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Some players in Japan live in 24-hour gaming cafes

joeblow

Member
netcafe007-740x360.jpg


...and you thought that you were a hardcore gamer:

That’s why temporary workers have come up with an unusual solution to the problem of finding affordable housing: They’re living in local Internet cafes. The 24-hour Internet cafes in Japan have private rooms where a customer can sit on a cushion on the floor, play games, and surf the net—or just enough space to curl up and sleep.

Link
 
Yeah, i used to stay in a net cafe when i couldnt be bothered to go home. cheaper than a hotel, free drinks, nice and quiet to sleep, a ps2, and a computer with the internet.. what else do you need? there was even a shower there.
 

$h@d0w

Junior Member
Hope there is a no fapping policy - otherwise the keyboard and mouse would be a potential health hazard.
 

Ramune

Member
Yeah, i used to stay in a net cafe when i couldnt be bothered to go home. cheaper than a hotel, free drinks, nice and quiet to sleep, a ps2, and a computer with the internet.. what else do you need? there was even a shower there.

You know....I can not argue against this at all.
 
Yeah, i used to stay in a net cafe when i couldnt be bothered to go home. cheaper than a hotel, free drinks, nice and quiet to sleep, a ps2, and a computer with the internet.. what else do you need? there was even a shower there.

Yeah, some of them can be very nice. I stayed in one for a night in Kyoto a few years back. Cheaper than a hotel room.
 

Hexa

Member
Yeah, i used to stay in a net cafe when i couldnt be bothered to go home. cheaper than a hotel, free drinks, nice and quiet to sleep, a ps2, and a computer with the internet.. what else do you need? there was even a shower there.

That actually sound really great. Though I'd hope they'd have at least PS3s by now. :p
 

Zaki2407

Member
Internet cafe in Japan can facilitate you with shower room, free drinks, and manga to read. I went there several times during my study at Tokyo. It,s quite cheap compare to staying at the hotel.
 
I once fooled around with a girl in one of these, we had to be so quiet in case the otaku in the next booth would decide to stand up and look over the partition
 
Hope there is a no fapping policy - otherwise the keyboard and mouse would be a potential health hazard.

I'm not sure if this was the reason, but every so often i'd hear an alarm. and a see a flashing red light. I think maybe the computers detect if people are looking at porn? im not sure though. if not, i dunno what the crazy alarm is for..lol
 
Why can't they sleep on the street like a self-respecting vagrant? Such dishonor, such shame, no pride for being destitute.
You should see the tiny cardboard houses some of the homeless guys make. I found a community living under a bridge but it was nothing like you see in US cities. Most are probably salarymen who lost their jobs and have no family. Also I've never seen a homeless woman in Japan.
 
Actually not bad places to sleep one off or just get quiet continued drinking time when the trains stop. Stayed at a few in Otsu, not bad at all.

Though the article is more exemplary of the Japanese work culture and why it's slowly killing them as a people.
 
You should see the tiny cardboard houses some of the homeless guys make. I found a community living under a bridge but it was nothing like you see in US cities. Most are probably salatymen who lost their jobs and have no family. Also I've never seen a homeless woman in Japan.

Joking aside, I've heard a little about this before. The American homeless are predominantly disabled or mentally ill, a side effect of our screw-you healthcare system. Homeless elsewhere are usually not homeless because they got sick, which creates a very different homeless culture.
 

Chairman Yang

if he talks about books, you better damn well listen
I'm a little confused by the economics of the situation. Why aren't there any low-end hotels with tiny rooms that can be price competitive with these cafes?
 
I'm a little confused by the economics of the situation. Why aren't there any low-end hotels with tiny rooms that can be price competitive with these cafes?
You would need about three of these booths just to fit a bed in. The nearest price wise would be a hostel or maybe capsule hotel.
 
I'm a little confused by the economics of the situation. Why aren't there any low-end hotels with tiny rooms that can be price competitive with these cafes?

Because those places don't allow you to A) Keep drinking and B) Play PS2 (probably PS3 in most at this point) while continuing to drink.

Seriously though it's basically a cubicle, if a little smaller. It's just big enough to curl up in a ball and drunkenly pass out.
 
When I went to Osaka one time from Yokohama with a couple Japanese friends, we spent the part of the day at a netcafe that had a shower plus a drink bar (drink bars are standard). Was able to sleep to recover from the long bus ride and shower then go out at night. Then for that night we stayed at Spa World, which is a huge bathhouse. Slept on the floor with hundreds of strangers in an open room. Japan.
 
When I went to Osaka one time from Yokohama with a couple Japanese friends, we spent the part of the day at a netcafe that had a shower plus a drink bar (drink bars are standard). Was able to sleep to recover from the long bus ride and shower then go out at night. Then for that night we stayed at Spa World, which is a huge bathhouse. Slept on the floor with hundreds of strangers in an open room. Japan.

God bless it.

wtf-japan-funny-butt-gun.gif
 
Is this even safe? I mean, is there even a door you can lock when you sleep so that no one steals your stuff? That's my only concern otherwise this sounds pretty good if you're on a budget or a college student.
 
Is this even safe? I mean, is there even a door you can lock when you sleep so that no one steals your stuff? That's my only concern otherwise this sounds pretty good if you're on a budget or a college student.

Given how low Japan's crime rate is I would assume most people feel safe in general.
 

Sakura

Member
Well, I mean, they're basically super cheap hotels with free drinks, so it isn't that surprising.
 

Solaire of Astora

Death by black JPN
I've never been to one, but I plan to spend the night in one if I ever miss the last train and don't have enough money for a taxi. From what I've heard, they're actually pretty decent. Of course, people having to live there is a pretty big problem. But at least it's a roof over their heads.

One of my friends frequently sleeps in one after a night out. Although he goes to one with comfy chairs he can sleep on. Still pretty cheap. Much cheaper than hotels, as many have said.
 
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