Comments on: Japan frets over “net cafe refugees” http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/08/30/japan-frets-over-net-cafe-refugees/ The News Blog of Comics Culture Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:50:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: Brad http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/08/30/japan-frets-over-net-cafe-refugees/#comment-369218 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 20:56:50 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/08/30/japan-frets-over-net-cafe-refugees/#comment-369218 I was in Japan this summer and went to one of these places -- after a 5 floor elevator ride in which the other floors had things like "Playful Nurse" and "Schoolgirl Plantation" on the button signs. Anyway, we walk in, see a million comics, a million fluorescent lights, and one guy behind the counter with glasses and a sallow complexion. I run in going yeah I finally found a comic shop! The guy looks at me and says "what plan? what plan?" I go "what?" and see a sign that you have to pay to just be in the room! So here's an important difference in Japan: you pay to READ the comics, NOT to buy them! Stranger in a strange land. BR I was in Japan this summer and went to one of these places — after a 5 floor elevator ride in which the other floors had things like “Playful Nurse” and “Schoolgirl Plantation” on the button signs. Anyway, we walk in, see a million comics, a million fluorescent lights, and one guy behind the counter with glasses and a sallow complexion. I run in going yeah I finally found a comic shop! The guy looks at me and says “what plan? what plan?” I go “what?” and see a sign that you have to pay to just be in the room! So here’s an important difference in Japan: you pay to READ the comics, NOT to buy them! Stranger in a strange land.

BR

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