Living out of the capital's ubiquitous 24-hour internet cafes and capsule hotels, Sachihiko Kawamata is plotting a comeback.
The 70-year-old who provided accommodations to millions of Japanese no longer has a place to call home. Once lauded as one of the nation's wealthiest men, Kawamata has seen his real estate empire whittled down to oblivion in the years following the burst of the economic bubble.
He filed for bankruptcy in 2009 after nearly two decades of endless calls from debt collectors. His family deserted him shortly afterward, and over the past 10 years he suffered two strokes, one heart attack and a life-threatening accident when he fell off a cliff while operating a bulldozer, leaving a noticeable dent in his forehead.