Five staff, all currently or formerly homeless, have been trained to act as city guides at the booth, opened Friday by a magazine dedicated to helping the homeless earn a living.
The plan was approved by city authorities in Sapporo, a city on Japan`s northern island of Hokkaido that is visited by millions of tourists each year and is the gateway to some of the country`s top ski resorts.
"I hope that the information desk will help people discard their prejudice against homeless people and provide homeless people with a social connection," Nagisa Hirata, a volunteer at magazine Big Issue Sapporo, told AFP.
The employees do not earn a salary but instead get a cut from sales of the 300-yen ($3.80) magazine, Hirata said, adding that the booth is on a busy underground pathway that is warm and "not affected by weather".
Temperatures in Sapporo dip well below freezing each winter.
(U.G003/H-RN)
Editor: Luki Satrio
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
