在东京东部 Ojima 社区，经营了 23 年流动摊位的豆腐贩 Akiko Sugaya 不仅向邻里提供健康食品，更充当了重要的社区纽带 [1]。她每周步行三个小时进行三次送货上门服务，借此定期探访高龄顾客 [1]。Sugaya 表示：“这份工作让我觉得自己可以成为真实的自己。”[1]
随着日本面临日益严重的老龄化问题以及“孤独死”现象的加剧，Sugaya 利用送货机会多次成为了发现独居老人离世的第一人 [1]。“不止一次，我是第一个找到他们遗体的人，”她解释道 [1]。通过这种面对面的接触，她与顾客建立了深厚的情感联系，弥补了现代科技带来的社交缺失 [1]。对于 Sugaya 而言，这份工作不仅帮助她重建自信，也让她在老龄化社会中找到了独特的社会价值 [1]。
For the past 23 years, Akiko Sugaya has operated a tofu cart in Ojima, an eastern district of Tokyo [1]. While her primary role is delivering nutritious food three times weekly, she also walks for approximately three hours on each delivery run [1]. This routine allows her to regularly visit elderly customers who may be unable to leave their homes alone [1]. Sugaya notes that this work has helped her rebuild confidence and forge deep emotional connections with residents, addressing the social isolation exacerbated by modern technology [1]. "Selling tofu on a cart made me think I am OK to be myself," she explained [1]. Her proximity to vulnerable neighbors means she is often the first person to discover when an elderly resident has passed away. "More than once I was the first one to find their bodies," Sugaya stated, highlighting her role in confronting Japan's aging population and issues of lonely death [1].