What opened on the first floor of the Palaceside Building? At reception, a giant bear somehow greets visitors (photo above).
It is Chiyoda Ward's all-purpose disability consultation office “MOFCA,” which opened on September 3. It sits near the center of the first floor on the south (Imperial Palace) side, where a Daiso 100-yen shop once stood (closed in May). The space is 135 square
meters and is unified throughout in a calm brown palette. The red circle in the photo from the corridor (photo at right) marks the reception counter. The bear sits there to welcome you — perhaps a way to soften the often-stiff image of a government window.
The
Mainichi Newspapers, whose head office is in the Palaceside Building, gave prominent coverage in its Tokyo edition (morning paper of the 4th) to the opening ceremony on the 3rd (photo below).
The consultation room's greatest selling point is a borrowed view familiar to anyone in the building: the Imperial Palace moat, stone walls and trees outside the windows. We hope people with disabilities who carry many worries, and their families and others, can relax as they seek advice. There are also private rooms that shut out outside sound and light for a calmer setting, as well as a free space.
Operation is entrusted to a private firm; about five specialists, including certified social workers and psychiatric social workers, are on site to take any consultation related to disability.
Open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Inquiries: the office itself (03-6269-9755).