In Japan there are people who live hard. But some of them choose not to be on the streets and live in internet cafes or internet cafes. Why is that?
According to Tokyo government data, the city has 5,126 homeless people of which 4,000 live in internet cafes. The rest are under bridges or in city parks like the homeless in general.
As quoted by us from CNN, Saturday (6/24/2022) those who live in internet cafes usually have income, but not high enough so that they cannot afford to rent let alone buy a house or apartment that is more comfortable and appropriate.
One of them is a construction worker named Takahashi who usually lives in an internet cafe by renting a private room. But when the pandemic hit yesterday, he lost his job and was forced to wander on the streets.
"Many companies went bankrupt because of the pandemic. There are a lot of people like me so they don't have jobs," he said.
Actually, not everyone who stays at the internet cafe does not have a home. Overall, about 15 thousand people choose to stay at the internet cafe, many of whom are employees who are too tired to go home or miss the train.
One of them is named Masata, an IT worker. "The rooms in this internet cafe are not completely private, there are no ceilings. I can hear people's voices or snoring," he said about the experience of spending the night at the internet cafe.
The internet cafe is an option to stay because the rent is cheap and the facilities are complete. An overnight stay costs between USD 17 to USD 28.
Since around the 2000s, many internet cafes have provided basic accommodation. Besides being safe, internet cafes in Japan are quite comfortable to live in. The bathrooms are clean and even laundry services are provided to cafes. The room is quite private.
"People started renting internet cafes as a cheap alternative to hotels. From there, it slowly started to turn into a home for the homeless," said Tom Gill, an anthropologist at Meiji Gakuin University.
Living in an internet cafe is an option for part-time or temporary workers whose numbers in Japan are increasing. Some of them do not work every day and are often only given the minimum wage.
In Tokyo, the minimum salary for employees is USD 9. This salary is small compared to the stifling cost of living in Tokyo. They also find it difficult to live in a proper place.
