Canal City Dichotomy

@Csong: Yes, I guess there are people down on their luck in every society. In the underground mall of Hiroshima Station, I would see homeless people sleeping every night on my way home from work.

In Tokyo, among other places, some people working part time but not making enough to rent an apartment would spend the night in Internet cafes. If you have a full time job, with all the attendant benefits, life in Japan is good. If you only have a part time job, life isn't nearly so good. While I was there, part time workers held rallies protesting their condition. Such protests are fairly rare, so I think there is a real problem needing to be addressed.