tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12614519.post-79126763009550926982008-07-20T12:44:00.000+10:002008-07-20T12:44:35.644+10:00<a href="http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20080720x1.html">Temporary arrangements | The Japan Times Online</a><br /><br />Here's a good read about the working poor who are living in internet cafes:<br /><p id="paragrah"></p><blockquote style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><p id="paragrah">Cyber@Cafe in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, is home to around 25 people who "live" there. The cafe, located outside JR Warabi Station, occupies three floors of an office building and has a shower room, a washing machine and high-tech toilets for the convenience of its guests. Blankets can be borrowed for free. Guests paying ¥200 can spend 30 minutes in the cafe's comfortable 130 cm × 190 cm cubicles, which each have soft pads on the floor, a pair of black and red cushions, and a personal computer with a high-speed Internet connection.</p> <p id="paragrah">The biggest attraction, however, is that guests who pay for a month's stay (¥57,600) in advance can register the cafe as their home and have mail sent there for an additional ¥3,000. At least four people have registered the cafe as their home with the local city government, according to Cyber@Cafe owner Akihiro Sato.</p></blockquote>At current exchange rates, that's about $600 a month for your own little, tiny room with internet access. There are worse ways to live.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04108945551064939734noreply@blogger.com