Living In Tokyo's Capsule Hotels 269
afabbro writes "Capsule Hotel Shinjuku 510 once offered a night’s refuge to salarymen who had missed the last train home. Now with Japan enduring its worst recession since World War II, it is becoming an affordable option for people with nowhere else to go. The Hotel 510’s capsules are only 6 1/2 feet long by 5 feet wide. Guests must keep possessions, like shirts and shaving cream, in lockers outside of the capsules. Atsushi Nakanishi, jobless since Christmas says, 'It’s just a place to crawl into and sleep. You get used to it.'”
Re:Very affordable (Score:5, Insightful)
FTFA: "$640 A month 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"
That's 600 a month + the cost of food for everything you need to maintain your health till you find another job.
Some people don't have parents to go home to. Others have been kicked out. Believe me, the people -living- there aren't exactly there because they enjoy it.
Re:Sounds like the Navy. (Score:5, Insightful)
I did 6 months of that multiple times. Its not too bad.
Then again, your paycheck is being deposited to the proper account, the chow is regular and nutritious, and the guys next to you are your fellow sailors.
I imagine it's an entirely different experience when your looking for a job, counting the remaining yen in your wallet, lying next to a bunch of strangers similar only in their unfortunate circumstances.
Remember this is by Tokyo standards (Score:4, Insightful)
By Tokyo standards $640 a month is cheap
Re:Westerners (Score:2, Insightful)
If anything will stop two horny people from having sex, it's a list of rules~
This is great (Score:2, Insightful)
(Opinion Alert)
I'd love to see it implemented in the states. We yanks over the pond seem to think the size of your sleeping quarters is essentially proportional to your rank in society, and having this totally alternative means of housing, even for just a short term, could provide a constructive new perspective to a lot of people. Hitting "rock bottom," while still absolutely devastating, would be survivable. You'd have to start from the beginning (and bottom), but for people that fall off the wagon that's usually what they need. These domiciles could also become a sort of luxury for the homeless on particularly stormy days. Since all things age, perhaps in time the older capsule's could be subsidized for permanent homeless accommodation. I just really can't see a downside to these things, and can only see a huge gain for a variety of cultures in the US.
Also, capsules would enable a lifestyle not seen since the 60s and 70s (the most artistically prolific period of the US, IMO, and largely in part of the widespread bohemianism), and it would not be fueled by drugs, an outcasted youth, and war but rather the simple fact that its realistic and safe. It would be possible to live a completely normal life without ever owning a home and just paying your $X to bunk up on whatever side of town you ended the night. Whether or not you choose to accept it, there is a fairly large bohemian subculture in the US and cheap capsule housing could transform the lifestyle into something safer. And like I said before, all of the homeless could potentially take advantage of this. This benefits all of society in a multitude of ways--less people on the streets means less crime, less disease, and prettier cities just to name a few. If you're apposed to bohemianism and alternative lifestyles then think of it this way: we dirty hippies would finally be off of your lawn!
I could keep going on about how profitable this could be for the private sector, and how cheap this would be for the government to utilize (seems like they already do, see Navy post) but I'm pretty high and getting rambly so I'll spare you that mess. I can't wait to read the replies on this story... hopefully there'll be a good debate on whether capsule housing is practical or not.
Re:Sounds like the Navy. (Score:4, Insightful)
A torpedo tube has more cubic than the rack I was assigned on an LST.
Re:Remember this is by Tokyo standards (Score:3, Insightful)
It's cheap for an apartment or hotel. Looking over rent prices in Tokyo it seems an apartment isn't all that much more expensive than the San Francisco area, and it seems you can get one for around $850 if you're not too picky. It seems it would be cheaper to just get a roommate than to live in one of these boxes.
The problem with the whole "get a roommate" thing is this: can you trust him/her to pay their portion of the rent? How about if he loses his job? I had a roommate who stiffed me out of rent money after he was unemployed for 8 months last year, and I was lucky I could cover the rent at the time. I'll be lucky if I ever see that money again.
While we're on the subject, just who do you think is going to rent-out an apartment to someone who is jobless and on unemployment? This is the reason jobless people flock to the hotels: no credit checks and no references required!
That, and you don't have to stay every night: you can pay for a room a few times a week to get a shower and a good rest, and bum-around the remainder of the time to save your money.
Re:Best place to spend a few weeks. (Score:3, Insightful)
Beats Being Homeless Though (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Best place to spend a few weeks. (Score:1, Insightful)
"Or stay out of Japan all together. Safer..."
Are you kidding me? Japan is easily one of the safest of places to visit or reside in.
Sure, some Japanese have, erm, strange obsessions, and many (if not most) would happily see all foreigners leave, but the fact remains that unless you get heavily involved with Yakuza, the chances of experiencing violence against yourself in Japan are tiny compared with most other countries.
In Japan you may get verbally abused in the street by some drunken old guy who still "remembers the war!", but even that shit happens less nowadays as a result of the natural population cull. On the other hand, think of the many instances of appalling violence people from Asia and other cultures have suffered and endured (and still face on a daily basis) at the hands of westerners.
Racism and Xenophobia may be universal, but the way it's expressed isn't.
Re:Sounds like the Navy. (Score:4, Insightful)
Now it makes sense that a friend in the Navy told me, everyone with half a brain tries to get on a carrier instead of a sub.
Everyone with half a brain joined the Air Force instead of the Navy. Not having a private room as an E5 was considered a hard ship and you got an apology for it.
Re:Sounds like the Navy. (Score:2, Insightful)
fellow sailors=bunch of strangers similar only in their unfortunate circumstances.