TOKYO - Record-breaking summer heat is placing Japan’s homeless in life-threatening conditions. Cans left in the sun reach temperatures above 50°C, while makeshift tents and shacks quickly become unbearable. Many are forced to adapt with creative measures such as fishing for food, recycling scrap metal, or even building solar-powered cooling systems.
On a day when temperatures hit 37°C, reporters visited riverside encampments in Tokyo. In one hut lived 65-year-old Yamamoto, once a gas station worker. For seven years he has survived by stripping copper wire from discarded cables. “I have to endure it, there’s no choice,” he said. A thermal camera revealed that even in the shade his body surface temperature exceeded 38°C. During the day he can do little, so he works through the night, collecting scrap metal. Yet six hours of searching sometimes yields less than 100 yen. Monthly income has halved to around 10,000 yen, forcing him to supplement his diet by fishing. One night, he managed to catch a wild eel from the Arakawa River and grilled it for dinner.
For others, the conditions have been even harsher. Sei, 54, became homeless at 32 after struggling to adapt to society. He says he has suffered heatstroke six times this summer. “At my worst, I lost consciousness for an hour,” he recalled. Living in a tent that exceeds 40°C during the day, he survives mainly on cartons of coffee milk, drinking up to four a day, sometimes replacing meals altogether. After three days of collecting cans, he sold them to a recycling dealer for 2,200 yen—barely enough for instant noodles.
Takada, 56, who lost his job after suffering long-term effects of COVID-19, cannot withstand heat for long. To cope, he built a shack aligned with prevailing winds and installed solar panels salvaged from waste to power fans. “Inside is cooler than outside, maybe 1 or 2 degrees less, but enough to get by,” he explained. His hut allows him to rest during the day and think about eventually returning to work.
Under a bridge, two long-term homeless men, Ito, 67, and Toda, 64, have lived together for about 30 years. Their income comes from collecting aluminum pans, which must be cleaned of impurities to fetch a reasonable price. Working in scorching heat, they resort to cooling off by bathing at public taps. On one occasion, after hauling 130 kilograms of scrap metal in 37.5°C heat, they managed to earn 42,000 yen. With that, they prepared a pork and kimchi rice bowl, showing pride in cooking despite their circumstances.
As Japan’s summers grow increasingly severe, the homeless are among the most exposed. Many endure daily risk of heatstroke while relying on ingenuity, resilience, and sheer endurance to survive. For them, surviving the season has become a battle for life itself.
