Story perspectives

Ukiha Start-Up Empowers Seniors Through Culinary Community

1/31/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Ukiha no Takara, a Japanese start-up, creates paid work opportunities for seniors, especially elderly women, through cafes and events in Ukiha, Fukuoka.
The initiative reduces isolation and boosts the local economy by applying seniors’ lifetime cooking and hospitality skills.
Each Thursday, women in their eighties and nineties, including those with dementia, gather at Grandma’s Tearoom to prepare meals, led by Mitsuru Okuma, CEO of Ukiha no Takara.

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Story summary

Ukiha no Takara, a Japanese start-up, creates paid work opportunities for seniors, especially elderly women, through cafes and events in Ukiha, Fukuoka.
The initiative reduces isolation and boosts the local economy by applying seniors’ lifetime cooking and hospitality skills.
Each Thursday, women in their eighties and nineties, including those with dementia, gather at Grandma’s Tearoom to prepare meals, led by Mitsuru Okuma, CEO of Ukiha no Takara.