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Living In Tokyo's Capsule Hotels
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.'”
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.
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.
By Tokyo standards $640 a month is cheap
If anything will stop two horny people from having sex, it's a list of rules~
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(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.
A torpedo tube has more cubic than the rack I was assigned on an LST.
Display some adaptability.
Tip 2: Always watch Japanese television ninja game shows only after being jet-lagged by a 14 hour plane ride and drinking at least 2 large bottles of the cheapest sake (purchased from the nearest airport vending machines); it's twice as funny that way.
I'd rather live in a capsule than in a cardboard box in an alley somewhere. Safer, warmer, and more secure.
"If you want to know what happens to you when you die, go look at some dead stuff."
"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.
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.
fellow sailors=bunch of strangers similar only in their unfortunate circumstances.