They have a stable income, but live among garbage: the story of one family from Tokyo (3 photos)

83-year-old Nachiko Tanaka and her 47-year-old daughter Akane from Tokyo have lived in an abandoned apartment building for many years, although they rent out the rest of the apartments and have a stable income. They often order food delivery, use public baths and washing machines, but they cannot clean their own home.





According to the MyNews publication, after the death of their father, the women were left alone and lost their bearings in life. In August, they appeared on the Japanese variety show "Can I Come to Your House?", where a crew visits people who missed the last bus and films their homes in exchange for paying for their fare. Nachiko and Akane own a house with seven apartments, living in four and renting out the rest, earning over 400,000 yen a month. They also receive a pension left to them by their father.

The house looks abandoned: the living room is filled with boxes, books, canned goods, and shopping bags, and the kitchen is overflowing with food and dishes, with some appliances broken. The bedroom door only opens partway due to the clutter.



"We buy things we like, but we never use them in time, so they pile up. When we start cleaning, we get too tired and give up," Nachiko explains.

Akane says that before her father died, their life was good. In particular, the family traveled, enjoyed good food and goods, had a pet dog, and had a maid to help them. However, after the loss of their father, the brother and sister moved away, leaving only the mother and daughter.



"It's not that we don't want change, we just don't know where to start," Akane said.

The publication also writes that the women's story has sparked discussions on social media in mainland China. One user wrote, "Even without a job or loans, people can still live miserably." Another added, "When life loses focus, it's easy to get caught up in the little things." A third expressed hope that they would seek psychological help and find a way out of the situation.