This time, we interviewed Yukiko Tajiri, the newly opened sharehouse Yurai House owner in Kumamoto.
Ms. Tajiri is one of the people involved in opening The Baby Post in Jikei Hospital in Kumamoto Prefecture. We interviewed her about the sharehouse and the reasons for starting the ‘The Baby Post’ and her activities at the time.
*Taiji Hasuda, the founder of The Baby Post, passed away on the 25th of October. Our deepest condolences to him and his family.
→ Details about Yurai House
https://sharehouse-hidamari.com/yuraihouse
Ms. Tajiri’s Career
– It’s very nice to talk with you today. First, would you please introduce yourself briefly to the people reading this?
I’m Yukiko Tajiri, and I used to work as a professional nurse.
First, I started my career as a midwife at Jikei Hospital in Kumamoto for three years. Then, I became a public health nurse when I married because I thought, “It’s difficult to continue working as a midwife because of the night shift.”
I was happily working as a public health nurse, but I was suddenly offered a transfer. I was told I would become a head nurse at the town hospital. At first, I was like, “Whaaaat?” But, I thought it would be nice to have that kind of experience, so I decided to take that position.
– So, you were initially a civil servant, right? Did you suddenly move to a private hospital?
That’s right. Public hospital. It is a town hospital, so it was sort of a transfer order from the mayor.
– I’ve never heard something like this. But, now that you’ve said it, you’re right.
Yes. I enjoyed working as a public health nurse, so it was quite a hard decision. Since I started working at the town hospital, my motivation was, “Let’s reform this hospital!” (laughs).
Since I had a lot of experience as a public health nurse, we accepted a model project of home nursing and put effort into home medical care. Also, we restructured the whole hospital into the general patient and nursing ward.
At that time, long-term care insurance was created, and a new home-care center was put in place.
So, I feel like I successfully achieved the development of a comfortable community for local people by establishing the home nursing station with the home-care support center.
Returning Back to a Midwife and Involvement with Dr. Hasuda
When I was working like this, Dr. Hasuda at Jikei Hospital told me, “Please come work at my hospital.” and “Please support mothers with postpartum depression.”
It was a difficult decision, but I decided to go back to being a midwife since I thought it was important to see mothers and children. And I was invited to be the director of the nursing service department at Jikei Hospital in 2000.
– By a private hospital?
Yes, it’s a private sector. People around me opposed changing my career from the public sector to the private sector.
I was quite worried, but Dr. Hasuda helped me a lot when I was a midwife, and I thought I would be happy if I could be of any help to him.
In fact, he was my go-between/matchmaker (laughs). My husband was not opposed of me working at Jikei Hospital, like, “You should work there if that is what Dr. Hasuda wanted.” He fully supported my decision to work at the hospital.
– You used to work at Jikei Hospital before that?
Yes, as a midwife. When Dr. Hasuda was young, I worked with him as a midwife in the department of obstetrics and gynecology. I owe a debt of gratitude to him for raising me. So I went to Jikei Hospital in the hope that I could help him.
– Can you think of why Dr. Tajiri has chosen you like that? It seems you have advanced one career after another, so I wonder if you think, “Why it’s me?” etc.
I think he evaluated my past work and activities highly.
As I said, of course, he was my go-between/matchmaker, but also he has watched over me growing up as a professional.
I created a series of model projects for home nursing when I was working in Kikusui-cho. It was the first of its kind in Kumamoto. Probably he knew me as a hard worker like this.
Also, Jikei Hospital is a Catholic hospital, and I was educated by nuns all my life. I think that kind of background/attitude was also appreciated.
– I see.
Efforts for Postpartum Depression
I have put so much effort into postpartum depression since I moved to Jikei Hospital.
Preventing postpartum depression was nothing difficult for me. I had experience visiting babies at home when I was a public health nurse, so I thought it would be good if I could do the same at Jikei Hospital as I had done at Kikusui-cho.
But there was still resistance to midwives and nurses working in hospitals going out into the community.
At that time, the government offered a model project for midwifery education. I took the challenge and established a system to educate midwives within the hospital and have them go out into the community to take care of parents and babies.
We have changed the process to ensure that “a pregnant woman you have been assigned to will be able to properly raise her child after she returns home.”
Because in a local community, public health nurses took well care of mothers and children all the time. Then, we prioritized visits to those with high postnatal depression so that mothers could raise their children.
However, we could not dispatch them from Jikei Hospital all the time, so we passed the baton to local public health nurses. Since that system worked so well, we began providing consultation services at the same time.
Visits in Germany, Which Led to Creating a The Baby Post
During my consulting work, I was also consulting on “unexpected pregnancies.”
Then, Dr. Hasuda and I are invited to go to Germany in 2004 for a field trip by Seimei-Soncho-Center（http://www.seimeisontyou.org/） in Japan.
I had heard that there is something similar with The Baby Post called “The Babyklappe” in Germany.
What impressed both of us during the field trip was “the German people’s attitude and way of thinking about life.” Not only they put life first, but also various people from different fields were taking the same approach.
