Kyoto Self-Help Group Tour Part 4: A Relaxed Cafe for People with Developmental Disabilities

Thank you for your hard work!
　
This is Umino~~.
　
　
It’s already September, yet we’re still sweltering in midsummer heat over 35 degrees Celsius. (Sweat)
As someone with depression, this heat exhaustion makes my condition worse, so I really wish it would cool down soon…
Oh, wait – September is typhoon season, isn’t it? Ugh, I hate it.
I’m starting to feel gloomy again, so I’ll try to remember how much fun the self-help group was!
　
So, he we go with the third installment of my self-help group tour!
This time, I’d like to introduce a self-help group called “The Relaxed Café for People with Developmental Disabilities,” which I attended in mid-December last year.
　
“The Relaxed Café for People with Developmental Disabilities” seems to be relatively new self-help group which was created in a few years.
　
The venue was the same as the previously introduced ‘Moon and Earth’ ‘The people and town the Kyoto Community Center.’

The nearest bus stop is Kyoto City Bus stop “In front of Kawaramachi”

It’s within short walking distance.

That day, I had another errand to run before heading to the venue, so I arrived at my destination about 30 minutes late. I searched for the meeting room but couldn’t quite figure out where it was. After asking the receptionist for directions, I finally made it to the room. When I opened the door, I saw one man and one woman seated together in the back, and three men seated together in the adjacent seats.
Soon after I entered, the man seated at the back handed me his business card. He seemed to be the organizer.
The other woman appeared to be a staff member, while the rest were participants.
When I entered the room, it seemed they were in the middle of a themed discussion, and everyone was chatting very pleasantly.
I was also invited to join the group, and we had a very enjoyable conversation, moving from the theme talk to free-flowing discussion.

Incidentally, there were snacks on the middle of the table.
I hadn’t attended many self-help meetings where snacks were provided, so it felt quite novel to me. However, after going to various other meetings later on, I found that quite a few of them did have snacks available.

The event lasted three hours total, structured as follows: the first hour was a themed talk, the next hour was free talk in groups (or as a whole group if there were few participants), and the final hour was free talk with changed group members.

What sets this meeting apart from other self-help meetings is that it concludes with a meditation session.
It’s said to be done to help participants reset and leave with a renewed sense of perspective.

We chatted in a relaxed atmosphere while enjoying sweets, which suited me perfectly and was a lot of fun!

By the way, this relaxed café doesn’t just host gatherings for people with developmental disabilities; it also holds meetings for those experiencing depression and for highly sensitive people (HSPs, etc.). I’ve attended all of these gatherings, and each one followed the same welcoming style, making for a very comfortable experience.

If you’re interested, why not stop by sometime?

For details about this meeting, please search and check on announcement sites such ‘Koku-cheese’ or ‘Jimoty’

I’ll go ahead and post the Koku-cheese URL here, so if you’d like, feel free to check it out from here!

https://www.kokuchpro.com/event/008ac2837c8a85243f2f8c3494d181da/

Thank you very much for reading this article to the end. See you next time ~~.

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Author

海野さざなみ(Umino Sazanami)
A "Awamijin" (Shiga Prefecture resident) suddenly appeared on the "Kyoto People's Blog.
He is a man in his 30s with a shaved head and glasses. His hobbies include reading, creative writing (novels), and cooking.