Japan: 'Toyoko Kids' struggle to survive on city streets
Teenagers have banded together to escape abuse and neglect but find themselves drawn toward drugs and sex work — with pitifully little support available for the most vulnerable.
Suzuka and Nipa have adopted the all-black attire that is the unofficial uniform of the Toyoko Kids, the Japanese capital’s tribe of young runaways.
Nipa arrived in the Kabukicho red-light district of Tokyo in January and was quickly taken in by the group. Suzuka arrived in April.
Like most of the girls in this loose-knit clan of a couple of hundred teens and 20-somethings, they have turned to sex work to get by.
Otherwise, they sleep on the streets or at friends’ apartments.
When the weather is too bad, they club together to share a cheap hotel for the night.
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