Manga Kissa

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Manga Kissa in Tokyo

Manga Kissa ( Japanese 漫画 喫茶 ) or Manga Cafes are establishments in Japan that are similar to a mixture of a cafe and a library. In addition to manga for reading on site, they also offer numerous amenities, in particular Internet access , multimedia entertainment and game consoles .

development

The first Manga Kissa originated in the late 1970s based on the model of Japanese coffee houses, either on the island of Okinawa or in the city of Nagoya . Originally, they were small cafes in which, in addition to a cup of tea or coffee to pass the time, you could choose manga from a more or less extensive range, and thus resembled the South Korean Manhwabang .

The Manga Kissa experienced a boom from 1997 onwards. With an expansion of the range beyond Manga, z. For example, in Tokyo alone their number rose from two to about 100 between 1997 and 2000, and their total number in Japan was about 200 in 2000, with total sales of 20 billion yen (about 135 million euros).

Modern manga Kissa

Modern manga kissa are often found in large cities and often occupy entire floors in high-rise or commercial buildings. In addition to an assortment of up to several tens of thousands of manga, Internet access, DVD players and game consoles are usually also offered, and in some cases massage chairs , showers and washing machines are even available. The facilities are open 24/7 all year round.

Payment is made depending on the length of the visit, whereby the tariff for the first hour is usually 400 to 600 yen (about 2.70 to 4 euros) and then billed in 15-minute increments. Many Manga Kissa also offer flat-rate prices for the whole night, which, with tariffs between 1,200 and 1,300 yen (around 8 to 9 euros), are significantly cheaper than the overnight costs in capsule hotels or love hotels .

The largest Manga Kissa chains include “Gran Cyber ​​Cafe”, “Manga GeraGera” and “Manga Manboo”.

Social problem

Manga Kissa are open around the clock and there is usually no time limit for staying. A survey carried out in ten prefectures in spring 2007 showed that around 80% of all Manga Kissa guests have noticeably long stays, often more than ten at the same time. This includes not only traveling business people who want to save high accommodation costs, but also low-wage earners who cannot afford their own apartment and the homeless. In individual cases, Manga Kissa are used for years as an apartment replacement.

The Manga Kissa business principle leads to abuse time and again:

  • The 33-year-old homeless Kentaro Shimada made headlines across Japan in 2005 when he tried to flee from a Manga Kissa in Nagaoka (from August 2nd to September 26th) after spending almost two months without interrupting his stay at a Manga Kissa without his now 520,000 yen (approx 3,500 euros) to pay the increased invoice.
  • In April 2006, 37-year-old Kiyoshi Ikeda was arrested when he could not pay his 150,000 yen bill after spending 34 days in a Manga Kissa in Gifu .

Manga Kissa international

A Japanese-style Manga café with a portfolio of around 8,000 titles was opened on July 22, 2006 in the French capital, Paris . Even Düsseldorf's Japantown has a manga cafe.

swell

  1. ↑ James Bailey: Behind the Scenes. Coffee & Tee-Hee. Tokyo Weekender March 3, 2000, archived from the original on September 27, 2007 ; accessed on August 26, 2014 (English).
  2. ↑ David Hickey: Tokyo's 'manga' cafes serve a restless generation. Crisscross News, July 18, 2005, archived from the original August 16, 2006 ; accessed on August 26, 2014 (English).
  3. ↑ Survey: 80% of Manga / Internet Cafes Have "Residents" , Anime News Network, April 28, 2007
  4. ^ Cafe (non) conflict , Tokyo Times
  5. ↑ Manga Cafe + 34 Days + 16 Yen = Bad Idea , Anime News Network, April 12, 2006
  6. ↑ Europe's first manga café opened in Paris ( Memento of the original from March 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Hamburger Morgenpost, September 21, 2006 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mopo.de

literature

  • Sayaka Imaizumi: Manga Kissa - Read Mangas (and much more). In: AnimaniA . 4/2003, p. 61.
  • Patrick Macias, Tomohiro Machiyama: Cruising the Anime City. An Otaku Guide to Neo-Tokyo. Stone Bridge Press, Berkeley CA 2004, ISBN 1-880656-88-4 (English).