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The story
Comedian Yasuko (27) announced on her X account on August 30 that she had opened a children’s cafeteria called “Yasu-mattari.” It runs once a week on an irregular schedule, and using it requires a reservation made entirely through LINE. That drew questions online, with some asking, “Won’t this fail to reach kids from truly struggling families who aren’t even allowed to have a smartphone?” Yasuko responded, “We’re working in coordination with schools.” The news sparked a wave of reactions on 5ch, with debate ranging from suggestions that schools should select and refer eligible kids, to sarcastic jabs calling it a “poverty business” because of the reservation-only setup, to alternative ideas like simply handing out leftover school lunches.
Mon, Aug 31, 3:34 PM
Comedian Yasuko (27) updated her X (formerly Twitter) account on the 31st. She had announced on the 30th that she was opening a children’s cafeteria called “Yasu-mattari,” and she addressed the feedback she’d received about its reservation method.
Yasuko wrote, “I’ve opened the children’s cafeteria ‘Yasu-mattari’!! It’s all thanks to everyone who helped out. Thank you so, so much!!”
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Since you brought it up, why don't you go do your own idea yourself?
Great idea!
You go do it — I'll cheer you on with everything I've got.
Yeah, on 10-gig Flet's Hikari fiber, no less.
Reservation-only lolololol
Why do you need to screen people that hard?
You gonna feed like two hand-picked kids?
Well, she's a TV industry person, so she's probably learned the trick — hand-picking people who 'look the part' so that when reporters show up, or when she posts about it herself, it makes for good PR.
That's literally you.
Nah, come on lol
Once a week *irregular schedule
LINE reservation only
That's not even a children's cafeteria anymore.
Do a little homework before you post.
Watching it on TV, I thought — instead of spending money on the interior, use that cash to feed even one more kid. Did the entrance really need an automatic door?
What do you mean? Is this tied to the 24-Hour TV telethon?
Please make your reservation on LINE first~ There ya go~
Because it's a poverty business.
Handing out leftover school lunches would definitely become a problem.
There's the food-poisoning risk, and the kid who takes food home might get bullied for it, but more than anything, public institutions run on the principle of equal treatment. Honestly, plenty of kids would want free food given the chance, so it'd be tough to draw a line on who qualifies and then split things fairly even among the kids inside that line. Outsiders can say 'don't overthink it,' but it's the teachers on the ground who actually have to deal with complaints from pushy 'monster parents.'
I get what she's going for, and I do give her credit, but telling a kid outright, 'If you're poor and can't eat, come to my place' — is that really okay?
Can't this kind of thing be handled more discreetly?
And isn't this probably being kept secret from the school too?
Stop giving her credit and go do it yourself.
That's exactly why most children's cafeterias are set up so anyone can come, poor or not. But when a celebrity runs one, people flood in, so Yasuko's place is probably trying reservations and other trial-and-error fixes because of that.
Wait, really? It's not?
Isn't she funding it out of her own pocket?
Wait, seriously?! Is that true?!
Why do you assume it's a place only for poor people?
Just reading this thread proves it — when you run volunteer work aimed at low-income people, folks outside the target group get noisy about this and that, and it turns into a mess. A reservation system is a good way to keep those noisy types from butting in. Makes me want to say: put in some work or money instead of just running your mouth.
Rich kids actually have someone at home, lol. Even without a parent around, there's someone.
A children's cafeteria is probably more fun.
You're welcome to do it — go on, hurry up.
You go do it.
No way, that can't be right.
Whenever Yasuko comes up, this opinion always shows up, but among the general public, it's probably still Yasuko who's more liked. Can't say for sure if it's just an online thing, though.
Background and Points of Debate
Japan is said to have more than 9,000 children’s cafeterias nationwide, and most operate not as poverty-only services but as places any local child can use — a point raised in the thread too, with users noting that “most children’s cafeterias let kids in even if they’re not poor.” When a celebrity runs one, applicants can flood in and crowd out the very families the service is meant to help, which is why some adopt a reservation system — but beyond saying she’s “coordinating with schools,” Yasuko hasn’t given any further explanation in the article. The thread split over how to read this: does the LINE reservation system shut out struggling families without smartphones, or does the school partnership secure access for the intended kids through a separate channel? Speculation also flew over whether the funding comes out of Yasuko’s own pocket, but the article doesn’t confirm this either way, so these open questions will have to wait for further reporting.
*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Yasuko Responds to Concerns Over Her Children’s Cafeteria’s LINE Reservation Method — ‘Won’t It Fail to Reach Truly Poor Kids?’ — ‘We’re Coordinating with Schools’.”
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