The Babyklappe was born in Germany in 2000, it had already spread to 70 locations throughout the country by 2004. Also, a variety of institutions, both public and private, including Catholic hospitals, public hospitals, and daycare centers, were tackling the problem/project.
All four sites we visited were organized/managed by different institutions.
Two things that The Babyklappe in Germany impressed me were “the great emphasis on consultation services” and “how everyone was sincerely concerned about the way of raising mothers and children and their choices.”
For example, there is a place called Mother Child House where women who have given birth anonymously can live for a certain period of time. They can have time to think about whether they want to raise the baby, give it to someone else, or give it up for adoption.
What impressed me was that the pastor giving the consultation was very sincere and approachable to women. That was very quite inspiring.
But after returning to Japan, I wondered if there was a problem with abandoning babies in Japan.
Process of Creating the Baby Post
We were thinking, “Well, what Germany has been doing is really amazing, but probably we don’t need it here in Japan.”
However, the following year, from 2005 to 2006, there were three incidents of baby abandonment in Kumamoto Prefecture in rapid succession.
Like, a high school student gave birth to a baby and abandoned it in a bathroom, a baby was dumped in a parking area, and then a teenage girl gave birth to a baby in the south of the prefecture and abandoned it.
After these incidents, Dr. Hasuda said, “Tajiri-kun, let’s make a German Babyklappe,” and I agreed with him. We decided to create it with the stance of “Please come and leave your baby in a safe place without throwing it away in a dangerous place.”
But of course, it was not an easy task, so we first went to a psychological counselor and also to the police.
– Yes. For example, law.
We visited many places and talked with the city quite a bit.
In the end, the mayor at that time said, “If it saves lives, there is no reason not to give it a go.”
There was no legal precedent for such a thing, but we couldn’t firmly oppose it to save the life of a baby. The permit was granted as a change of intended usage.
Since it was a change of intended usage, we have turned a corner of the hospital into a place to keep babies and a consultation room. So the permit was granted as a “newborn consultation room.”
The permit was not for “The Baby Post.” But people with no where to go and no people to talk leave their babies there.
– Wow. Unbelievable…
That’s the way it is, and that’s the way it has to be. That is still my understanding.
– The story is astonishing…it’s quite hard to believe.
I was involved there until my retirement while also working on succession training and so on.
230 Lives Were Saved in 8 Years Through Consultations.
– How many babies have you received?
More than 100. Of course, we were able to save the lives of babies through The Baby Post, but I believe that many lives were saved through consultations. In my eight years, 230 lives have been saved, and if you include those who decided to raise their children on their own, the number would be about 500.
Other than raising the child on their own, some people have left their children in foster/infant homes or have utilized special adoption. Special adoption is a system established in 1988, in which a childless couple raises a baby not as an adopted child but as a biological child.
Because I went to nursing school, but I also studied social work in college. Through that, I knew about the system, so I thought, “Let’s take advantage of this.”
Although I was able to save many lives, I still felt the need to educate women after my retirement. So, I opened a “Taikyo & Kosodate School” (meaning “prenatal education & child rearing school”) （http://www.studylife-kumamoto.com/taikyo/）in Kumamoto.
Other than that, sometimes I am asked to give lectures and continue to convey the message that “Life is important.” while speaking about human rights, life, and child-rearing. I also had been doing my consultation services at Studylife Kumamoto, a general incorporated association.
I retired from the front lines when I was 70 years old. Since that time, I have been helping my daughter with her maternity hospital, providing postpartum care and other services to her.
Reasons for Starting Yurai House
– So, Yurai House is a house with a residential space and maternity space?
Yes. My daughter moved to Okinawa last year, and the maternity space became available. We changed the name from “Yurai Josanin” (meaning “Yurai Maternity Hospital ” to “Yurai House” and started to run a private accommodation at first.
First of all, we started to run this space as a reliable ground for women. Some women have had to give up their babies because of the work they had, but we didn’t want them to be drawn into the past too much so that these women could really start living again.
Of course, they need to reflect on their past, but I gave them my business card, saying, “If you have any problems, please come to me for advice anytime.,” and “Keep my business card as a good luck charm.” to help them move onto a new life.
There is a sense of responsibility in me that “It isn’t over yet.,” even just because I retired from Jikei Hospital.
– You say, “If you have any problems, please come to me for advice anytime.”
Yes, I said that, and also they can find my place when they search Yukiko Tajiri. So, this is also my reliable ground, and I wanted to continue Yurai House as a reliable home for women who I have consulted with.
Reasons for Starting a Sharehouse with Hidamari
– How did you know (or end up asking) Hidamari?
I wanted to keep Yurai House even if the private accommodation was no longer allowed due to the corona pandemic.
Due to the corona pandemic, the number of guests from abroad staying at Yurai House has decreased. After that, I was thinking about what to use this place for, but I knew I wanted to make it a base/place for women.
The idea of running a sharehouse came to me immediately from my previous experience of helping out at a sharehouse called “IPPO.” (https://ippo-support.net/) I searched around on the Internet and found Mr. Hayashida’s Hidamari. I told him I would like to meet him, and he came to see me.
