A man who is so called "homeless"/ホームレスのおじさん

Today I met a man, who said he was 61, living in a shack by the river.

He talked to me when I was taking a picture of a street cat. 

He said, "Do you know of anyone who'd take her?" 

I didn't. 

He started telling me why he needs to get rid of his cats. (It wasn't a street cat. It was one of his three cats).

He said he is going to move to a "center" (I'm guessing its like a shelter) next month and they won't let him take his cats with him. 

I've always wanted a cat but my mom doesn't want to have a pet. 

He said that he had used to do a recycle of TVs and refrigerators for living. He's been living in that place for more than 20 years. But because of the economy, the earthquake, and the shift to the digital TV from analog, he is no longer able to feed himself by doing recycle. So he decided to listen to the government (social workers) and move to the "center"soon.

He looked healthy, clean, and smart. 

His shack had the antenna for the TV and he said he had a generator for the electricity too. I was curious about the inside of his shack but I didn't ask him if I could take a look. I thought that would have been rude for the first time meeting. 

I think it was the first time in Japan talking to a man who would be categorized as "homeless" by the majority. (I had a chance to spend some time with homeless men in the States when I visited a meal service with a social worker).  I've always wanted, since I was younger, but never did it. 

We talked for about an hour. He told me many interesting facts about the "homeless society". How they  work, get paid, and find a place to sleep... and the history of the area.

I wasn't familiar with the area at all,  even though I've lived around there since I was 15. I never even tried to know the history or what type of people reside. Well that's probably normal as a teenager back then. Now that I'm interested in my neighborhood (a little too far to call a neighborhood though), so I decided to go for a cycling today. I was looking around, taking pictures, and ready to go home. I met him right there. 

He was very talkative. I think that was why he said had been on the TV for a couple of times being interviewed for a documentary. He also said he had been photographed by a photographer who was making a series of photographs of "homeless men". 

I was grateful for his welcoming attitude and openness. I felt very comfortable asking questions. He knows a lot about this society and what it is to live in Tokyo. I've done a research about homelessness in Tokyo, but it wasn't the same when a real person tells you.

I'm still very curious about his life. Why did he chose to live this way? How is his relationship with his family? Does he hate the world or enjoy it? Has he ever fallen in love? 

Many, many, many people come from the countryside to Tokyo to look for work. I'm sure he was one of them too. 

It was easy for them to find work and feed themselves when the Japanese economy was going up like no tomorrow. Everybody believed that their living would only get better. 

Who would have thought that Japan would sink like this? Who would have thought they would be homeless for life? 

I thank God for the new meeting and it reminded me that there is always something to gain, when you get out of the house!

日本語で書く時間がなくなっちゃったのでまた今度。