According to the Taipei Times, Japan’s 24 hour manga/internet cafes are giving rise to a small population of refugees who live in them.
Internet cafes and “manga” comic cafes are omnipresent in urban Japan, offering couches, computers, soft drinks and comic books to stressed businessmen or commuters who missed their train.
But a government survey found that an estimated 5,400 people have virtually moved in to the 24-hour cafes.
It said some 80 percent of Japan’s “net cafe refugees” are men and that 52.7 percent said they decided to live in the lounges because they lost their jobs.
I was in Japan this summer and went to one of these places — after a 5 floor elevator ride in which the other floors had things like “Playful Nurse” and “Schoolgirl Plantation” on the button signs. Anyway, we walk in, see a million comics, a million fluorescent lights, and one guy behind the counter with glasses and a sallow complexion. I run in going yeah I finally found a comic shop! The guy looks at me and says “what plan? what plan?” I go “what?” and see a sign that you have to pay to just be in the room! So here’s an important difference in Japan: you pay to READ the comics, NOT to buy them! Stranger in a strange land.
BR
I know it can be time-consuming to update your blog but thank you for keeping me informed and entertained!
Comments are closed.