Where to get help in your language in Kumamoto: four consultation desks compared (2026)

This page is general information from official sources. It is not legal or immigration advice. For your own case, ask one of the desks below.

If a letter from the city office makes no sense to you, or you do not know where to ask about a visa, a job or school, you can talk to a consultation desk in more than just Japanese. In the Kumamoto area there are four: SOUDAN-Plaza for Kumamoto City, the Kumamoto Support Center for Foreign Residents for the whole prefecture, and desks inside the Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town offices. This guide compares them so you can choose by where you live, your language and whether you want to visit or call.

1. Which desk should I use?

Depends on the provider

Desk	Languages	Days and hours	Where	Booking
SOUDAN-Plaza	25 listed; Japanese and English at the counter	10:00–18:00; closed 2nd and 4th Mondays	International Center 2F, Hanabatacho	Needed for Zoom and legal advice
Prefecture center	24 listed, incl. English	Mon–Fri 8:30–17:00	Prefectural Office 8F, Suizenji	Book before a visit
Kikuyo desk	Chinese interpreter; others by phone interpreting	Mon–Fri 9:00–17:00	Kikuyo Town Office 1F	Not stated
Ozu desk	English, Spanish, Portuguese on Wed; Chinese on Tue, Fri	Mon–Fri 9:00–17:00	Ozu Town Office 1F	Not stated

All four are closed from December 29 to January 3. The Support Center and the two town desks open on weekdays only and close on national holidays. SOUDAN-Plaza follows the International Center’s days, so it is open on most weekends.

Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town set up their desks for their own foreign residents, and staff connect you with the division in charge of your procedure. The Support Center is a Kumamoto Prefecture service, so it is not the same as SOUDAN-Plaza, which Kumamoto City set up. If you are not sure which desk fits you, the Support Center covers the whole prefecture: its form lists every city, town and village, including Kumamoto City, Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town.

2. SOUDAN-Plaza (熊本市外国人総合相談プラザ)

Kumamoto City

The Kumamoto Consultation and Support Plaza for Foreign Residents, called SOUDAN-Plaza, opened in September 2019. It is a one-stop desk for questions about residence procedures, work, medical care, welfare, childcare, children’s education and daily life. The Kumamoto International Foundation (熊本市国際交流振興事業団) runs it. Its leaflet says consultations are free.

Kumamoto City’s page lists foreign residents, other residents of the city and organizations that take in foreign nationals as users.

A Kumamoto City TV feature from October 2019 (in Japanese) on the opening of the plaza:

2.1 Which languages can I use?

The plaza lists 25 languages. Coordinators speak Japanese and English. Counselors for some other languages come on set days, and an interpreter can join by video call for 11 languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese, Russian, Thai, French, Nepali and Hindi. On the phone, an interpreter can join a three-way call. Some languages are not available on some days, so ask first.

A native English-speaking counselor holds the Canada/America Consultation every Friday, 13:00–17:00. The plaza says it is sometimes cancelled, so check before you go.

2.2 How do I get help?

1. Visit the counter on the 2nd floor. You talk at the counter or in a consultation room.
2. Or call or email the plaza. Phone 096-359-4995, or email soudan@kumamoto-if.or.jp.
3. Book first for Zoom. Online consultations need a booking by phone, email or the plaza’s consultation form. The form is in Japanese, but you can choose English as your language.

2.3 What specialist consultations are there?

On set days each month, specialists give advice. The plaza’s page of June 14, 2026 lists these. Dates can change, so check the plaza’s monthly schedule.

• Immigration and residence status: 1st Wednesday and 3rd Sunday, 13:00–16:00
• Free legal consultation: 3rd Saturday, sessions from 14:00 and 15:00. Book by 12:00 on the day before.
• Jobs: 2nd Wednesday, 13:00–17:00. Housing: 3rd Wednesday, 13:00–17:00
• Mental health: 2nd Wednesday, 15:30–17:30
• Education for children with roots abroad: 2nd and 4th Sundays, 10:00–15:00

2.4 When is it open?

The plaza’s page gives 10:00–18:00. It is closed on the 2nd and 4th Mondays (the next day if the Monday is a holiday) and from December 29 to January 3. When it reopened after the July 2026 earthquake, Kumamoto City’s notice of August 1, 2026 gave 9:00–20:00, so check the hours before you go.

Address: 2nd floor, Kumamoto City International Center, 4-18 Hanabatacho, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-0806 · Google Maps
Phone: 096-359-4995
Official website (Japanese, with English pages)

3. Kumamoto City International Center (熊本市国際交流会館)

Kumamoto City

SOUDAN-Plaza is inside this building. The Kumamoto International Foundation runs it as a place where local and foreign residents can meet. The center itself is not a consultation desk, but it is useful to know what else is there.

• 2nd floor: SOUDAN-Plaza, an exchange lounge (9:00–20:00) with more than 1,000 paperbacks, a free kids corner, a study room and the JICA Desk Kumamoto. The lounge is also used by the Kurashi no Nihongo Club Japanese sessions.
• 1st floor: the general reception and link Cafe’, a fair-trade cafe and shop.

The building is open 9:00–22:00 (reception 9:00–19:00) and closes on the same days as SOUDAN-Plaza. From October to November 2026, toilets on some floors are closed in turn for building work.

From JR Kumamoto Station, take the Kumamoto City Tram to Hanabatacho (花畑町), about 15 minutes, then walk about 2 minutes. Or take a city bus, Kyushu Sanko bus or Kumamoto Dentetsu bus to Sakuramachi Bus Terminal (桜町バスターミナル), about 10 minutes, then walk about 3 minutes.

Address: 4-18 Hanabatacho, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-0806 · Google Maps
Phone: 096-359-2020
Official website (Japanese)

4. Kumamoto Support Center for Foreign Residents (熊本県外国人サポートセンター)

Kumamoto Prefecture

It is a Kumamoto Prefecture service, and the Kumamoto International Association (熊本県国際協会) runs it. It is for foreign residents living in Kumamoto. You can ask about everyday matters such as residence, work, medical care, welfare, childbirth, raising children and your children’s education. Consultations are free.

The center lists 24 languages, including English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai, Portuguese, Spanish and easy Japanese. Its English page gives a shorter list. For some languages, staff connect an interpreter by phone.

4.1 How do I get help?

1. Call on a weekday, 8:30–17:00. The number is 080-4275-4489.
2. Or send the online consultation form. The form is in Japanese. The center replies by email or phone, and replies take time.
3. Book before you visit. The desk is on the 8th floor of the Main Building of the Kumamoto Prefectural Government Office in Suizenji.

Address: 8th floor, Main Building, Kumamoto Prefectural Government Office, 6-18-1 Suizenji, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 862-8570 · Google Maps
Phone: 080-4275-4489
Official website (Japanese, with an English page)

5. Kikuyo Town: Consultation Counter for Foreign Residents (菊陽町外国人相談窓口)

Kikuyo Town

The counter is on the 1st floor of the Kikuyo Town Office. It helps foreign residents with procedures at the office, such as moving, taxes, the national pension and childcare. The town’s easy-Japanese page also lists My Number and putting out garbage, and says the service is free. Staff talk with you first and then take you to the division in charge.

A Chinese interpreter is at the counter on weekdays. For other languages, staff use telephone interpreting (21 languages) or a translation device. The town does not publish the list of the 21 languages. The town’s pages do not agree on whether you can talk in English directly, so ask before you go.

1. Go to the counter on a weekday, 9:00–17:00. The town’s pages do not say whether you need to book or what to bring.
2. Or call the counter’s own number. It is 070-3271-9036.
3. Explain what you need. Staff connect you with the division in charge.

A Kikuyo Town video (in Japanese, 2023) in which the town’s PR ambassador introduces the VoiceTra translation app:

Address: Kikuyo Town Office, 2800 Oaza Kubota, Kikuyo-machi, Kikuchi-gun, Kumamoto 869-1192 · Google Maps
Phone: 070-3271-9036 (counter)
Official page (Japanese)

5.1 Kikuyo Town Multicultural Center (菊陽町多文化共生センター)

Since August 18, 2026, Kikuyo Town also has a Multicultural Center in the Hikarinomori Community Center (光の森町民センター), 2-1-1 Hikarinomori. Its leaflet, posted on the town’s official easy-Japanese Instagram account, says you can consult about work, daily life and other matters in your own language, for free. The center also runs Japanese classes and exchange events.

The leaflet gives 10:00–16:00, closed on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays. The phone number on it is 096-232-2112 (the town’s General Policy Division, 総合政策課). The leaflet does not list the languages, so call before you go.

View this post on Instagram

The center’s leaflet (in easy Japanese, August 2026) from Kikuyo Town’s official easy-Japanese Instagram account, with a photo of the consultation desk.

6. Ozu Town: Foreign Residents Consultation Desk (大津町外国人相談窓口)

Ozu Town

The desk is at the general information counter on the 1st floor of the Ozu Town Office (大津町役場). Ozu Town set it up to help foreign residents with procedures at the town office, such as moving in or out, the national pension, tax and childcare. When no interpreter is there, staff use machine translation and connect you with the division in charge.

An interpreter is at the desk on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Wednesday is for English, Spanish and Portuguese; Tuesday and Friday are for Chinese and Taiwanese Hokkien (台湾語). At other times, staff use a machine translator that covers 74 languages.

1. Check this month’s calendar. Open the town’s desk page and download the calendar (PDF). Days with an interpreter are marked with the language, and the town says they can change.
2. Go on a weekday, 9:00–17:00. Ask at the general information counter on the 1st floor.
3. Explain what you need. The page does not say whether you need to book, whether the desk takes questions by phone, or what to bring. If you are going for a procedure, bring the papers that the division asks for.

Address: Ozu Town Office, 1233 Oaza Ozu, Ozu-machi, Kikuchi-gun, Kumamoto 869-1292 · Google Maps
Phone: 096-293-3111 (town office)
Official page (Japanese)

Common questions

Will the desk keep what I say private?

SOUDAN-Plaza’s leaflet says confidentiality is protected, and Kumamoto Prefecture’s page about the Support Center says it keeps consultations confidential. The town pages for Kikuyo and Ozu do not mention this.

Can I email SOUDAN-Plaza in English?

Yes. The plaza takes consultations by email, and its consultation form lets you choose English as your language.

Can I contact the Support Center on LINE?

Kumamoto Prefecture’s page about the center (August 2020) lists LINE. The center’s own pages list only the phone, the online form and visits, so call to ask.

Sources (checked October 5, 2026)

• SOUDAN-Plaza: official website, about the plaza (June 14, 2026), Canada/America Consultation, leaflet (PDF)
• Kumamoto City: Kumamoto Consultation and Support Plaza for Foreign Residents, using the plaza after the earthquake (August 1, 2026)
• Kumamoto City International Center: official website, floor guide, 2nd floor, access, toilet renovation (October 1, 2026)
• Kumamoto Support Center for Foreign Residents: official website, about the center (Japanese), about the center (English), consultation form; Kumamoto Prefecture: Support Center
• Kikuyo Town: Consultation Counter for Foreign Residents (July 14, 2026), English notice, easy-Japanese page (November 4, 2025), Multicultural Center leaflet (official easy-Japanese Instagram, August 9, 2026)
• Ozu Town: Foreign Residents Consultation Desk