This article is going to make you feel bad. No matter how I write it, this will inspire guilt (or thankfulness) over all the great new gadgets we got at Christmas and the huge houses we all live in.

Over the New Year’s holiday, the Japanese government opened emergency shelters in order to help the homeless after many out of work citizens pitched tents in front of public buildings to protest their plight. The small amount of government help has done little to help the nations record 5.2% unemployment rate.

Numerous workers, who have been jobless since Christmas or earlier, have been forced to choose alternate housing due to the recent global economic downturn and inability to maintain rent payments. Many of these people have found refuge in Japan’s popular capsule-style hotels, which offer small berths no bigger than a standard twin bed.

Most people are familiar with these cubicles as a part of Japan’s curious culture. Usually reserved for salarymen who have missed the last train home and need a place to rest, these berths have become populated with citizens of all types who have made the capsule their permanent dwelling. These occupants have lost their jobs due to downsizing and decreased demand, thus many of them have lost their company-sponsored housing or are no longer able to make rent.

Over 1/3 of the bunks in Tokyo’s Capsule Hotel Shinjuku 510 are occupied with regular renters. Many of these folks have asked the hotel to register their capsule as their permanent address of residence, making it easier to apply for jobs. The capsules are 6 & 1/2 feet long by 5 feet wide and come furnished with a single light, small tv and headset, coat hooks, and a corn husk pillow. Other personal items such as shaving cream and extra chances of clothes must be kept in lockers, and residents share communal bathrooms and living spaces.

The rent is quite steep for such a small space - about 59,000 yen a month, or about $640, for an upper bunk - but with no utility fees or upfront deposits, the option is much less expensive than renting an apartment in Tokyo. It’s also much more appealing than staying on the street.

The government claims about 10,000 homeless in the country but estimates put the number closer to 15,000 with many more “hidden homeless” staying in capsule hotels or 24-hour internet cafes and saunas.

I always thought it would be cool to stay in one of these capsules if I ever got the chance to visit Japan, but now my heart goes out to those who are forced to call a berth their home. I guess it’s better than nothing…