Japan's homeless 'net cafe refugees' seek shelter amid COVID-19 woe

Yokohama, Japan: Thousands of homeless "net cafe refugees" in Japan risk being turfed out onto the streets as the coronavirus pandemic forces the sudden closure of their uniquely Japanese 24/7 comic book havens. | A man sitting on a bed at a shelter provided by Kanagawa prefecture for people who used to stat at designated internet cafes.

The ubiquitous all-night internet and "manga" comic cafes offer couches, computers, comics, soft drinks and shower facilities for an overnight stay typically priced around 2,000 yen ($18). A man eats before resting at a shelter provided by Kanagawa prefecture.

An estimated 4,000 people down on their luck make their home in such cafes in Tokyo alone, and activists worry that shutting them down could lead to suicides and a spike in rough sleepers. | A man prepares to rest at a shelter provided by Kanagawa prefecture fro the people who used to stay at designated internet cafés

Some local authorities are now opening shelters to accommodate "net cafe refugees" and keep them from sleeping out in the open.

Renting an apartment in Japan requires a very expensive deposit and presents tricky administrative hurdles, leaving net cafes a convenient option for many of the country's hidden poor.

The temporary shelters at the judo hall in Yokohama, operated by the local Kanagawa authorities, have been designed by a team led by award-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban to offer privacy and prevent infections.

Residents sleep on camp-style cots or cardboard beds partitioned off by a frame of sturdy paper tubes with cloth hanging from the top of the cubicle to the floor.

On the surface, Japan appears a wealthy and prosperous society and visitors to Tokyo and other major cities are often struck by the relative lack of homeless people seen in other world capitals.

The manga cafes were initially a haven for late-working - or late-drinking - business people from far-flung suburbs who missed the last train home, but eventually became a shelter for Japan's working poor.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which ordered establishments such as net cafes closed amid a spike of coronavirus cases in the capital, is trying to find a solution for the hundreds abruptly made homeless.

Workers from Voluntary Architects' Network preparing to build a partition with cardboard pillars at a shelter provided by Kanagawa prefecture for people who can’t afford to rent an apartment and used to stay at designated internet cafes, which are closed due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak state of emergency, at a judo sport hall in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture.

Workers from Voluntary Architects' Network building a partition with cardboard pillars at a shelter.

Workers from Voluntary Architects' Network building partitions and beds at a shelter.