For Some of Japan's Jobless, Homes Just 5 Feet Wide

[t0dd]

Source: NY Times

TOKYO — For Atsushi Nakanishi, jobless since Christmas, home is a cubicle barely bigger than a coffin — one of dozens of berths stacked two units high in one of central Tokyo’s decrepit “capsule” hotels.

“It’s just a place to crawl into and sleep,” he said, rolling his neck and stroking his black suit — one of just two he owns after discarding the rest of his wardrobe for lack of space. “You get used to it.”

When Capsule Hotel Shinjuku 510 opened nearly two decades ago, Japan was just beginning to pull back from its bubble economy, and the hotel’s tiny plastic cubicles offered a night’s refuge to salarymen who had missed the last train home.

Now, Hotel Shinjuku 510’s capsules, no larger than 6 1/2 feet long by 5 feet wide, and not tall enough to stand up in, have become an affordable option for some people with nowhere else to go as Japan endures its worst recession since World War II.

...

The rent is surprisingly high for such a small space: 59,000 yen a month, or about $640, for an upper bunk. But with no upfront deposit or extra utility charges, and basic amenities like fresh linens and free use of a communal bath and sauna, the cost is far less than renting an apartment in Tokyo, Mr. Nakanishi says.

Still, it is a bleak world where deep sleep is rare. The capsules do not have doors, only screens that pull down. Every bump of the shoulder on the plastic walls, every muffled cough, echoes loudly through the rows.

...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/02/business/global/02capsule.html?hp



Atsushi Nakanishi is among the jobless living in a capsule hotel, renting a bunk with no door.



The capsules have no doors, only screens that pull down. Every bump of the shoulder on the plastic walls, every muffled cough, echoes loudly through the rows.



Long-term dwellers like Mr. Nakanishi have special permission from the local authorities to let them register their capsules as their official abode, which makes it easier to land job interviews.

[Hello_Kitty]

1. Those things have existed in Japan for years. But they were for overworked salary men and drunks.

[t0dd]

2. Never knew about them. What surprises me

is how costly it is to rent these units for a month despite how bleakly small they are.

[Berry Cool]

3. I always thought those things were horrible and couldn't imagine how people stayed in them.

They look like drawers in a morgue or a burial vault. They fit your body and that's about it. I couldn't stand having to actually sleep in one every night. Then, of course, these poor people must spend all day long much like the homeless do, the only exception being they're not dragging their worldly possessions with them everywhere they go. They must spend all day looking for public places they can hang out in without getting shooed away.

[Hannah Bell]

11. they were hotels, not "homes".

[Joe the Liberal]

4. k&r n/t

[MadHound]

5. Well, better than what America's homeless and jobless can land

A bunk in an overcrowded shelter, or a brisk night in subfreezing temperatures under a bridge or in whatever shelter you can find.

[Berry Cool]

8. True; at least they're protected from the elements and those who would predate on them

and have a place to clean themselves up, go to the bathroom, etc. But damn, the claustrophobia? For what they're paying? Scary.

[Joe the Liberal]

10. I agree, it's cramped but better than the streets. n/t

[seabeyond]

15. at $640 a month? apples and oranges. nt

[Lydia Leftcoast]

6. The high price is because they weren't originally intended as permanent homes,

any more than motels or welfare hotels were.

What prevents the homeless from getting permanent apartments is the steep deposits you have to pay, which add up to a minimum of 3 months' rent.

Housing is expensive either way. If you can't pay the whopping deposits, you have to pay a higher monthly rent. They could probably get a scruffy little one-room apartment for what they're paying per month, but they can't afford the deposits.

[riderinthestorm]

7. Devil's advocate here: if you've been homeless, these cubicles seem pretty good

Honestly, sleeping in a large open room on a cot is worse.

What is the homeless housing situation in Japan? Do they have mass open sleeping dorms if you can't get into one of these? How much do these guys make in unemployment/welfare payouts? Does it cover the rent on this plus enough to eat? Japan has notorious overcrowding issues... the US can't comprehend how differently the Japanese perceive "space" than we do... their average house size is way smaller than ours for example.

I'm not saying this is great but it is private. And if you've been homeless, privacy and an assured sleeping space every night has no dollar value but is priceless. With an access to kitchens, showers plus?? Wow.

I just would like to know more about the situation before commenting negatively.

[Berry Cool]

9. I know that in Japan space is always at a premium.

And privacy of any degree must be nice to have if you otherwise have no home.

But damn, these have always just looked to me like the equivalent of sliding yourself into a coffin at night to sleep. It creeps me out.

[cowcommander]

16. It's pretty bad to be homeless in Japan

They've always been one of Japan's dirty little secrets. Japan doesn't have any social security or welfare system to help people out like this, which is one of the reasons why they have such a horrible suicide rate of around 30,000+ people per year. Many people just kill themselves instead of becoming homeless, and it's getting worse now with the global recession.

[seabeyond]

17. $640 a month? same as saying an apartment in u.s. is better for homeless than being on street

well, no shit

[madville]

12. Those look pretty nice

But I'm comparing them to the cramped racks we had to sleep in for months at a time on the 30-40 year old ships I was stationed on :)

[Obamanaut]

13. About the same sleeping space as US sailors on ships, with carriers

having 5 - 6 thousand on board, plus jets taking off and landing on the roof.

It's survivable.

[pissedoff01]

14. The small volume also helps with heating costs

it's actually a very practical design for a dense urban area like Tokyo.