I wanted a place where you could look things up
when you needed help.
A free service to find support organizations in your area
NPOs and civic organizations do amazing work, but most people don't know they exist.
So I thought: why not make them easier to find? That's how Toneriko started.
The name comes from the World Tree of Norse mythology — Learn more
THE PROBLEM
50,000 organizations exist, but most people don't know about them.
A parent struggling with child-rearing doesn't know about the children's cafeteria nearby. An elderly person living alone doesn't know there's a community watch service. Great organizations are out there, but there's no easy way to find them — and that's been the case for a long time.
If information is meant for everyone, it should be easy to find.
Searching and delivering should be in the same place.
THE GAP
There was no single place to search everything.
There are services to find children's cafeterias. There are services for elderly care. But no one place to search across all NPOs in your area. Government databases are built for specialists, and category-specific services are siloed. So we put everything into one search.
OUR APPROACH
What Toneriko does.
Using technology and people to make "finding" and "delivering" just... normal.
Easy to find
Type a keyword and AI will suggest organizations that might help. You can also filter by area, activity type, and who they serve.
Easy to deliver
Turn any organization into a printable flyer with a QR code. Hand it to someone who isn't comfortable online.
Grown by everyone
People who use it, people who share it, people who support it. Everyone's hands make the database a little richer each day.
HOW IT WORKS
How it works
Public data, AI, and people's voices. Three layers, working together.
Data Foundation
Starting from 47,815 entries in the Cabinet Office NPO Portal, cross-referenced with other public databases. We've independently collected about 9,800 contact records. We're also asking prefectural Social Welfare Councils for data, and it's growing bit by bit.
AI Processing
AI (Claude) organizes and categorizes the data so you can search in plain language. Even something like "looking for help with my child's school refusal" will get a useful answer.
Delivery
You can print any organization as a flyer with a QR code. For people who aren't comfortable online, paper works. Save organizations to Clips and print them together later.
It costs about ¥25,000 a month to keep this running.
OUR VISION
I'd love it if "try Toneriko" became a normal thing to say.
We're still in the seed-planting stage.We've organized 50,000 NPO records, launched AI search, and built a way to print info on paper. It's still a small tree, but the roots are taking hold.
When it grows a bit more — no matter where you live, "try searching Toneriko" will point you to help. At government offices, hospital consultation rooms, and in everyday conversations between neighbors.I'd be happy if it became part of the scenery in every community.
Current Status
- 47,815 NPO records organized
- AI search engine operational
- AI chat consultation
- QR flyer auto-generation
Future Vision
- Suggest organizations in nearby cities
- Comprehensive coverage of all organizations nationwide
- Partnerships with government and Social Welfare Councils
- Becoming local information infrastructure
WHO IT'S FOR
It's for all kinds of people
Different situations, different ways to use it.
People who need help
"Where do I even ask?" — that question goes away. Find organizations near you and print a flyer to share with family.
NPOs & Civic Organizations
List your info here and people who need you can find you. Even without a PR budget, being here means being found.
Government & Social Welfare
Tell visitors "try searching Toneriko." It works across categories, so you can refer people beyond your usual scope.
Supporters
How every yen is spent is published monthly. You can actually see what your ¥500 did.
THE NAME
Why "Toneriko"?
In Norse mythology, there's a World Tree called Yggdrasil — and it's an ash tree (toneriko in Japanese). Three roots connected nine worlds, and all life flowed through it. It didn't belong to anyone. It was everyone's tree. I liked that.
"An ash I know there stands, Yggdrasill is its name, a tall tree, showered with shining loam. From there come the dews that drop in the valleys. It stands forever green over Urðr's well."
— Völuspá (The Prophecy of the Seeress), Poetic Edda
JOIN THE PROJECT
Will you help grow this tree?
Just using it helps. Really.
Telling someone about it helps too.
Any kind of support makes a difference.