Japan’s Problem with Recluses, Known as Hikikomori
Since about the 1990s in Japan, a phenomenon has been arising there that seems to be at a level that is unique to Japan. The phenomenon is there are a large amount of youth to middle age men that, due to stress or other factors end up shutting themselves inside their rooms or apartments for sometimes up to 10 years, only coming out when it is absolutely necessary and usually late at night. The term used to describe these people is Hikikomori, the word roughly meaning to withdraw inward in Japanese. The problem seems to be getting worse by the day and more and more people each year are finding themselves in this situation. I want to explore why.
First the Japanese government estimates that there are 700,000 to 1,000,000 Hikikomori currently living throughout Japan. The government has a relatively strict guideline when considering if someone is a Hikikomori, with the most important being that the person has been mostly confined to their home for 6 months or more. Hikikomori don’t hold jobs, don’t socialize, don’t leave their homes unless they need to get food, usually from a convenience store late at night and usually something fast and simple they can store for weeks, such as ramen. These people are mostly men, and are almost always being supported by their family financially.
So why does this situation occur? In Japanese society it is necessary to have two kinds of faces when dealing with the world. The first is where you can express your own thoughts and emotions, which is really only reserved for immediate family or occasionally very close friends. The second face is the one everyone sees and the one you wear the majority of the time, where everything is okay, you must do exactly as you are told and no matter what obey the social norms. Even if you are hurting in the inside, you have to pretend like everything is okay and there is no one there to console you. Sometimes this becomes too much and people crack and literally just withdraw to their rooms and never come out.
For parents who usually support their children financially, the stigma of throwing them out on the street and being seen as bad people is worse than aiding them in staying secluded from the world. For Hikikomori, the stigma of mental health care is worse than just hiding away so many never get the help they need. There is a huge mental health problem, not only in Japan, but in most of Asia as a whole where getting mental help is seen as only for crazy people or those with extreme conditions. Rather than partaking in therapy or taking medication for those that need it, the average person keeps everything inside until they snap. Despite government efforts to help make mental health care less stigmatized, there stigma still heavily remains.
The government in recent years has set up organizations and help line for Hikikomori or families related to them, to help aid in a transition back to the world. With a growing population and a labor shortage, the governments worst fear is that in 20 years when the parents of the Hikikomori pass away, you will have a large amount of people with nowhere to go and unable to be taken care of. Most Hikikomori don’t want to be trapped inside their apartments, but also don’t want to seek the help needed to move past the problem. It is unknown if the situation has been getting any better with the government aid or if it will continue to get worse as the pressures of society continue.
-Calaber24p
Interesting article. This is a big issue in Japan and is sad to see. I first learned of, "Hikikomori" in my Japanese class I took in January. It is a very troubling thing that is happening there. There is so much pressure on these men that once they fail, or become a recluse for a short period of time, feel they are unable to face the world. By educating the Japanese culture on the results of presenting this pressure on their peers can cause some to become Hikikomori or even worse commit suicide. I have developed many Japanese friends over the years and I truly admire their work ethic and dedication to their job, or for many who have found their Ikigai! However, this immense pressure needs to be back down as it seems to drive many to insanity. We are all unique and need to be treated as so. Great post. Looking forward to reading more!
Many years ago, I saw a movie depicting this specific phenomena. It looked more like sci-fi dystopia, but by the looks of it, it is actually happening in Japan, just like the movie was describing!
I guess the next phase might be the same Hikikomori trapping themselves into smaller cubicles, on some sort of welfare system!?! It is a sad state of affair build over many years in the Japanese society... Where is it going to go and how far?!?
Your article sheds light on this matter in a straightforward manner, thank you.
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Its not just Asia where getting help with mental health issues is a problem, I think many people find it difficult to talk about all over the world.
I dont doubt in Japan it has become a specific kind of problem as you describe, but we all struggle sometimes, so we should be able to understand the situations we find our fellow humans having. However I think as we are basically social animals, people who cannot conform are excluded at almost an evolutionary level; this is not something I condone or excuse, but I think its something we need to appreciate if we can move past the stigma of mental health issues.
Interesting phenomenon. I agree with @scalextrix, mental issues comes in different degrees all over the world.
The Hikikomori sound sad and distressed, but definitely not beyond help. They need to be convinced that they can seek help privately, and it won't mean anything's wrong with them. Since it's so stigmatized to see a psychiatrist or therapist, I wonder why the Hikikomori don't just see therapists privately without telling others. I mean I see a therapist in California, and even though it's not stigmatized here, I don't really tell anyone about it. I'm not ashamed, but it's also private stuff so I don't go around parading what I spoke about.
For @calaber24p I have a question: What would happen if people decided not to put on that second face you mentioned for society, and just be their unique selves? Would they be ostracized or something??
Absolutely, they would be ostracized. There's a saying in Japanese, "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down." That means if you don't conform, you'll be shunned, or worse, bullied by the entire group you belong to.
The efficiency, politeness, and hi-tech advances of Japan come at a huge price to individual freedom.
