Due to Japan’s extended economic stagnation, and the gradual transformation of the job for life into a temporary post for an unspecified period, the myth of all Japanese being middle-class is rapidly unravelling. A growing gap between the haves and the have nots that could potentially threaten the country’s famed cohesiveness.
And the consequences of these changes aren’t difficult to find, as merely walking through any of Tokyo’s parks, or along its rivers, exposes those very much at the bottom of the pile; the myriad of blue-sheeted shelters and commandeered benches highlighting the city’s growing number homeless.
Yet as sad a sight as these encampments are, seeing someone destitute in Tokyo’s uber-expensive and brand centred Ginza district, really emphasises the growing gulf in Japanese society.
