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.
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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.
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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
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Some local authorities are now opening shelters to accommodate "net cafe refugees" and keep them from sleeping out in the open.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Workers from Voluntary Architects' Network preparing to build a partition with cardboard pillars at a shelter provided by Kanagawa prefecture for people who cant 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.
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Workers from Voluntary Architects' Network building a partition with cardboard pillars at a shelter.
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Workers from Voluntary Architects' Network building partitions and beds at a shelter.
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