Original subtitles

My name is Fumiya. I’m 26 years old.

I work as a security guard at construction site.

Initially, I was looking for an apartment,

but it was very expensive.

So I decided to live at the internet cafe.

I used to go there often to hang out

so I didn't feel that much resistance to living here.

But after the first night, I didn't feel rested.

I was woken by the sound of washing dishes.

A little noise like that could be disturbing.

I want to save money but I can’t.

Fortunately, it's well equipped.

And it's not that expensive.

I can live at ease as I don't have to worry about a utility bill

I can't live with a temporary job forever.

I want to acquire more skills and become a full-time employee.

Internet cafe “refugees” started appearing around the late 1990s,

but it has recently become a larger social issue in the 2000s.

Currently in Japan, about 38% of workers have temporary jobs.

Most temporary workers have very short-term contracts.

Temporary workers earn less than half of full-time employees.

This disparity leads directly to poverty.

Further, in Japan, it’s hard to receive unemployment benefits.

In our society, once you lose your job, you cannot survive.

So they want to become full-time employees.

But once they get full-time jobs,

what’s waiting for them is long hours and high-stress work.

I used to be a salaryman.

I've lived at the internet cafe for about 4 months.

I worked for a credit card company.

I was putting in between 120 and 200 hours of overtime a month.

My job was to manage computer systems.

I didn't have time to go home.

I had to nap at the office and worked when I got up.

I couldn't tell if it was day or night.

People around me said I was irritable, out of it, emotional.

But I was not aware of it.

After counseling, my doctor diagnosed that I'm suffering from depression.

I think there are many people like that in Japan.

After I took a month off to treat my depression,

people gossiped that I was a psycho.

Behind my back, my boss said that I was weak.

And my work attitude was not good.

So he prevented me from getting a raise.

My boss asked me to go for drinks, but I said, "I'm sorry, I can't."

He said, "I don't need you anymore."

and didn't talk to me for a month and a half.

Even to discuss work matters.

It’s my boss.

It is hard to deal with something like that.

Power harassment originated in a fraternity mentality.

It’s common in Japanese culture.

In order to be a successful salaryman in Japan, there is a proverb:

Better to bend than to break.

Don't revolt against people with power.

Power harassment was common

but the younger generation cannot tolerate it.

It was common for a boss to say, "Why can't you understand such an easy thing?"

Slapping heads and being yelled at was common.

My stress was at maximum capacity.

After 20 years, I quit.

I said, I'm not good at this.

When I turned in my resignation I felt so refreshed. So relieved.

My heart was singing when I quit.

I was only thinking about how I was going to enjoy my new life.

I never want to become a salaryman again.

What I want to do is completely different.

I want to live in different countries, each for a few years.

That is my dream.

I don't need to hold on to Japan.

All I can count on is myself.