The Nishinari neighborhood in Osaka is considered Japan’s largest slum. The use of the word “slum” here is misleading. It is a testament more to the high quality of life that the Japanese have cultivated since the end of World War II, rather than a true reflection of the level of deprivation and danger in Nishinari.
In my time there I had a number of locals tell me the neighborhood was “dangerous.” In a search for interpreters to help me, three turned me down when they found out I wanted to explore Nishinari. However, some portion of this local myth is based in fact.
Over the years different stressors on the neighborhood and on its population
of mostly day-laborers has caused eruptions of violence. In 1992 riots broke out over anger at collusion between the local police and the Yakuza. In 2008, there was trouble again as residents became enraged over police brutality.
Over the years different stressors on the neighborhood and on its population
of mostly day-laborers has caused eruptions of violence. In 1992 riots broke out over anger at collusion between the local police and the Yakuza. In 2008, there was trouble again as residents became enraged over police brutality.
These periodic skirmishes have played
a large part in the Japanese conception of Nishinari as a dangerous place. Along with high levels of alcoholism, and homelessness, the Japanese have a palpable sense of fear and shame surrounding the neighborhood.
a large part in the Japanese conception of Nishinari as a dangerous place. Along with high levels of alcoholism, and homelessness, the Japanese have a palpable sense of fear and shame surrounding the neighborhood.
Nishinari is a home for those left behind by modern Japan. Predominantly male, and from my own observations, an average age somewhere in the high 50’s and 60’s.
A bad break. A bad divorce. Some kind of financial ruin, and even personal shame and an inability to ask for help are the most common paths to finding oneself on the streets here.
The good news in Nishinari is that there are a lot of resources here for people who want help. Food distribution, the Airin Labor and Welfare Center (which serves as a main gathering area for those who need food and work), public bathrooms, and showers. Any number of charities and organizations are working to help find cheap housing, welfare aid, and work for residents. Combine that with nationalized healthcare, and the residents
of Nishinari are in a much less vulnerable situation than their counterparts in other parts of the developed world.
With that said, the struggles, pain, and personal tragedies that have landed so many here remain visceral for the residents of Nishinari. Reintegration into mainstream Japanese culture feels nearly impossible.