Homeless In Japan Part II (Tragedy in Shinjuku)

I remember it like it was yesterday it was 1996 and the police raided Shinjuku Station and brutally forced out all of the homeless people living there in cardboard boxes.  People died and were injured. These cardboard boxes were not simply cardboard boxes but were works of art.  This community was a tourist attraction and welcomed by everyone.  I was fortunate to see them one week before they were destroyed by the police.   These works of art are gone forever.   Fortunately someone had the insight to photograph these works of art before they were destroyed.  You can find them here:
http://www.eyedia.com/gallery/paint/street_en.html

You can try to find more info but there is very little out there.  The Japanese government did everything to suppress this incident. Apparently there is an old Shogun law that states that the homeless nuisance is not to be discussed.  What info I have is based on my recollection of the TV broadcast.  

Kabuki-cho's finest

The following is an experiment that I did. I decided to head down to one of my favorite place to hang out. It is the 24 hour Mcdonalds in Kabukicho. I usually head there in the mornings since I am an early riser and my wife complains that I disturb her sleep.

5:00 am: I am an early riser. My wife and two kids usually sleep until 8:00 am

5:30 am: I get changed and get ready to head out. She has been complaining lately that I get up too early and that I disturb her sleep patterns. I decided to grab my laptop this time since I knew that the entertainment factor was better than anything on TV.

5:40 am: I am walking down the street on my way to my favorite morning place in Kabukicho. I always sit on the second floor looking out onto the street. To my left is the original Kabuki theatre that the area gets it's namesake from.

5:45 am: Less than a minute from my destination I run into a a group of about 20 police officers (three patrol cars) attending to a drunk that collapsed and hit his head. He was incapacitated and bleeding profusely. It looks like he was in some kind of altercation because his face was pretty messed up. All but two of the officers were just standing around doing nothing while the two that were were loading the man into a dirty old oil-stained plastic tarp and that they got out of the trunk of a cruiser and were dragging him down the road toward on of the cruisers.

5:47 am: In less than 100m I am asked by four different sleazy yakuza types if I wanted a woman.

5:50 am: Finally, I am sitting down in my spot and looking out into the street from my usual second floor seat in McDonalds. I allow myself only one coffee per day (in the morning). The scene on the street was the usual mix of drunk bar hostesses staggering around still in 'vampire' mode as well as bar hosts in cheap black suits, pointy fake leather boots, make up and blonde/orange died hair. The homeless were out as well screaming at everyone and talking loudly to themselves.

5:52 am: I look around and the floor I am on is quiet as usual due to no smoking. The third floor where the bathroom is located is a smoking floor and it's like a roadhouse littered with low-life male escorts and bar hostesses as well as people sleeping. I walked into the bathroom (the only one) but after seeing the most unhealthy bloody, green goo fecal matter in the unflushed toilet I quickly exited.

5:55 am: I got back to my seat just in time to catch the first of the action. There were two guys yelling and screaming at each other on the street. One guy pushed the other guy to the ground and proceeded to bash him with a bicycle that was parked nearby. This continued on and off until the J-cops arrived nearly ten minutes later.

6:05 am The J-cops arrived (about 20 of them). They broke up the fight . The guy who was on the ground (we will refer to him from now on as the 'bashee') was still conscious but covered in blood. Two J-cops were talking to the guy bleeding all over the place. Nothing to stop the bleeding was provided. There were two others talking to the 'basher' who was actually physically pushing around the J-cops. The other 16 or so J-cops just stood around doing nothing.

6:20 am The 16 J-cops that were just standing around left and the bashee was being escorted away (presumably to the nearest police box) cupping his hands under his nose to catch the dripping blood. The basher was continuing to resist arrest (physically). My attention gets drawn to the undercover cop who is questioning the young girls sitting next to me. There is a huge problem in Japan where underage girls from the rural areas just leave home and go to the large urban centers and live on the streets for a little while.

6:40 am: It's been relatively quiet. The basher is still pushing around the J-cops (this is getting old). There's been a guy standing on the corner absolutely motionless since I got here. Some retarded women stopped to feed the crows that were already tearing up the garbage and making a huge mess of everything. A gang of skinny 'tough' guys wearing identical embroidered dragon jackets intimidated a group of escorts. I was then startled by the manager banging the tables where everyone was trying to get some sleep and screaming at them to wake up. As usual everyone just ignored him.

6:45 am: I 've decided to head back (through the puke laden) streets to get the girls ready for school. If I get good feedback then I'll do this again soon. BTW the basher and the bashee passed me on the way out. They were cuddling and holding hands. Looks like they knew each other...

If I get good feedback I'll do this again.

Yoroshiku

Homeless In Japan

The following is an expose on the homeless situation in Japan. I see this everyday. I am not trying to bash Japan but it's something that the Japanese government needs to address. Part of the motivation comes when I witnessed a homeless person jump from an overpass while on my lunchtime in Nishi-Shinjuku. I was the first one on the scene but it was too late. I have seen him many times before and he was considered one of the leaders of the homeless community in Shinjuku Central Park. It was a cold November day and I guess he just couldn't take another winter.
The first image depicts on of the dwellings in the Shinjuku Central Park community. Some of these dwellings are ingenious with sloping roofs and even real glass windows. You just can't just 'set up shop' anywhere though. The homeless community in the park have a strict heirarchy as well as rules that must be followed.
The image directly above depicts the homeless lining up to get some soup that is being provided by the Jehova Witnesses. The Jehovas exploit he homeless in Japan by making them attend hours of 'seminars' laced with propaganda before they can claim their soup. You can find homeless people on many street corners and most major stations handing out Jehova propaganda.