
Memoirs from a Japanese Internet Cafe - bemmu
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2019/05/12/voices/memoirs-japanese-internet-cafe/
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paulriddle
I remember internet cafes in Russia back in 2004. I was 11 years old at the
time and was a common visitor. My father dropped me off at one of these cafes
for an hour one time and I ended up playing GTA 2 the whole time. That's how I
was introduced. It was actually my very first time using a computer. I had
Playstation and SEGA before.

I remember showing up early in the morning before 8AM and there were already
people waiting in the hall. Time was cheaper in the morning and you could buy
a "pack" of 3 hours for 100 rubles which was equivalent to $4. It was also
sometimes dangerous because older guys used to bully younger people and take
their money. I remember one time I was walking out of the cafe after playing
for 4 hours and was approached by 2 guys, slightly older than me. One of them
whipped out a knife and said: "Give me all your money or I'll slice your
throat, I don't give a fuck, I'm minor so nothing bad will happen to me". I
knew these two somehow. They had a reputation for attacking and robbing
people, so they weren't fucking around. I gave them crumpled 10 rubles and
said it's all I have left, because I'm going _out_ of the cafe, not _in_. They
should be stopping people who are going in. They believed me and let me go. I
had another 500r on me and was glad they didn't check my pockets. Later this
evening I came back to play more despite being afraid of getting mugged again,
that's how strong my addiction to these cafes was.

To be frank those places weren't like cafes at all. We called them clubs. All
they had inside were computers with LAN connection. Internet was there as
well, but it wasn't popular. Most people were playing Counter Strike or
Battlefield. Most clubs were managed by a single person, an admin. Those
people weren't owners, they were just there to take money, allocate time to
specific computers, and to tell people to get out.

------
twblalock
I first went to Japan before smartphones existed. Internet cafes were a place
to look at Yahoo Maps to figure out where you were, and to check your email.
When I traveled I relied on paper maps. All of the computers were running the
localized version of Microsoft Windows. Everyone had flip-phones, and a lot of
people had more than one. Instead of SMS they used email on their phones.

The internet cafes had beds (sort of, more like booths with padded benches)
and showers and vending machines with hot food. I went back and forth across
the country without reserving hotel rooms in advance, and I spent the night in
internet cafes fairly often.

I went back about 2 years ago and I saw mobile internet access advertised on
the train for very low prices -- far cheaper than what you can get in the US.
Smartphones were common. I saw a few internet cafes but I don't think people
need them anymore. They will probably all be gone soon.

~~~
SenHeng
_I saw a few internet cafes but I don 't think people need them anymore_

Sadly, a few homeless have resorted to living in the se internet cafes to
avoid living on the streets. That said, the number of these cafes have been
dwindling.

~~~
ekianjo
Thats better than being in the street and its cheap enough to make it possible
to go there often and have a shower. Its great they exist for the less
fortunate of society.

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hokus
This was when people still had face to face exchanges by making sounds and
gestures usually while sharing liquids. Making a friend was a big deal back
then.

~~~
NetOpWibby
OwO

