Right now in Japan, loans are cheap.  Mismanagement of the banking system has created a financial mess which has translated into zero interest savings accounts and bank loans way below 5 percent.  BUT to get a loan you need to have better credit rating than the banks itself.  This has created a big market for sarakin or as we call them "loan sharks".  Some of these places are legit and charge between 15 and 29 percent interest rates but there are tons of other people happy to lend their money out at higher rates.  Wherever there is a fence in Japan, these signs are plastered to it advertising easy, hassle free money.