Osaka's Homeless

I was in and around Tennoji, Nishinari and the Kamagasaki areas a few weeks ago and took these shots of the homeless people. I didn't want to get too close, because many of them don't like having their picture taken, especially by a gaijin. Let me say this. Anyone who thinks their life is miserable because they don't have enough money to buy a new i-Pod or Louis Vitton bag should be FORCED to spend a few days or a week in one of those areas living like the homeless people do. We have so much, yet we still whine about wanting more, me included.

About one third of Japan's estimated 25,000 homeless people (and that's a very rough estimate in my opinion) are based in Osaka. Recently, in January this year, nearly all the homeless people were evicted from Osaka Castle Park, but mind you, not without a stand-off with the police at Utsubo Park. (Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4661152.stm).

About 2 years before that, the homeless were kicked out of Tennoji Park because some people living in that area complained about how much "noise" they were making. Seems funny that in the exact same area, next to the park, there is a zoo, which is most definitely more noisy than a few homeless people minding their own business. I used to enjoy going to Tennoji Park all the time, all the drunks would be set up during the daytime playing Shogi (similar to chess) and singing Karaoke and having fun. To my knowledge, they never bothered anyone at night. Now it's dead there and everything is fenced off so to deter the homeless from returning.

I guess now, a lot of them seem to be living along the Sakuragawa river, Nishinari ku, around Shinimamiya station and other scattered areas, like under train bridges, overpasses, etc.

This problem is largely ignored by the government, the city and the public. The solution always seems to be to kick 'em out. That's not providing any solutions or help for these people at all. That's the same thing as hiring an exterminator to eliminate a pest problem. Eventually, they'll come back, small in numbers in the beginning, but gradually increasing. You just can't move them around forever, their numbers have steadily increased in the last decade, and it will continue to increase.

The city's other solution to the homeless problem is sending them to "self-support" centres where they can pick up a day's work for less than minimum wage doing shit jobs. Actually, the social services which Osaka provides to homeless people are among the best in Japan – but that doesn't automatically mean they are good. In my opinion, it's only making a small difference.

It's interesting because some homeless people I've seen have some pretty nice set-ups and they look pretty happy, happier than the average salaryman I see walking by, who usually looks completely desperate, irritated and empty. I've heard that some homeless used to have "normal" jobs but chose to become homeless because they were just fed up with the rigid uniformity of the Japanese system. And you know what, I don't blame them.

Anyway, if you want to read more, check out these links. My writing is not so good, so maybe these links will help you get a clearer picture:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4661152.stm
http://www.cosmicbuddha.com/adam/archives/001836.html
http://www.lookat.ch/index.php/imagecatalogue/image/list/55
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/7076/japan.html
http://www.thingsasian.com/goto_article/tell_story.1474.html