While I was in Tokyo a few months ago, I met a 21-year-old girl named Karin who currently lives inside an internet cafe in Tokyo. Her room is 3 feet (1 meter) wide by 6 feet (2 meters) long, and she doesn't even have enough space to sleep horizontally. Believe it or not, more than 5,400 others in Tokyo are living in internet cafes because it's a much cheaper alternative than paying rent for an apartment in this expensive city. Karin's situation is a sad one -- she was kicked out of her house a year ago, and physically abused by her father before becoming homeless on the streets. With little money in her bank account, she found a safe place to live at this internet cafe, and now she makes $1,300 a month by working at a hostess bar. But she's still struggling to get by. This story highlights the extreme pressure of Japanese society, as well as the social isolation that comes along with it. I'd love to hear your thoughts about Karin's situation, and the overall oddities of Japanese culture in the comments down below.
Related article - Phone Tough Cases
Drew Binsky
