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INNER CITY SUSHI TRAMP

Towering skylines, teaming sidewalks, bullet trains, blue-suited workers streaming in and out of train stations, high rises, shopping malls – this is the land of the rising sun. In a society that values conformity, it is easy to get lost in the masses, moving about in rhythm with the world’s second largest economy and the millions of workers that each play their piece. Standing out against this bustling backdrop lurks a growing class of non-conformists, moving against the grain, at a slower pace. Japan’s inner-city tramps, sitting, sleeping and living in train stations, subways, and main streets. Some are part of the burgeoning homeless population, which was virtually unknown to Japan before the economic crash in the 1990s, and now numbering near 25,000 in Tokyo and 10,000 in Osaka. Their cardboard mattresses and shelters are neatly lined up, quite like the ubiquitous bicycle racks. Others are members of the masses of itinerant workers, migrating to cities for work and returning home only when they can afford to, moving between capsule hotels, pachinko parlours, adult theatres and internet cafes for shelter.

Meredith Kratzmann

The night falls into the station
bringing a momentary glimpse of redemption,
loneliness attends every crowded spot
shaping figures invisible to the flow.
Silent they move and gather in recycled squares
while into the bright darkness the rest fades.
Eyes watch you go by,
others patiently hide,
the spell of the fame
celebrates the rise of the shame.



Yukari Yokozeki (Osakan)

I used to talk to some of this people daily on my way back home from high school in Osaka. They used to suggest me to study hard on behalf of them, not to follow their path. Each circumstance was different, some of them are like you explained commuters from ot smaller cities and villages, some lost their fortune and instead of committing suicide along with entire family,they disappeared;just men ran away, or they just stressed out from endless working schedule and decide to live on the streets... even teenagers ran away from home due to the pressure from study schedules, love-less family environment, etc...the highest suicide rate was marked in Toyota-city, where the big company is located...Lot to think about.