Watch the full series at: mediastorm.com/clients/japans-disposable-workers-for-pulitzer-center
The first time Fumiya slept at an internet cafe, other people’s snoring and footsteps kept him awake most of the night. Since then, ten months have passed and he now sleeps with a blanket over his face to block out the constant glare of fluorescent lights. Living at the internet cafe is “not so bad,” he says.
Internet cafes have existed in Japan for well over a decade, but in the mid 2000’s, customers found a new use for these spaces: living quarters. As a result, cafes are now equipped with showers and laundry service, all reasonably priced for overnight users.
“Internet cafe refugees,” as they are called by the media, are mostly temporary employees. Their salary is too low to rent their own apartments.
The number of low-paid temp workers, with little benefits and no job security, has been steadily climbing. Today, more than one in three are temporary workers.
Fumiya, for instance, chose a discounted monthly package that costs 1,920 yen or $25 US a day. It’s far cheaper than renting an apartment where he’d have to pay for utilities as well.
The 26 year old estimates that it would take two to five years to save enough money for a rental. His job is too unstable to plan ahead as he doesn’t know when his job might change again. He says, “We need a place like an internet cafe. Without it, there would be many more people who have jobs but no homes.”
Publish Date: May 19, 2014
Credits
Director, Photography and Video, Producer: Shiho Fukada
Editor and Producer: Eric Maierson
Associate Producer: Arkasha Stevenson
Motion Graphics: Joe Fuller
Executive Producer: Brian Storm
Special Thanks
This film was made possible with the generous support of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
Recognition
Emmy
Year: 2015
Place: Nominee
Category: New Approaches: Current News Coverage
World Press Photo Multimedia
Year: 2015
Place: 3rd
Category: Long Feature
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