I've been to Tokyo (granted only for a couple weeks), but I didn't come away with the sense that being unique would have dire consequences like shunning or bullying. That being said, two weeks isn't nearly enough to get a full sense of what it's like to be an average person in society
I've been here over 10 years. Tokyo is the big city, there are a lot more open minded people there. But it's a small group compared to the rest of Tokyo and the rest of Japan.
Bullying is a big problem here. A couple of years ago, in Shiga, where I live, there was an incident where a school kid was bullied to the point of suicide. And the bullies actually made him practice the suicide multiple times beforehand. This is an extreme example. But Japan isn't the anime wonderland it's made out to be, and what people might see on a short trip.
That being said, overall it's not that bad, and much safer than most other countries (unless you consider earthquakes, tsunamis, and typhoons).
But after living here for a while, you begin to sense the underlying stress in the air. It's the complete opposite of someplace like Thailand, where the complete lack of stress makes you feel like you might melt into a state of non existence.
practice the suicide??? I don't even know what that means but it sounds horrible.
It's disheartening to hear, because I saw in Japan elements of super-politeness and links to tradition, but I also saw places, such as in Shinjuku with the yakitori stands lining the side streets, where people would let go, blow off steam and be much less formal.
I hope it isn't too bad in Shiga. Since you're foreign, do you think it's easier for you than the average citizen, to personally to step away from that societal pressure?
Absolutely people blow off steam in their free time. That's part of the reason for the high alcoholism rate. But compared to Americans, they are much less likely to get aggressive when they drink. That's a plus.
Their politeness is intertwined and codependent with their stress. They HAVE to be polite. The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.
As a foreigner, I will never be seen as Japanese, nor expected to act Japanese. I do my best to not let their stress affect me. I am outside of their societal games. I am like the zen monk at the edge of the road. And anyone who takes classes at my small English school knows they are free to let go and express themselves without fear of being ostracized. I try to let them see Japanese society and human society in general for what it is - a complex game that we have little choice but to participate in, but that can be changed by changing the way we think, little by little.
I have an elderly woman that I teach once a week. She was complaining about the stress of having to clean out her neighborhood sewer system with people from her neighborhood. It's an obligatory duty she can't refuse. I mentioned how in other countries the norm is to hire people for that kind of work. It's something that's hazardous to human health and should be handled by professionals. In the big cities of Japan, it is handled by professionals. Then I got into the idea that it's her city, and she should join the local city council and bring up this fact. And she wholeheartedly agreed, but I don't know yet whether she will voice her opinion. I can't make her do anything, I can only show her the possibilities.
Tradition is a double edged sword here. There are beautiful traditions that produce amazing art, and then there are millions of people doing things that society tells them to do because that's the way it's always been done, regardless of whether it makes any sense.
Yeah it's like email etiquette to a much higher degree. It can be insidiously stressful to constantly worry about ensuring you're projecting the proper tone.
I think that you are likely an important voice for people to hear in the town you live in.
You're right. Society is a game, and I think because there are so many subcultures that are created over time, there is always some place for everyone to flourish. Finding that place can be difficult though, and sometimes people never find it. It sounds like you implore people to search though, and that's a big deal.
http://japandailypress.com/13-year-old-bullied-into-practicing-his-own-suicide-before-killing-self-066106/
What an awful story. What the hell were the teachers doing??!?
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I have seen documentaries on this as I am fascinated with Japanese culture. This is a great write up and share. Thanks.
This was a really enjoyable read and concise analysis of Hikikomori. I first heard the term a few years ago and often wonder what it would be like to live as a total shut-in.
There is another exteme called "evaporated people" in Japan, because of the pressures in life they leave their family, friends, identity and disappear. They dont kill themselves, they just take new identities and earn money through cash and hire people so it would hard for those looking for them to track them down.
I work from home as an online tutor and I have mostly Japanese students. If the two faces thing is true, then I feel really touched, because some of my regular students have shared personal stories with me that they probably wouldn't say in real life.
That's a really interesting article. I think the phenomenon is probably not confined to just Japan, either, considering the state of the world. People just seem not as nice anymore, and even in small towns, there are so many of them everywhere you go, it's easy to just want to stay home. I could almost be considered one of these. I don't remember when the last time was I left the house, but it's been a couple of weeks at least. I'm not sure if I've left it this month at all. I get everything delivered I can, even groceries. I do have to make a long drive across the state Saturday, and it's freaking me out a little bit, to be honest, because I've gotten comfortable in my "zone." Of course, part of the reason I like to stay home now is because it's so hot, humid, and miserable outside this time of year, I don't even like to go outside to the laundry room or to put out the recycling. I tend to be more motivated to go places when it's cooler and nice outside. When you stay home a long time, though, it makes it harder to go out. Thank goodness for the internet, where there are a million and one ways to make a full-time income without leaving home if you don't want to.
I think this is happening everywhere, not just Japan. Taking part in the outside world often demands a great set of theatrics that many simply refuse to take part
Give them access to the internet :>)