It was a drizzly night in Tokyo, Japan. It was the rainy season.
On my way home, an old man rode a bicycle with a large bag of empty cans on the back seat. I remembered that tomorrow was the weekly mandatory rubbish collection day, and the old man had beaten the rubbish collection company by picking out all the cans that were put out by businesses.
This is the old man’s only chance to make money during the week. With this money, he buys a few plates of fried noodles, a couple of pieces of tofu, and a bottle of sake, and he enjoys a delicious meal in a plastic-clad hut under the bridge.
Homelessness exists in Japan
The old man is homeless, and according to statistics, there are more than 2,000 homeless people like him in Tokyo.
Last summer, I saw a homeless house under the bridge pier of the Edo River in Tokyo. Since the ends of the bridge can keep the rain out, and they can wash in the Edo River on the side, and since this is public land, it is naturally the first choice of the hobos to live here.
These homes are often made of sky-blue thick plastic tarps, with cots, small TV sets, and electric pots, with a small generator as their power source.
Usually, they go to the rubbish bins at the train station or on the train to pick up magazines and recyclables thrown away by people. Then they get reimbursed for the recyclables they collect or set up a bookstall near the station or even on a busy street like Ginza, selling these magazines to readers at half the regular price.
Most homeless are elderly people, but some are middle-aged. They might have been white-collar workers or managers in the past, but they live on the streets for various reasons. Older people said that after living on the streets for one year, they did not want to return to their regular jobs because a life without alarm clocks is happy.
Livelihood protection
The Japanese government has a unique “livelihood protection” policy for poor people. If you have not, you can apply to the local government for “livelihood protection.” In Tokyo, people entitled to “livelihood protection” generally receive 120,000 yen (US$843) monthly, enough for food and shelter.
However, many homeless people refuse to accept such a beautiful thing because they feel it is a part of human dignity to earn a living. In Tokyo, and indeed all over Japan, you will hardly see a beggar begging on the street, let alone a child begging for food with a broken arm or leg. Japan does not have beggars. This is unique and puzzling.
Why can’t we see beggars in Japan?
Professor Shimada, who teaches sociology at Keio University, has a simple answer: “Firstly, Japanese people have a solemn sense of shame and would rather starve to death than beg for alms; secondly, those who get something for nothing are the most despised in Japan; thirdly, in the traditional Japanese Bushido culture, there is the idea that ‘One may be poor but never ceases to be ambitious.’
Maybe that’s why the streets of Japan feel cleaner and safer. Share this with others so that more people can see this interesting cultural characteristic of Japan.
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