Entering the Slum that Japan Doesn’t Want You to See

Entering the Slum that Japan Doesn’t Want You to See

Japan has one of the lowest homelessness rates in the world, with less than 0.003% of its population living on the streets. This is a testament to the country’s robust social programs and unique cultural approach to addressing homelessness.

But there is one slum, called Sanya, where you can find almost all of Tokyo’s homeless – and my mission in this video was to go there to learn about why this place still exists, who lives on these streets, and what the future holds for such a contrasting place.

Japan is truly one of my favorite countries on earth, and after 11 trips to this island nation, I have to admit that I’ve never seen streets like what I just saw in Sanya. It’s a gritty neighborhood historically known as a hangout for day laborers and marginalized communities. Nowadays, you can find hundreds of homeless men wandering around a dilapidated park, playing board games, and sleeping in makeshift tents. The surrounding alleyways are dotted with ultra-budget hostels for $10/night (the cheapest rooms in the city, but not a place I’d recommend to sleep).

The overall experience of walking around Sanya is just bizarre, and I think it’s important that we don’t turn a blind eye on the homeless — even in a country like Japan.

I originally intended to only make this story about Sanya, but after learning about yakuza (gangster) culture, I went on a separate mission to meet a real yakuza member in Fukuoka. I couldn’t believe the things he told me which you will find out in the second half of this video!

I’d love to get your thoughts on this darker side of Japan – did you know that homelessness and gangster life existed here? Or is all of this news for you? Comment below!

Huge thank you to @JiDion for connecting me to Mr. Yuyama, and to @Poudii for letting me use some of your yakuza footage! Also shoutout to Kosuke for taking me around Japan, you can find his Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/kousukeofficial0. And to Mr. Yuyama himself, who runs this YouTube channel @youyama which gives insight into life as an ex-yakuza!

#japan #travel #culture

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I’m Drew Binsky and I have been to EVERY country in the world (197/197). I make documentaries about interesting people and cultures in faraway places. My ultimate goal is to inspire you to travel because I think it’s the best education that you can get. And our planet is beautiful!

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