The unique tofu delivery service reminds folks of times gone by. Once, many sellers walked through Japan’s neighborhoods. They peddled ramen, sweet potatoes, vegetables, and other wares.

“Delivery of newspapers or tofu, what used to be part of our daily lives, [has] been replaced by delivery apps or smart phones,” Ms. Sugaya says. “One can easily spend a day without having any verbal conversation with others.” 

Even at a convenience store, you might just hit a button on a screen instead of talking to a person. “It leaves you empty,” she says.

Ms. Sugaya takes her neighbor-walks each Thursday, Saturday, and Monday. She walks for three hours through mazy streets. She sells food occasionally. But she talks to neighbors continually. A woman leaves her house to buy tofu. She chats about her unruly cat. She shows off a strand of wild vine growing in her garden. 

“Even when I’m in need of tofu, I tell myself I’d better wait for Ako-chan,” says one customer. (Ako-chan is Ms. Sugaya’s nickname.) “We used to have someone coming to sell vegetables, but he stopped coming.”

Will Ms. Sugaya stop? She’s not planning on it. Her customers count on her.

Do you remember what God said after he made the first man, Adam? “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18) God hasn’t made anyone for aloneness, anywhere in the world. Every person needs a helper like him or herself. Most of all, God made people to be with Him. 

This idea brings another Bible verse to mind: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) We could also say people shall not live by tofu alone. Real, eternal life comes from being in God’s presence.