The number of homeless people in Japan is increasing year on year. More than 10,000 homeless people can be seen every night sleeping on the streets. Moreover, support is always hard to come by as homelessness is seen as a personal failure, the fate that one brings upon oneself.

With this social panorama, Megamax, Japan’s leading bed and furniture mega store decided to team up with Moyai, the Japanese Association for the Homeless, to shock the public out of their complacency and raise awareness of the issue. All while collecting donations.

The Homeless Bed Collection was built by the finest Japanese artisans; using elements that mimic the streets of Tokyo. From rough asphalt to mud, from dirty cement to stinky sewer lids with rats, the beds replicated in detail the horrible conditions that thousands sleep in every night.

The collection was then displayed at Megamax’s flagship store and forced innocent consumers shopping for beds to be confronted by the problem. For the first time consumers could see, touch, smell and even lie down on the same spots where more than 10,000 homeless people spend the night throughout Japan.

Next to the beds, several displays went on to explain the personal story of the people who were sleeping in these places.

For a week The Homeless Beds Collection was displayed at Megamax flagship store. During this period Moyai took the opportunity to raise awareness and collect donations.

The collection was built by the finest Japanese artisans; using elements that mimic the streets of Tokyo. From rough asphalt to mud, from dirty cement to stinky sewer lids with rats, the beds replicated in detail the horrible conditions that thousands sleep in every night.

A catalogue and a seemingly innocent micro site caught consumers by surprise and invited them to further donate. The collection was also promoted with posters and a street activation where pedestrians could learn the stories of several spots where homeless people sleep and donate directly to the homeless person.