We visited the "KAiGO PRiDE@SETAGAYA2026 Photo Exhibition," now being held at Tamagawa Takashimaya S.C.
The venue is lined with portraits of people who work in care settings within Setagaya City.
Every photograph was striking. The care workers looked full of life, and proud of what they do.
An exhibition where you can hear people's own words, not just see their photos
What we found especially wonderful about this exhibition is that it does not end with the photographs.
There is a QR code at the bottom right of each portrait. Scan it with your smartphone and you can watch an interview video with that person.
In the videos, you can hear about:
- Their feelings about care work
- What makes the job rewarding
- What they value when spending time with the people they care for
- Why they continue to work in care
— all in the words of the people actually doing the work.
The photographs are lovely on their own, but hearing each person's words made it much clearer how each of them approaches their work in care.
Seeing how they face their work, we felt renewed respect
At Setagaya Kaigo, we have opportunities to talk with care workers, both at our mobile sales visits and in our store.
We often hear about day-to-day care — how to choose clothing, ease of changing, laundry and clothing management at facilities — but until now we have rarely had the chance to hear, in depth, how they feel about their work in care or what they value in doing it.
Watching the interview videos this time, what stayed with us most were the words of one care manager.
This care manager described care work as work that stays beside a person until the very last day of their life.
Hearing those words, we felt anew the weight of care work, the responsibility carried by those involved in it, and their pride.
Care is not simply a matter of looking after someone's daily needs.
We believe it is also work that involves thinking about how each person wants to live, supporting what they can do, and staying close to a life that is truly their own.
By hearing care workers speak in their own words, we were able to touch on feelings and pride about their work that we could never have known from everyday conversation alone.
And our respect for the people who face this work day after day has grown stronger than ever.
Setagaya Kaigo wants to keep learning from the people who work in care
At Setagaya Kaigo, we regularly receive all kinds of questions about care clothing from the wearers themselves and their families.
- Ease of changing clothes.
- Ease of assisting.
- Laundry and clothing management at care facilities.
- Preserving, as much as possible, what the person can still do for themselves.
Even with a single piece of clothing, there is a great deal to learn from the perspective of people who actually work in care.
That is why we want to learn more not only about clothing, but also about how people working in care feel as they face the people they support.
This photo exhibition was one such opportunity to learn.
We will keep engaging with care and welfare in our community, and hope to give back what we learn, little by little, through our daily consultations and this column.
Event details
- Dates: Wednesday, October 7 – Tuesday, October 20, 2026
- Hours: 10:00–20:00
- Venue: Grand Patio, 1F Main Building, Tamagawa Takashimaya S.C. (3-17-1 Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo)
- Content: Portrait photographs and messages from active care workers at care providers in Setagaya City, sharing the appeal and pride of care work.
- Admission: Free
