There are many internet cafe’s in Tokyo. Now when some of you think internet cafes you may think of a darkly lit room full of cigarette smoke with nerdy boys and men playing video games. That description certainly holds true for some of the internet cafes spread across South Korea and Japan however in Tokyo and a few other large cities there’s a new class of internet cafe’s.
Specifically catering to a somewhat niche market these internet cafes resemble in some ways high tech isolation pods. In a culture such as Japans where one is always conscious of how his actions affects others there internet cafe’s are amazingly quiet, clean and affordable.
Keeping in considering that anywhere between 5 and 7 % of the working population is homeless spending the night in a “internet cafe cubicle” for approximately 2 000 yen can be a real alternative.
The most famous or higher end of these internet cafe’s are Manboo. The provide actual showers for their clientele. Most others offer at the very least your very own cubicle which most times includes a television, a computer, unlimited refreshments of tea or cola and access to a large amount of movies and manga (comic) books.
Below are pictures of the internet cafe where I spent the night. I simply walked in and they had a plastified menu in english explaining the cost per hour for a computer/cublicle etc. I pointed to the cubicle with a 12 hours beside it and was on my way. The interesting thing was they you only paid after you left. Below you have a sign leading to the internet cafe, a view from above the cubicles and a hall way of cubicles:
Here a couple of shots from inside the cubicle. I came prepared bringing along with me my toothbrush, sleeping mask and earplugs which in the end weren’t required:
Finally here’s a shot of the washroom, the all you can drink juice, cola and tea stand and some of the many books they had for their patrons. The washroom itself was well maintained as were all the cubicles. Anytime a patron left the attendant would come by and quickly clean after him/her. Along with all the free refreshments snack food such as ramen noodles and chips could be purchased at the front desk:
