Urban Japan: Considering Homelessness, Characterizing Shelter and Contemplating Culture

Over the past decade, the author has studied incidence of homelessness in several of Japan’s major cities, examining in particular occasions of homelessness and the provision of shelter to accommodate such populations. With an environmental design perspective, the researcher has explored, considered, and documented the primary types of temporary shelter designed, crafted and inhabited by Japan’s urban homeless. This paper examines Japan’s homeless situation and analyzes the transient shelter through various lenses, including domestic, social, and spiritual viewpoints.