On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, we're learning about homelessness in Japan and the life of Japanese day laborers.

About Dr. Tom Gill

Dr. Tom Gill is a professor of social anthropology at the Faculty of International Studies at Meiji Gakuin University in Yokohama. He is the author of the 2015 book Yokohama Street Life: The Precarious Career of a Japanese Day Laborer.

Topics Discussed

Dr. Tom Gill's first experience in Sanya in Tokyo
Reporting on street riots in Sanya in 1986
About Sanya in Tokyo
What a doyagai is
About Japanese slum districts
About Japanese day laborers
Why Sanya is mainly populated by single men
How the anime/manga Ashita no Joe is set in Sanya
The aging population of Japan's slums
What a doya is
What a typical doya room is like
Older doya versus newer doya
What a deluxe doya is
Why people might choose to stay in doya despite it being more expensive to ren than an apartment
About Japanese welfare
On talking to people in doyagai
On collecting cans in Osaka
On municipal homeless shelters in Japan
The increasing number of doya in Kotobukicho
About homeless women in Japan
Why there are so few homeless women in Japan
Whether Dr. Gill has had any dangerous experiences in Japanese slums
And much more!

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Links, Videos, Etc.

If you would like to purchase Dr. Gill's book--Yokohama Street Life: The Precarious Career of a Japanese Day Laborer--please consider using the Amazon affiliate link below.

Yokohama Street Life: The Precarious Career of a Japanese Day Laborer

If you would like to read some of Dr. Gill's work, the best place to start is his Academia.edu page.

Dr. Tom Gill on Academia.edu

Don't forget to check out the latest episode of the Ichimon Japan podcast.

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Special Thanks

Opening/Closing song: Oedo Controller (大江戸コントローラー) by Yunomi featuring Toriena (Used with permission from Yunomi) To listen to more of Yunomi's music, check out his Soundcloud page or YouTube channel.

Japan Station cover art: Provided by Erik R.

Featured image: Courtesy of N/A

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Full Show Notes

Get full show notes at www.japanstationpodcast.com

X-Cutioner's Song Ft. David Harper