At the snack bar “Being useless is OK” the pressure of everyday life dissolves into conversation

Fish Akiko grew up with a chauvinistic father, and is determined not to repeat her mother’s sacrifices. The Japanese social worker opened a bar in Fukuoka nicknamed “It’s OK to be Useless” — a refuge for people of all backgrounds to relieve the pressure of everyday life.

A Japanese social worker opened a daytime snack bar, unconventionalknown by the nickname “It’s OK to be useless”, with the aim of comforting those who feel strong social pressure.

The snack bar, called Hirusuna Nakasu and located in the city of Fukuoka, in western Japan, it operates “more or less five days a month”, between 2pm and 6pm, and has attracted a diverse clientele.

At the bar, visitors come together to share concerns and support each othersays . The person responsible for the counter skillfully conducts conversations with each customer.

In typical Japanese snack bars, generally small and intimate, sometimes with karaoke and games, customers are attended to by a “mama” or a “master”who serve drinks and interact with each customer.

Unlike traditional snack bars, which open at night, Hirusuna Nakasu works only during the day. The woman behind the counter, affectionately referred to by her nickname, Fish Akikoalso has training and certification as social worker.

Akiko wants space help relieve pressure which many feel because of the dominant belief that “you can only live by being useful to others”.

In a recent report in Fuji News, a client told Akiko that she has had the idea since childhood that “being useful” is a purpose in your life. The social worker reassures her: “Now everything is fine. You’ve worked more than enough”.

This belief is also something that Fish Akiko herself struggled. He grew up in a family with a chauvinistic father and a mother who sacrificed her career and ambitions on behalf of the family. He remembers that his mother often said to him: “Don’t end up like me”.

Determined to Don’t repeat these sacrificesFish Akiko decided to achieve what her mother could not. After graduating from university, she worked in the media sector, including at a Japanese media company in the UK, before moving to China with her husband. He returned to Japan when the SARS epidemic emerged in 2003.

During his time abroad, he became aware of his minority statuswhich led her to focus on marginalized groups in Japanese society. This awareness motivated her to continue studying and obtain qualifications in social work.

Fish Akiko opened “Being useless is OK” after the Covid-19 pandemic, which she manages in parallel with her work as a corporate events coordinator. Imagine the bar as a refuge for people of all backgrounds, a place where they can alleviate tensions and cultivate the courage to believe that “can do anything”, regardless of whether this is considered “useful” by social standards.

“Being okay with the idea of ​​being useless It doesn’t mean doing nothing, but rather giving yourself permission to live for yourself,” says Akiko. “Living your own life is the greatest contribution you can make to society.”