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NEWS: Survey: 80% of Manga/Internet Cafes Have "Residents"


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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15279
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 2:20 am Reply with quote
Quote:
Since quitting, he has been making approximately 200,000 yen (about US$1,800) a month but has been unable to pay the fees required for a new apartment.


I feel for you, buddy. Greedy developers are making this a reality in L.A. and NYC, too. They buy their way into getting the mayors and city council-members to get rid of rent control, evict tenants who've lived there for decades(usually the elderly), and then artificially inflate rental fees for run-down hell-holes which they paint to cover up the rats and roaches.
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mydog8u2



Joined: 09 Oct 2005
Posts: 82
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 3:01 am Reply with quote
Why don't we ALL do this? Oh my frickin jeepers! Why the hell am I paying $280 on rent? Global poverty, rent-control gone whack -- I don't care what you call it. Internet cafe, here I come!

$3 /hr. Let's just say I need about 6 hrs of sleep (like normal people). That's $18 a day! Times that by seven days of the week, that's only $126!!!

Now THAT's an incentive to pack my bags.
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Randall Miyashiro



Joined: 12 Jun 2003
Posts: 2451
Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 3:23 am Reply with quote
I can also relate. I couldn't live in San Francisco making only $1800 a month especially since the house I'm staying in costs $2900 (I wish my portion was only $280 a month) Fortunately, since I don't make that much money, I live like many people in Japan do. The only way I can afford to fuel my anime collection is by having a bunch of roommates and not owning a car. DVDs and toys are relatively inexpensive compared to living costs.
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kurotsuki



Joined: 02 Jun 2006
Posts: 129
Location: Montreal, Canada
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 4:21 am Reply with quote
err....i really don't get it...how ...do you...stay in a cafe ? where do they sleep ?
i'm confused .
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ikillchicken



Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 7272
Location: Vancouver
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 4:34 am Reply with quote
Wow is it international post news that barely relates to Anime/Manga day or something? First the stabbing one and then this.

O well, its mildly interesting anyway.

I guess it makes sense. It beats living on the streets. Youve got bathrooms, free refreshments, at least its warm and dry evne if you gotta sleep at a table. Infact they might even have armchairs.
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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15279
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 5:12 am Reply with quote
I doubt they would let you stay if you didn't buy food or drinks there.
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Aegus



Joined: 28 Apr 2007
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 6:41 am Reply with quote
The PCs in manga cafes are usually in little cubicles (with decent privacy) with armchairs that you can lean far back in. And you can easily ask for a blanket. Drinks are free and the providers usually have deals with streaming movie sites so you can watch the latest movies. Some also have showers.


Manga cafes are the reason I survived travelling all round Japan for two weeks.
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LordRobin



Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Posts: 354
Location: Akron, OH
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 7:15 am Reply with quote
Homelessness is a serious problem. This just puts a "cleaner" face on it. I do hope the focus is on finding better solutions to the "residents" problems rather than just making them go somewhere else (as we often do with our homeless).

------RM
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mskala



Joined: 16 Feb 2006
Posts: 45
Location: Waterloo, Ontario
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 9:39 am Reply with quote
LordRobin wrote:
I do hope the focus is on finding better solutions to the "residents" problems rather than just making them go somewhere else (as we often do with our homeless)


Why is it even a problem at all? Why does it need to be solved? They're paying the fees. The proprietors are evidently able to make a profit that way, and the tenants aren't causing trouble, or else they'd be kicked out. The only people who really lose are the hotel companies, and if they can't provide a competitive service, they deserve to lose. Sounds to me like the headline should be something like "Business operates normally!". But that wouldn't be news.
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LydiaDianne



Joined: 28 Jan 2006
Posts: 5633
Location: Southern California
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 9:57 am Reply with quote
mskala wrote:
LordRobin wrote:
I do hope the focus is on finding better solutions to the "residents" problems rather than just making them go somewhere else (as we often do with our homeless)


Why is it even a problem at all? Why does it need to be solved? They're paying the fees. The proprietors are evidently able to make a profit that way, and the tenants aren't causing trouble, or else they'd be kicked out. The only people who really lose are the hotel companies, and if they can't provide a competitive service, they deserve to lose. Sounds to me like the headline should be something like "Business operates normally!". But that wouldn't be news.


What LordRobin is trying to say...I think...is that people need to find solutions to the housing shortage other than making people live in manga cafes or on the streets.

I live about 2 hours outside of Los Angeles. There are actually many apartment complexes being built in my vicinity. And all are advertised as "Luxury Apartment Living." Starting at (again, I think) $1700 a month.

The way I see is F***!!! "Luxury Apratment Living!" How about building some F***ing AFFORDABLE apartment living for those of us who are everyday slobs earning about $20k a year. Hell, it's no wonder I still live with my parents (I'm paying rent BTW). I can't afford some place nice, some place that isn't in the slum areas and some place that wouldn't freak out my ex-cop dad with my living there.
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naruto fan 09812



Joined: 24 Jul 2006
Posts: 499
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:28 am Reply with quote
I think that is kind of extreme to live in a Internet Cafe? If you get a pretty good sum of money from your job. You can find a pretty reasonable priced apartments/house . I think these people is not looking hard to find these kind of places. Cmon,people who work at fast food joints can get a liveable apartments with a little bit of hard work.

