From our other sites
The story
A welfare recipient posted on 5ch about treating themselves to a once-a-month “splurge” at a tiny standing-bar-style eatery. Photos from a two-seat-table joint called Renge Shokudo — showing chili shrimp and a drink — drew warm reactions like “nice one.” But when the poster revealed they also work for Uber Eats, accusations flared up that they might be hiding income to fraudulently collect welfare. The poster explained they report everything to their caseworker every month, but the back-and-forth with skeptics went in circles for a while.
Let’s eat 🥺🙏
Source: imgur.com / Original post here
What people said
It's Renge Shokudo 🥺🍺
Huh, kinda looks like a standing bar 🥺
It's a two-seat table so it was a bit cramped 🥺🍺
I hate standing bars so I've never actually been in one
Go make your own thread 🥺🍺
Thought you were eating a moth but it was clams
I do work 🥺🍺
Got Uber again tomorrow morning
Don't you have to report Uber income?
You're allowed to earn a small amount
I report it to my caseworker every month 🥺🍺
It's an annoying monthly chore
If you go to a grubbier place there are cheap spots with good booze and snacks
I live out in the countryside 🥺🍺
It's all chain restaurants around here
Ah I see
If it's chains, Saizeriya's escargot and wine is great value for getting buzzed (Saizeriya: a cheap Italian family-restaurant chain)
There's a Saizeriya near me so I go sometimes 🥺🍺
Had it Saturday
Always gotta get the escargot, focaccia, and the free olive oil
So you're underreporting income and fraudulently claiming welfare
Earning a small amount is fine, it just adds a bit extra
It's allowed
Why would I make fraud that obvious 🥺🍺
If I were gonna do it I'd secretly open a separate account
You're underreporting though, right?
That's basically tax evasion too
Dude, what are you even talking about?
Underreporting income to fraudulently receive welfare makes you a criminal, you know?
At least know that much
You're stashing money separately from what you report, aren't you
Receiving welfare like that is a crime
Jumping to conclusions isn't cool 🥺🍺
Well, honestly, part of me kinda wants to, but…
Who said you get to decide that?
Oh, chili shrimp guy
This much is fine for an occasional treat
Could go a little fancier though
Looks tasty though
Thanks as always 🥺🍺
Even this counts as a splurge for me
Ohsho's good but pricey 🥺🍺
Sometimes I just get the gyoza using the app
What's this bean sprout thing?
Sorry, the thread's moving fast so I'm behind on replies 🥺🍺
Seems like it's ground chicken seasoned with miso and garlic
It's not jumping to conclusions, it's a fact
That's exactly what fraudsters say
He's saying he reports to his caseworker every month like he's supposed to, right?
You're the one who started throwing around "underreporting" and "tax evasion"
Very jealous of this
Debt scares me too much, couldn't do it 🥺🍺
Gout made me unable to work 🥺🍺
Medication's made it a lot better lately
Didn't know gout could get that severe
I panicked the first time I had an attack 🥺🍺
Never felt pain like that — standing up was so brutal I ended up peeing into a plastic bottle
So is it that the meds don't work well on you, or the symptoms are just too bad for them to help, and that's why you can't work?
Well, once your gout settles down
Maybe something like taxi driving could work?
Background and Key Issues
Under Japan’s welfare system, having income from work doesn’t automatically disqualify someone from benefits. Recipients are required to report their income to a caseworker every month, and their benefit amount is adjusted after a work-income deduction is applied to whatever they report. In other words, working itself isn’t fraud — hiding income or falsifying reports is what counts as fraudulent receipt of benefits. That’s exactly the line the thread argued over: critics insisted that receiving welfare while earning income is a crime, while the poster kept explaining that they report everything to their caseworker every month. The back-and-forth continued in typical 5ch fashion, but without knowing this background — including the fact that the poster became unable to work because of gout — it’s easy to read the thread as simply someone being “sneaky” or “lazy.” In reality, the system is specifically designed to let people earn a small income from work while stabilizing their livelihood, which is the part that’s most often misunderstood.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Nanademo Jikkyo G) thread “My Monthly Welfare Splurge lol.”
Leave a Reply