I felt a lot of sympathies when I heard from Mr. Hayashida about the purpose/concept of Hidamari and the reasons for creating sharehouses.
Mr. Hayashida said that he did not just want to provide a home, but that he wanted to “support a person’s life.” I thought that he had something to sympathize with my way of life, so I decided to ask him for support.
About Communal Life
– Thank you. I think you have a lot of interaction with others since you originally were running at a private accommodation, but Yurai House is a women-only sharehouse. Residents will be living with other people, but do you have any concerns about that?
Not at all.
– Not at all (laughs).
It’s because of my experience at IPPO, and because I want to play the role of a grandmother for everyone.
I would be happy to play the role of mother or grandmother to those who come to the sharehouse because of my age. So, I’m not worried at all.
– Has anyone come to talk to you for consultation?
Yes, sometimes. So, I want this place to be a home they can come back.
People who Ms. Tajiri wants in the sharehouse, Yurai House.
– What kind of women would you like to move into Yurai House?
I don’t have any preference. I will accept any person. I would like to accept any woman who is going to become independent in society and be a part of her life. So, I think I can support any person to become independent.
– I was quite moved. I thought there was almost no person who could make a definitive statement like you.
I don’t think there is such a worst person in the sharehouse that Hidamari runs (laughs). And even now, people who have left babies in The Baby Post in the past have visited and supported me as a mother, so I know everything will be okay.
– Indeed (laughs)
So, that‘s why I can still support such people. I work with people who were not blessed with parents or who were raised by a single parent. I also get involved with people who have been sexually abused and are not yet independent in society, so I welcome all women.
– That’s quite heartening.
I have raised three children of my own, so I am confident in my child-rearing know-how (laughs).
Ms. Tajiri’s Recent Activities
Also, recently I’ve been working on sex education.
– Yeah, I’ve heard.
We make sure to tell men in particular. Basically, the men who have made women suffer don’t come out, even though women alone can never get pregnant. I’m like…where are the men who got them pregnant (laughs).
So, now when I teach sex education to junior high and high school students, I tell them that not only women should not feel that way. I tell them that sexual intercourse means a new life will be born. I tell them that there is the birth of life.
– That’s great. It’s easier to buy the after-pill (emergency contraceptive pills) these days.
Indeed. I’ve had a lot of consultations with people who tell me that they think they might be pregnant.So, depending on when they had sexual intercourse and the timing of the consultation, I would tell them to take emergency contraception pills within 24 hours.
Before that, they had to go to the hospital to get a prescription, but those people can’t go to the hospital.
The Origin of the Sharehouse’s Name and Its Meaning
– So, this kinda goes back to what you’ve said so far, but lastly, what does the word “Yurai” mean?
“Yu” comes from my name, Yukiko, and my daughter, Yuka. The character of “由” (yu) means the beginning and base/place. And, “来” means future.
I want this sharehouse to be a reliable home for women, and for those who will be born to be able to live toward the future. That is what “Yurai” mean.
– So, you want the sharehouse to be a place something like that?
Exactly. I really wish.
I want women to grow up to be smart and their own persons, and to be able to value life.
Of course men need to get their act together, but it is women who need to protect themselves. It is women who have to protect themselves and hold on to life. Although men provide the source of life, I believe that women have the right to make decisions. The right of self-determination.
So I want them to be wise, not in a strange sense, but in the sense of taking care of themselves and living with their own love.
What I have always valued as a professional and as a nurse is love of humanity. What really remains in the end is love, even when it comes to nursing care.
You cannot give love unless you have a heart of love. That is why I want women to have that kind of feeling.
Last Comments
– Thank you so much. Do you have any last comments you would like to share?
I have a message that let’s have fun in the sharehouse and enjoy life with various women. You’re not alone, and you are not lonely.
I want you to open your heart to me, this old lady, about anything. I guess my ultimate goal is to say, “Let’s go through and walk life together.”
– Thank you very much!
【Basic Information about Yurai House】
・Rent + Common service fee: ¥30,800 + ¥10,000
・The number of rooms: 3
・The number of residents: 3 at maximum
・The nearest station: Tosaka Iriguchi on Sanko Bus and Yomochi on Kumamoto Toshi Bus
→ Click here for more information about Yurai House!
https://sharehouse-hidamari.com/yuraihouse
Summary: Yurai House is a sharehouse that accepts all kinds of women
In this article, we interviewed Ms. Tajiri, the owner of Yurai House, which is the sharehouse for women.
There were many stories about how The Baby Post was established and her efforts, which are not often heard.
In addition, the single phrase that Ms. Tajiri conveyed, “All kinds of women are welcome at the sharehouse” must be very reassuring to those who are thinking of moving in.
Yurai House, owned by Ms. Tajiri, is open for tours from November 1st. If you are interested, please come take a look at the sharehouse.
→ Ask more details about Yurai House!
https://sharehouse-hidamari.com/inquiry
