Homeless

[...] The orderly behaviour of its residents also helps to explain why Japan has been able to suffer a 12-year slump without the wrenching social disturbance that might be expected elsewhere. In the past seven years, government statistics say the homeless population in Japan has more than doubled to 25,200, of whom 5,700 live in the capital. The numbers are tiny compared with London, Paris and New York, but anti-poverty campaigners argue the problem is under-reported. Many of those in Shinjuku Central Park appear so ashamed of their lowly status that they would rather not be noticed at all. Most of them are ultra polite, even apologetic, are rarely implicated in crimes and do not usually beg, preferring to work whenever possible by recycling cans, labouring or queuing up for concert tickets for yakuza ticket touts.

Not only are the park's lawns, paths and toilets kept spotless, but the inside of the tarpaulin homes are so regularly swept and tidied that this writer felt ashamed of his dusty office. As for any Japanese house, visitors must remove their shoes before stepping on to the cardboard floor and the futons are aired on the railings outside. It may be the bottom of the social heap, but hierarchical values seem as strong here as anywhere. Far from the survival of the fittest, the pecking order is at least partly determined by seniority: those who have stayed in the park the longest live in homes of stout hardboard near the outer railings. Further inside are rows of tarpaulin tents, which have addresses recognised by the post office. Finally, there are the newcomers who must make do with benches and cardboard. [...]

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