‘Hang on, don’t tell me I’ve forgotten to…’ Yep, as I opened my gym bag I realised that I’d forgotten to pack some shorts. D’oh! Really wanting a work out for a split second I wondered whether I could do some gentle shoulder physio in my trousers but I quickly reconsidered!
Seeing as I was already in the changing rooms I decided to have a shower to freshen up and blow the morning’s cobwebs away. This got me thinking about something I was talking about with a Japanese friend.
Apparently there is a growing trend in Japan for certain people, notably ‘Gyaru’ (how do you type that in English?) and homeless people, to stay at manga cafes overnight; in fact, to almost live at such cafes, using the showers and sleeping there. It makes sense if you think about it – it’s an inexpensive way to have a roof over your head.
Is this phenomenon really an issue? If the cafes have a problem with it then they’d raise their prices so I’d surmise that it’s other people who take issue with it. What do you think?
Woah, but where do they keep their belongings then? Those guys at Ueno parks at least had their blue tents.
It’s quite a sad state of the ecomony if young people who ought to be gainfully employed cannot even afford a decent rental. How they are going to raise their families, if they ever do intend to have a family, is a question mark.
Well, I think there are lockers and if you do end up being homeless you probably aren’t going to have that many belongings, are you?
Have a quick read of these pages:
If You’re Homeless In Japan, Here Are Your Options
Homeless in Manga Heaven
According to one of these links, people living at capsule hotels can use the hotel’s address for job applications!