Japan’s Net Cafe Refugees comprise over 5,000 people with no fixed address, who spend many of their nights at Internet cafes across the country. 27% of the “net cafe refugees” are twentysomethings, while 23% are in their 50s. 8% of them are homeless.
Source: Japan Times
Customers at a typical 24-hour new cafe can stay overnight for ¥1,000 to ¥2,000 in a small cubicle, which comes with a chair, computer, and television. Many 24 hour net cafes offer showers. It is said that the rise in customers at these places stem from the growth of temp jobs – about 2 million people are estimated to be of young age and who job-hop from one temp position to another. This is partly due to the “lost decade”, which is an ongoing economic crisis that hit Japan more than ten years ago. There has also been a shift in values among the younger generation of Japanese, who do not conform to a traditional work ethic.
According to the study, many homeless also hang out in 24 hour fast food joints and all-night saunas.
