日本的無望之屋

Over the past 10 years, Internet cafes in Japan have become hotels for the underemployed. Many are equipped with tiny private booths, showers, and laundry service and offer reasonably priced packages for overnight users. The monthly rate at one cafe is 1,920 yen ($19) a day. In 2007, according to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, 60,900 people spent a night at an Internet cafe, and about 5,400 were living in them full time.

在過去十年中﹐日本的網咖已成為失業者的旅館﹐許多網咖備有多個下的小房間﹑淋浴﹑及洗衣房等服務﹐同時對過夜者全套服務價格合理。 有一網咖月租每天是1,920日圓(19美圓)。 根據日本厚生勞動省2007有60,900人曾在網咖過夜﹐大約有 5,400人全天候住在那兒。

Finding residents willing to be photographed wasn’t easy. In 2009, I started by waiting outside cafes at night, approaching people arriving with suitcases. No one wanted to talk. People living in Internet cafes are not proud of it and want to keep their living and working conditions secret. The cafes themselves share this discretion: Only one of the several I approached, Cyber@cafe in Tokyo, granted me access. Akihiro Sato, the owner, believes his business is helping those who would otherwise be homeless.

要找到願意被拍照的住客並不容易﹐2009我開始晚間守候在網咖之外﹐欲與提著行李箱子的人搭訕﹐沒人願意開口。 居住在網咖的人們並不覺得對此事自豪同時也想對他們生活與工作狀況秘而不宣。 網咖當局亦認同這種酌情處理方式﹐我所接頭的網咖中﹐只有東京一家Cyber@cafe網咖準我採訪。 店東佐藤明弘相信他的生意幫助了那些本應會無家可歸的人們。

Sakai, 43, worked for a credit card company as a salaryman for 20 years. After a transfer to debt collection, he quit before his daughter's college graduation and moved into Cyber@cafe. He currently works as a telephone operator and a temp at a friend's computer systems company. After 16 months he's tired of living in a 4.3 feet by 8.5 feet cubicle and says he feels chronically fatigued. "Living in the internet cafe was like a joke in the beginning. I was excited to start a new life after being a salaryman," he says. Now "it has become a daunting reality." He's hoping to move into an empty office at his friend's company as soon as possible. 

酒井﹐43歲﹐曾是供職於一家信用卡公司的白領二十年。 當調至收帳部門後﹐他在女兒大學畢業之前即辭職並遷入Cyber@cafe。 他目前是電話總機及他朋友電腦系統公司的臨時工。 住在寬4.3 英尺長 8.5英尺的方格內十六個月後他感到厭倦﹐他感覺得了慢性疲勞症。 他說住在網咖裡﹐當初像是個玩笑﹐「我很興奮當白領之後的新生活﹐」他說﹕「現在變成了一個令人望而生畏的現實。」 他希望能儘快搬到他朋友公司的一間空辦公室去。

Lisa, who declined to give her last name, is 18. Her family lived in Fukushima, but couldn't afford housing after losing their jobs following the 2011earthquake and tsunami. Her mother came first to Tokyo to look for work, and Lisa followed. They've lived in adjoining booths for 16 months.

Lisa, 拒絕透露她的姓氏﹐18歲﹐ 她曾住在福島﹐2011年地震海嘯後失業無法負擔住房﹐她母親先到東京找工作﹐Lisa就跟着來了﹐她們在比鄰的小房中已住了十六個月。

In Fukushima, Lisa was a cashier in a convenience store for 650 yen an hour. In the past three months she's had about 15 job interviews at convenience stores, a supermarket, and a lunch box stand, all which pay about 1,000 yen an hour. …

想知道Lisa怎麼了? 請看原文﹕Bloomberg Businessweek, July 15 - July21, 2013. Page 48.

原作者﹕Shiho Fukada