Mirai Shokudō, located in Jimbocho, Tokyo, is a set meal restaurant with a difference.
Restaurant owner Ms Sekai Kobayashi, 33, has put a system in place which means she will never turn anyone away, regardless of if they have enough money to pay for the meal or not.
If you do a 50 minute shift at the restaurant, you are entitled to one free meal.
Customers are said to use this system for a variety of reasons, including “to gain some experience in order to start a restaurant” and “to learn cooking”
Anyone, even tourists, are able to use this system, as long as they’re fit and able to work.
As of January 2018, over 500 people have worked for and have received meals from Mirai Shokudo.
If you can’t afford to pay for a meal at the restaurant and you are unable to help, you can use the tadameshi (meal for free) system.
The tadameshi ticket is available when someone has worked a 50 minute shift but does not use their free meal allowance, instead leaving it for someone else to enjoy.
Mirai Shokudō is located in the basement of the Nihon Kyōiku Kaikan (Japan Education Center). For more information click here.