homeless, japan, osaka

On the way to work I was reminded of Osaka-jo and the blue tarpaulins of the homeless.

Wellington — I lived in Daikokucho, a short walk from Nanba and the entertainment district of Shinsaibashi, one subway stop north of gangland Osaka, den of supposed iniquity, home to Eastern European ‘hostesses’, junkies and one of Japan’s largest homeless communities. My students urged me to look for a safer neighbourhood. I would smile and shrug at their earnest appeals, secretly enjoy the idea of being so ...