks before connecting with the Meguro Catholic Church. In 2022, the church introduced him to Magokoro Yoshihira, managing director of Yui Associates, a nonprofit that helps those who have ended up on the streets.
'She saved me, she really cares,' says Matsumoto. 'I call her 'Mother Mago.''
Yoshihira, 51, is the woman behind Sanya Cafe, a modest establishment opened in 2018 that serves as a hub for a multifaceted and multinational community. She provided Matsumoto with a place to stay and work, offering him an ear when he needed it most.
Danny Matsumoto (left) struggled to find his footing after being deported from the U.S. Magokoro Yoshihira helped him get settled, and now he volunteers as a cleaner at some of Yui Associates' establishments. 'She saved me,' he says. |
Kim Kahan
'You've got a lot of people who are grateful to (Yoshihira) around here,' says Matsumoto, who volunteers as a cleaner at Yoshihira's other establishments.
'He refuses to take any money for it,' says Yoshihira.
A stark juxtaposition
Following World War II, Sanya was home to many of the day laborers who flooded the capital to help with the rebuilding of Tokyo. The neighborhood was officially split into two districts in 1966: Kiyokawa and Nihonzutsumi.
In the subsequent decades, Tokyo's former slum district was all but untraceable to those who weren't in the know. Sitting on a 1.5-kilometer stretch along the Sumida River, Sanya historically had a reputation for widespread alcoholism and even violence. Two documentary filmmakers, Mitsuo Sato and Kyoichi Yamaoka, were both murdered by yakuza amid their efforts to cover issues pertaining to the area in the 1985 film 'Yama — Attack to Attack.'
Today, the neighborhood retains a working-class shitamachi (low-lying urban area) vibe despite the smattering of fancy new apartment blocks that have sprouted up around Minamisenju Station. Smiling tourists with oversized backpacks wander the streets, looking for a slice of authenticity as much as they do in other parts of the capital.
Hints of that old character are easy to spot. Head south in the shadow of Tokyo Skytree and you'll pass rough yakitori stalls, where middle-aged men sit outside on rickety plastic chairs, drinking the cheapest pints in the city at all hours of day and night. In the backstreets, you'll find retired laborers making merry, leaning against walls and shouting playfully at each other.
The longtime residents of the area have had their share of friction with newer transplants, however, and this is where Yoshihira steps in.
Yui Associates hopes to foster relationships between the different strata of residents and visitors through two hotels, Juyoh and Meigetsu, and two residential facilities, Ariake and Shiho, close to Minamisenju Station. The latter two are what are called doya, facilities with bedrooms rented cheaply to Japanese welfare recipients. Matsumoto was provided with a room at Juyoh when he arrived during the pandemic.
And Sanya Cafe, housed on the first floor of Juyoh Hotel, is a place where everyone can come together. The cafe reclaims the name 'Sanya' and endows it with new meaning — perhaps even a sense of solidarity.
New beginnings
Yusuke Takahashi, 32, is one of Sanya Cafe's success stories. After being let go from his job as a chef in Tokyo during the pandemic, and not having much luck in his hometown in Gunma Prefecture, he returned to the capital in 2022 to get back on his feet.
He found a space in Ariake and stayed there for a month before being assigned welfare in a different part of Tokyo. As he was readying himself to move, however, Yoshihira asked him to help prepare meals for a weekly food drive being run out of Sanya Cafe.
The drive came in response to a pause in government food distribution to those in need as part of efforts to avoid COVID-19 cluster infections, says Yoshihira, who then stepped in to fill the gap. (The program is still in operation, bringing hot meals to laborers and others living rough. Additionally, a volunteer nurse is on hand to provide medical consultations.)
Overseeing food prep became a regular gig for Takahashi. 'I rediscovered how great it was to be doing something useful,' he says.
The cafe itself temporarily ceased operation during the pandemic, when most of Juyoh Hotel's international customer base was locked out of the country. After borders reopened, Takahashi was ready for action.
Catering to a wide variety of customers, his menu includes Asian and Western classics, such as gapao (basil stir-fry) rice made with herbs from Ariake's rooftop garden, pasta, pizza and sweet treats like canele pastries and cheesecake.
'Serving this community is one of my favorite things about the job,' says Takahashi, whose customers include both tourists and area residents. 'It often feels like a cultural exchange. We get a lot of international guests, as well as (local) moms who come in after picking up or dropping off their kids.'
The staff at the hotel and cafe are just as diverse. Nancy Anne (who asked that only her first name be used due to privacy concerns) is the deputy manager at Juyoh Hotel. Originally from the Philippines, she says she simply 'answered a job posting, and now I've been here for nearly 10 years.'
At first, she wasn't sure how her basic Japanese would fare when she first started the position in her 40s.
'Everyone at Juyoh was welcoming,' she says, adding that she's now studying for the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test at the N2 level. She attributes her confidence in the language to her work experience there.
Nancy Anne has come into contact with myriad characters at the hotel. She says the clientele mostly comprises overseas guests — with Europeans as an overwhelming majority — and a smaller number of domestic tourists.
'One of the perks of this job is meeting such a wide range of people,' she says. 'It has allowed me to interact with many different cultures.' While the old image of Sanya is one of crime and poverty, Nancy Anne says that she finds it quiet and peaceful. 'I really like this area,' she says.
It's this community spirit that shines through in the spaces and activities of Yui Associates, whether the rooftop garden atop Ariake, the welcoming environment of Sanya Cafe or the Friday evening food drives.
Yoshihira says her goal at Yui Associates is to reclaim and reinvent the image of Sanya, which has long been 'stigmatized' — and was even 'obliterated as a place name.'
Little by little, her efforts seem to be paying off. Indeed, for many people, the neighborhood has been a place of redemption. As Matsumoto says, 'Being in Sanya is something to be proud of.'
Juyoh Hotel and Sanya Cafe are currently recruiting part-time staff positions. For more info, please visit www.sanya-yui.net/english