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Oct 19, 2021

An inventive way of helping individuals with anxiety find work

The mental health field is something I'm very passionate about. My university degree is in psychology, and I've also had anxiety at points in my life and had to work with a psychologist on tools to manage it. The World Health Organization estimates that around 3.6% of the world's population have some kind of anxiety disorder, but even that figure seems like quite a conservative estimate given that not everyone around the world has access to diagnostic resources, and not everyone who has access to resources seeks help.


I'm always happy to see initiatives that support mental health awareness and decreasing the stigma surrounding it, so I was encouraged to see the opening of Bear Paw Cafe (クマの手カフェ) in Osaka just last month. The café employs a number of people with different mental health conditions, but provides a low-stress working environment that avoids the pressure that comes with face-to-face customer service roles.


The café's customers are served their order via a "bear paw" through a hole in the wall, so it adds a dose of quirky, kawaii fun whilst also providing meaningful employment for several people. The opportunity for these employees to learn useful skills and build up confidence is such a wonderful thing, and you can imagine how for people with things like social anxiety, not having to deal directly with customers is a big relief.

An inventive way of helping individuals with anxiety find work photo

The newly-opened Bear Paw Cafe in Osaka provides a dose of quirky fun, whilst supporting employment for individuals with different mental health conditions. Pic Credit: PR Times


The café serves coffee drinks, parfaits, and bear cookies, and for people who enjoy photogenic food the products deliver there, too.


An inventive way of helping individuals with anxiety find work photo

The goodies on offer at Bear Paw Cafe are also extremely photogenic, adding to the appeal of visiting. Pic Credit: PR Times


I hope that initiatives like this help to decrease the stigma that still exists in many places about mental health. I also hope that the café will prove to be popular and expand to additional locations.


What do you think about Bear Paw Café? Do you know of any similar initiatives in your local area that help provide employment for people with mental health conditions in creative ways?


All the details:


Address: 5 Chome-3-11 Uehonmachinishi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0062

Website: https://www.kumanote-cafe.com/

Location: Two minutes on foot from Osaka Uehommachi Station, on the Kintetsu Railway's Osaka, Nara, and Namba Lines.

Opening Hours: 11 am until 7 pm daily, but closed on Tuesdays


1 Comment

  • helloalissa

    on Oct 24

    I don't usually go into the city, but this looks worth checking out! The website says they also offer affordable counseling and has a short explanation the struggles the staff has. I love the small businesses and creative work 'day services' for those with more obvious mental and physical disabilities, but this one is unique.