N.Shinjuku Ghetto on 300,000Yen/mo.

[L S]

these guys are right next to my office building. They are very organized and have weekly rallies. Seems like the Manhattan of homeless ghettos.


Park life can be a stroll
'Homeless' man earns 300,000 yen a month
By GEOFF BOTTING
Dacapo (April 6)

Dacapo calls him "the cook." In his 60s, he lives in central Tokyo and works at a supermarket that pays him about 300,000 yen a month.
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A peek inside his home reveals a bed, table, eating utensils and a kerosene heater.

It's not exactly a palace, but it's not too shabby either.

The cook is, technically speaking, homeless. Literally speaking, he is not. His "home" is located in Shinjuku Central Park in Tokyo. The solid wooden structure was built with the help of a neighbor, a former carpenter, from materials costing around 20,000 yen.

It may be a modest abode, but the cook's spending power dwarfs that of many Tokyo citizens who have to fork out a third of their income on tiny apartments.

So it's far from true that all homeless share the same standard of living, Dacapo discovers. While the majority eke out a harsh existence, a few have managed to create materially satisfying lives on the streets and in the parks of Japan's biggest cities.

Daifunka Asozan can claim a certain amount of professional satisfaction as well. He is a professional entertainer, a member of the fairly famous Ogawa Kogyo company of comedians. For him, home is the intensely crowded streets near the West Exit of Shinjuku Station.

"In Ogawa Kogyo, bathing the day before performances is written in the contracts," laughs Asozan's manager.

His occasional gigs earn him about 40,000 yen a month. Previously, he had bedded down at warehouses and in the homes of lower-ranking comedians. Three years ago, however, he decided to relocate to the streets. Every night, Asozan sleeps on cardboard, procured from the district's many electronic shops.

"I start building my place late at night, while the announcements run saying, 'No selling merchandise, cooking or sleeping here,' " he says. "Every morning at 5 o'clock I'm roused by the police."

Most daytimes are spent wandering the capital. Among his favorite haunts are the galleries of the Tokyo District Court in the Kasumigaseki district. "They're cool in the summer and warm in the winter," he says.

The Beverly Hills for Tokyo's homeless is Shinjuku Central Park, where the cook lives.

The cook admits that his income allows him to rent an apartment, but he's drawn to the park for its sense of community. "I get along really well with everyone and the evenings are nice and quiet," he says.

The cook's next-door neighbor may be homeless, but he's far from idle. He earns his money by making 80-to-1 scale models of the trains of the Tokyo's famous Yamanote Line, which he sells on the trendy boulevard of Omotesando.

The items are constructed from the cardboard of discarded candy packages and the clear plastic lids of old bento boxes. The latter are used to make the windows.

"At Shinjuku Central Park you can collect things and have a big place. All the homeless yearn to be there," Asozan says.

Even so, once the park dwellers leave their homes for longish periods of time, city workers promptly dismantle and remove the structures. The evidence can be seen in the numerous "footprints" on the ground, indicating where structures once stood.

The old leaf-covered markings are a reminder that no matter how industrious and well-organized some homeless people become, their lifestyles will always be under threat