“How can we help you?” – Foreign Resident Information Desk | 目黒区国際交流協会(MIFA) Meguro International Friendship Association

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“How can we help you?” – Foreign Resident Information Desk

“How can we help you?” – Foreign Resident Information Desk

Hello! I’m Wu from China. I studied Japanese there to learn more about Japan, the country of beautiful cherry blossoms. I married a Japanese man and came to Meguro four years ago. Besides raising my one-year-old child, I also work as an advisor at the Foreign Residents Information Desk in Meguro City Office. Let me tell you a little more about my workplace and my job.

The Foreign Residents Information Desk provides information on Meguro City’s administrative services, such as taxes, pensions, insurance, medical care and child rearing support services, and offers advice for dealing with inconveniences and problems you have while living in Meguro. This service, available in four languages – English, Chinese, Korean and Tagalog – is now provided by twelve advisors working in turn. Check when service in your language is available.

LANGUAGE	OPENING DAYS	OPENING HOURS
English	Mon – Fri	09:00-12:00 / 13:00-17:00
Chinese	Mon – Wed & Fri	10:00-12:00 / 13:00-17:00
Korean	1st and 3rd Thu	10:00-12:00 / 13:00-17:00
Tagalog	2nd and 4th Thu	10:00-12:00 / 13:00-17:00

If you visit the counter, the advisor will, for example:

take you to the proper department in the City Office and interpret the staff’s explanation to solve your problem together; or
refer you to an external organization, such as Immigration Bureau, or a website, such as Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Institution Information Service “HIMAWARI”, if the city office cannot handle your problem.

You can also call the counter to ask for advice if your problem is likely be solved over the phone. However, in the case of a certificate issuance or when your signature is required, you will need to visit in person.

I need to improve my skilss and knowledge to offer the best advice for each case. So I read the MEGURO Living Guide repeatedly to deepen my understanding of how the City Office works. Also, I exchange information and share experiences with other advisors to become familiar with various cases.

Some advise is based on information I gathered on my own. For instance, I have introduced MIFA’s Japanese Conversation Salon to those who were worried about speaking Japanese. I learned about it through my interaction with MIFA.

This is a fulfilling job because I feel that I can be of help. I’m really happy to hear at the end “thank you very much” from people with a smile who had problems when they first visited. That brings me a sense of achievement. When I first came to Japan, I myself felt uneasy because I couldn’t converse well in Japanese or get necessary information. So I can relate and would like to support people in solving their problems.

May 5th, 2019
Edited by: Meguro International Friendship Association(MIFA)