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homeless

Government study finds only 3,065 homeless people in Japan

Smallest figure ever may not be telling the whole story, though.

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Middle-aged Tokyo man, escorted by his mother, confesses to killing elderly homeless woman

A sad tale of a homeless person being punished for taking up space. 

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Internet cafes in Tokyo now closed due to coronavirus, but what about those who live in them?

Luckily the city has a plan for them…but is it enough?

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Nishinari, the slum of Osaka, now at risk of gentrification after becoming a tourist hotspot

The “Harlem of Japan” may be losing the very thing that made it so popular in the first place.

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Japanese Twitter in an uproar about Tokyo ward that banned homeless from evacuation shelters

Many and much was said about the policy by Japanese netizens.

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Survey finds roughly one in four all-night Internet cafe customers in Tokyo is homeless

Not having enough money to pay rent each month isn’t their biggest problem is securing permanent housing, though.

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Money-less Japanese diner offered chance to pay later, phones police himself

When store manager refuses to call the cops, man who can’t pay for his meal does it for him.

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Revealing newspaper costume draws eyes and puzzled comments too.

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Criminal discovered living in between arcade games in a Japanese amusement arcade

Thief managed to steal 1,230,000 yen (US$11,184) worth of stuff.

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Man arrested for living above a public toilet in Oita for three years

 

Home is where the heart is.

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Six uniquely Osaka experiences

After living in Tokyo for ten years, our Osaka-born writer Seiji Nakazawa shares some experiences from his hometown he thought were normal but actually weren’t.

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For this fortunate man, honesty has paid off in the most beautiful way.

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Taiwanese man waits outside train station for his date for 20 years – she still hasn’t shown

When you hear the story of Hachiko, the dog who waited for his owner outside of Shibuya Station for 10 years, your heart wrenches in pangs of sadness, yet is warmed by the thought that such love and dedication exists in this world. But, what if Hachiko had been a man and his owner was some girl who stood him up, is your heart still warmed?

You don’t just have to imagine this situation, because it actually happened, or, should we say, is currently happening. A Taiwanese man has been waiting outside of Tainan train station for his date who never showed up… 20 years ago.

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Homeless in Japan and still earning a decent salary

When we picture homeless people, the images that usually come to mind aren’t exactly pleasant. While the social stigma of homelessness is brutal to say the least, the fact remains that being homeless is not something most people would choose for themselves.

And while most homeless people probably haven’t “chosen” their life, they’re not all necessarily suffering either. Some homeless men in Japan have a yearly “salary” that is down-right respectable!

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China’s most pompous millionaire just threw a ridiculously fancy lunch for homeless New Yorkers

Multimillionaire Chen Guangbiao, the self-proclaimed “most influential person of China,” held a massive event in New York City on Wednesday during which he handed out $100 bills to 200 homeless people at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park.

“He’s the man! He’s the man!” one man shouted, throwing his arm around Guangbiao and waving the three $100 bills in the air.

“I wish and hope that you will put the money into good use,” Guangbiao said in remarks delivered through a translator.

“I hope that you will use this money as seed money for whatever job training or job education you will receive so that you can help yourself,” he said.

Guangbiao, 46, then told the crowd that he would like to do this every year. They began to cheer and whistle.

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Homeless man mistakes phone straps for food, is arrested for theft

Japan has an unspoken problem with homelessness in its cities. It’s not uncommon to see tent cities along the edges of recreational parks or to see leather-skinned men sleeping on newspapers around the train stations. These people are largely ignored by the public and will keep to themselves unless provoked by some means. The vast majority do not even beg.

Unfortunately, the problem of poverty is not the only issue that these people face. Mental illness is not uncommon amongst the homeless, and the combination of hungry people and unstable mental states can lead to some especially unfortunate circumstances.

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Homeless man puts himself up for auction online, receives 600 bids in a matter of minutes

Something attracting quite a bit of attention on the net at the moment is an incident involving a 25-year-old homeless man in Japan who put himself up for sale as an “item” on the Yahoo! Auctions website. Anyone winning the bid would in theory have been able bring the man into their home and provide him with accommodation.

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