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About Bearing Maintenance Point

A small, dedicated team committed to making everyday life in Tokyo clearer, more accessible, and better connected for every resident.

Local community environment in Japan
7+ Years Serving
Tokyo

Our Story

Built by Locals,
for Every Resident

Bearing Maintenance Point was founded in 2019 in Koenji, Suginami-ku — a neighborhood known for its artisan character, independent spirit, and remarkably diverse community. Our founders noticed that while Tokyo was brimming with information, truly useful, accurate, and accessible local content remained surprisingly hard to find.

The name "Mizu" — water in Japanese — reflects our founding philosophy: that information, like water, should be clear, life-giving, and available to everyone. We believed that local knowledge, properly distilled, could help residents feel more at home, more capable, and more connected to the city around them.

What began as a small community newsletter has grown into a trusted digital platform covering dozens of Tokyo neighborhoods, with a multilingual editorial team committed to accuracy, relevance, and genuine usefulness above all else.

Our Purpose

Mission & Values

Everything we publish is guided by three core values that have shaped Bearing Maintenance Point from the very beginning — and continue to drive every decision we make.

Community

We exist to serve residents — not advertisers, algorithms, or outside interests. Every article, guide, and resource we publish is created with the lived experiences of real Tokyo residents in mind, including newcomers, long-term expats, and lifelong locals alike.

Accuracy

We hold ourselves to a high standard of factual rigor. Our editorial team verifies information against official municipal sources, government publications, and subject-matter experts before publishing. We update content regularly to reflect changes in law, policy, and local services.

Accessibility

Useful information should be available to everyone, regardless of language background or technical ability. We write in clear, plain English and aim to cover information that is genuinely hard to find — especially for residents navigating Japanese systems for the first time.

The People Behind Mizu

Our Team

A small, deeply local team of writers, researchers, and community specialists — united by a shared love of Tokyo and a commitment to helping others feel at home here.

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Hayashi Tomoko

Founder & Editor-in-Chief

A Koenji native and former municipal affairs journalist, Tomoko launched Bearing Maintenance Point after years covering city hall for regional press. She oversees editorial direction and contributes in-depth reporting on housing and local governance.

NK

Nakamura Kenji

Head of Research & Fact-Checking

Kenji spent seven years at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's International Affairs Bureau before joining Bearing Maintenance Point. He ensures every guide and resource we publish is verified against official sources and regularly updated.

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Inoue Megumi

Community Editor

Megumi manages our neighborhood coverage across Suginami and Nakano, with a focus on community events, local businesses, and the experiences of long-term foreign residents. She is also fluent in English and Mandarin.

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Sato Ryosuke

Digital & Product Lead

Ryosuke built the Bearing Maintenance Point platform from the ground up and continues to develop the tools and features that make our content as useful and accessible as possible. He is passionate about civic tech and open data.

Where We Cover

Rooted in Tokyo Neighborhoods

Bearing Maintenance Point was born in Koenji and continues to call Suginami-ku home. But our coverage extends across Tokyo's 23 special wards, with in-depth local knowledge from editors based in the neighborhoods they cover.

We focus on the detail that broader news outlets miss — the ward office procedures, the local clinic that accepts walk-ins, the community center with free Japanese classes. The fine-grained, street-level knowledge that makes a real difference to people living their lives.

  • Suginami-ku — Koenji, Ogikubo, Asagaya
  • Shinjuku-ku — diverse urban neighborhoods
  • Setagaya-ku — residential family areas
  • Shibuya-ku — central and cosmopolitan
  • Nakano-ku — close-knit local community
  • Toshima-ku — Ikebukuro and surroundings
23 Wards Covered
340+ Published Guides
12K+ Monthly Readers
4 Languages
Tokyo neighborhoods and community life

Our Journey

Company History

From a community newsletter to a trusted local information platform — seven years of growth, learning, and community connection.

2019
Founded in Koenji

Bearing Maintenance Point begins as a bilingual community newsletter distributed in Koenji and Asagaya. Tomoko Hayashi publishes the first issue from a shared workspace on Koenji's North side, covering ward office news and local events.

2020
Digital Launch

The website launches in January 2020. Ryosuke Sato joins the team and builds the initial platform. Readership grows rapidly as the COVID-19 pandemic increases demand for reliable local information about ward services and support measures.

2021
Resources Section Launches

Kenji Nakamura joins as Head of Research. The comprehensive Resources section launches, covering healthcare, finance, utilities, and emergency preparedness. Over 80 verified guides are published in the first six months.

2022
Expanded Neighborhood Coverage

Coverage expands beyond Suginami-ku to include all 23 special wards. Megumi Inoue joins as Community Editor. Bearing Maintenance Point is cited by the Suginami Ward Office as a recommended English-language resource for new residents.

2024
Multilingual Platform

Content becomes available in English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Korean, reflecting the diversity of Tokyo's resident population. Monthly readership surpasses 10,000 unique visitors. A partnership is established with community centers in five wards.

2026
Today — Growing Together

Bearing Maintenance Point continues to grow from our Koenji home base, with over 340 published guides and a loyal readership across Tokyo. We are currently developing a neighborhood event calendar and expanding our video guide library.

Get in Touch with Our Team

Have a question, a correction, or a resource you'd like us to cover? We'd love to hear from you. Our team personally reads every message we receive.

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