Last edited by naruto fan 09812 on Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:46 am; edited 2 times in total
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Zalis116
Moderator


Joined: 31 Mar 2005
Posts: 6864
Location: Kazune City
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:40 am Reply with quote
naruto fan 09812 wrote:
I think that is kind of extreme to live in a Internet Cafe? If you get a pretty good sum of money from your job. You can find a pretty reasonable apartments/house. I think these people is not looking hard to find these kind of places. Cmon,people who work at fast food joints can get a liveable apartments with a little bit of hard work.
In the US maybe, but not in Tokyo or other large cities in Japan.
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CCSYueh



Joined: 03 Jul 2004
Posts: 2707
Location: San Diego, CA
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 11:01 am Reply with quote
naruto fan 09812 wrote:
I think that is kind of extreme to live in a Internet Cafe? If you get a pretty good sum of money from your job. You can find a pretty reasonable apartments/house. I think these people is not looking hard to find these kind of places. Cmon,people who work at fast food joints can get a liveable apartments with a little bit of hard work.


Still wearing the rose colored glasses?
There are so many at the bottom & even close to the bottom. All it takes is one small thing--like losing one's job-& too many of us would be on the streets. Which is really how it's always been, right? When I was a child, churches & charities offered services-no longer. Most of this here in the US is falling to thinly stretched taxpayer-supported services getting whittled away bit by bit as taxpayers scream about high taxed while politicians keep their freebies (haircuts, free loans, healthcare, 2nd residences, etc). My clients are often people who have made a mistake-used drugs, said yes to a stupid quick money scheme, etc. & suddenly 90% of the jobs they're able to do won't hire them because they're conviceted felons. Thanks to spending 1-6 months in jail, many lost their apt & with no job have to couch-surf if they have friends, trade sex for room & board, or are homeless. If they're lucky, they might get into one of the local shelters, but the number of beds are limited.
I don't see how a minimum wage job can pay rent in this city. I pay $1600/mo & that's because I've rented this place for yrs so I know I'm artificially lowere than the going rate.My electricity & water runs about $300 more. I see ads posted at work for smaller places going for $1800. The new condos they built across the street from my work (in a place I make sure I'm gone from by dark & muggings & home invasions aren't uncommon) start at $400,000 for a 1-bedroom so I hate to think what someone would try to rent one out at. .
I got sticker-shock going to Disneyland last fall-$75 for one ticket? a child ticket $62? How on earth can a minimum wage worker afford that? They'd have to save all year for a family of 4 to go. Gas is $3.35 per gallon & rising & our mass transit reeks locally. I really don't see how entry-wage makes it any longer. I know my anime collection exists because I actually LIKE pasta, rice & potatoes so I don't mind eating them every week. Meat? maybe once a week.
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Viga_of_stars



Joined: 17 Aug 2006
Posts: 1240
Location: Washington D.C. in the Anime Atelier
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 11:05 am Reply with quote
wow. i read about cheap stay in japan at i think heiseidemocracy.com but i never knew people lived there. wow....now its decided im going to japan!
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FanFicGuru



Joined: 11 Apr 2007
Posts: 159
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 12:06 pm Reply with quote
Yeah, poverty sucks...but that just means that you have to strive for more than a HS diploma before going out to get a job. Without a HS diploma, most of the time you'll be lucky to snag a job paying 30K a year, so no wonder you can barely make it.

Taxes don't help either, of course, but even in San Jose, it's possible for one person to get by on about 2000 a month (after taxes, or about or about 24,000 a year, net).

Rent at a studio apartment: ~800 (I've seen a number of complexes offering this price. I'll tag on a +200, however, to help broaden the range. Also, this isn't slum stuff. One of the complexes I saw offering 800 dollar suites was across the street from a mall in a recently built structure)
Utilities: Since trash and water are paid in said complexes, you only have to worry about electricity. So that's about 100-150 a month.
Car: If you own one straight out, that's great. If not, depending on your credit and the contract you signed up you could be paying 100-250 a month
Insurance: Again, varies...depending on age and experience it could be 80-240 a month, maybe more.
Food- I get by on 50 a week, or 200 a month. Let's tag on an extra 15 a week though, and you get 260 per month. This bill includes stuff like shampoo and other necessities.
Other- Random other stuff, 100 bucks.

Now, keep in mind I'm used the most expensive in each category. If you've got an 800 dollar studio, 100 dollar utility bill, 150 dollar car payment, 150 dollar insurance payment, 200 on food...You've got 600 left at the end of the month. If you own your car, you've got 750 left. Plenty to save up a good amount each month.

And then of course there's the possibility of meeting someone and sharing incomes.

Rose colored glasses? Maybe...but I don't see that it's impossible to do.

Don't get me wrong, I've been poor, we've all struggled. I just think that people shouldn't be surprised when they go out looking for a job with their HS diploma and find it difficult to get a decent paying job. That's all.
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