Interview: Matelda Benedetti Starace and Toshiko Sawai

Benedetti Starace: Every country I've moved to, I have been doing this because I feel that I'm blessed with so many things. I don’t want to forget that the society in every country, even the number one country in the world, has a lot of problems. Especially with the pandemic, everything has been exacerbated. Even when I was in Abu Dhabi and back in Italy as well, I always worked for many associations to help the people. 

Benedetti Starace: Every country I've moved to, I have been doing this because I feel that I'm blessed with so many things. I don’t want to forget that the society in every country, even the number one country in the world, has a lot of problems. Especially with the pandemic, everything has been exacerbated. Even when I was in Abu Dhabi and back in Italy as well, I always worked for many associations to help the people. 

Sawai: For 10 years, but Kodomo Shokudo, Children’s Table, is new from April this year. What we do is supporting children who were fostered in children’s homes. They have to go to university or some professional school, but they also have to be independent at the age of 18. It is very very difficult to provide for themselves, food, residence, clothes… well, everything. They have no way to get money except arubaito [part-time job] in a convenience store or in some small bookstores etc. So, we support their lives. 

Benedetti Starace: I heard about the Chiyoda Kiwanis work and we met less than one year ago. Because we had a very similar background, Sawai is also the wife of an ambassador, we understand each other very well. When she told me about Kodomo Shokudo, I immediately wanted to help. With Covid-19, it is more complicated to get people together for fundraising, but here at the embassy we have a collaboration with Barilla, the pasta maker, so I thought I’d go directly to them. They were so happy to be able to give part of whatever they had in the storage to [Chiyoda Kiwanis], but also to other children's homes in Tokyo. 

Benedetti Starace: Yes of course. We cooked pasta here at the embassy and delivered it to [Sawai] directly. So I wanted to personally supervise and help. Of course, I have a wonderful chef and he is very good-hearted and very much adjustable to whatever we ask for. Today, the second time collaborating, we are preparing 66 lunchboxes.

Sawai: This is very difficult but there is a section of social welfare in the Shibuya ward promoting Children’s Table a lot, and I asked them to distribute flyers to the primary schools nearby. But we don’t know much about the private situation of the children who come and how much they actually need it, it is not something we can ask them. 

And because we are a very small group, 70 is the maximum capacity for the number of children we can provide obento (lunchboxes) to, and it is always under the support of the Shibuya ward. 

Benedetti Starace: What I am very impressed by is that the Japanese government, even locally in different cities, is always involved. Maybe they cannot cover the needs of everybody, but they are very much present. 

Sawai: I am very very grateful for her. And I am very sorry that today she can’t have her presentation introducing Italy to the children. Because the purpose of Childrens Table is not only supplying food, but also to extend the children’s view of the world. They have very little chance to know the outside world and they usually have no chance to speak with an Italian woman.

Benedetti Starace: I did, maybe two-three years ago, a very simple presentation about Italy for a group of challenged children. So I wanted to do the same thing this time, because it is very simple and effective. But of course due to Covid, we could not sit all together in one room. So instead I printed everything to hand it out today.   

Sawai: I hope many ambassadors’ wives will follow what you have done, and have contact with children. I think it would be a great contribution to Japanese society. 

Benedetti Starace: When you arrive at a place, the embassy is like a world apart. Most connections are with other embassies, so everything is wonderful and sometimes you don’t see more than what you can perceive. But I am curious and want to be in touch with society. I think it is good to in the future be able to say that I have been in Japan, it is such a wonderful country and the people are always very kind, and there are also some problems that they are tackling. It gives you a 360-degree knowledge of the experience that we are living. I hope that someone will continue my work after I leave Japan.

Benedetti Starace: I love to go by train, everywhere. It gives me the freedom from the drivers, from asking to bring me here and there. So I take my travel card and I go and explore. Everybody laughs because I will miss all the train stations. But the freedom that the trains give, that the public transportation gives, is incomparable. Really, I will definitely miss it. They told me that Moscow also has a wonderful system and beautiful stations, but so far I cannot think of living without a travel card and getting onigiri at the konbini.

Benedetti Starace: Yes, tuna mayo forever.

Benedetti Starace: Of course, I have three! Number one is the Yamanote Line. I can’t say that I could recognise the music by the station, but almost! The other two are the ones close to the embassy, the Oedo Line, and the Namboku Line. 

Benedetti Starace: In two weeks, 27th of September is our last day. Of course, I am very sad to leave because it is such a wonderful place, but this is our life, so I am also excited to discover a new place.

Sawai: Moscow is near Tokyo, only eight hours away, so you can come back anytime. 

Benedetti Starace: Yes, I hope!