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eric76
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01 Jan 2014, 11:28 pm

They are apparently called Hikikomori.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori:

Quote:
Hikikomori (ひきこもり or 引き籠もり Hikikomori?, literally "pulling inward, being confined", i.e., "acute social withdrawal") is a Japanese term to refer to the phenomenon of reclusive adolescents or adults who withdraw from social life, often seeking extreme degrees of isolation and confinement. The term hikikomori refers to both the sociological phenomenon in general as well as to people belonging to this societal group.

...

While many people feel the pressures of the outside world, hikikomori react by complete social withdrawal. In some cases, they isolate themselves in their room, apartment or house for prolonged periods, sometimes measured in years. They usually have few, if any, friends.

While hikikomori favor indoor activities, some venture outdoors on occasion. The withdrawal from society usually starts gradually. Affected people may appear unhappy, lose their friends, become insecure, shy, and talk less.

...

According to government figures released in 2010, there are 700,000 individuals living as hikikomori with an average age of 31. ... Among these are the hikikomori that are now in their 40s and have spent 20 years in isolation, this group is generally referred to as the "first-generation hikikomori," and there is concern about their reintegration into society in what is known as "the 2030 Problem," when they are in their 60s and their parents begin to die off.



Innocent_Bystander
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01 Jan 2014, 11:38 pm

Hikikomori are people who choose not to venture outside due to feelings of inadequacy. It's a growing trend among the younger generation. Some form of autism may be a factor but I think it's more social anxiety and the greater pressures that Japanese society imposes on its people (when compared to the West) that creates hikikomori.

If you're curious about it, you can watch an anime called Welcome to the NHK which is about a hikikomori. It also explores some of the other underground movements in Japan.



Dan_Undiagnosed
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02 Jan 2014, 1:21 am

Innocent_Bystander wrote:
I've spent some time in Japan and although I do have an obsession with manga and anime, I would recommend not staying for a prolonged length of time. They will treat you like an outsider no matter how long you stay there, and if you are not Asian, you will get a lot of attention anywhere you go. Prejudice is more prevalent in Japan than in the States. I learned of Koreans who migrated to Japan generations ago and they are still denied jobs and positions at the top ranked universities because of their ancestry (There's something called the family registry where they check what town your family came from when applying for jobs). My professor moved to Japan from Great Britain and he applied to be a Japanese citizen. He'd been living in Japan for 30+ yrs. and he was kept from entering a hot spring in Hokkaido because he would "contaminate" the water.

Asian culture also does not treat mental illnesses/conditions/neurological disorders very well. It's treated something like the "shame that must be hidden and not acknowledged." Also, anime and manga are seen as more of an underground nerd thing or thing for just children even in Japan. You would need to go to a place like Akihabara for the otaku culture.


Yes it is surprising that for a country that people think is so homogeneous that Japan has these forms of racism. Anyone interested should read a book called The Japan We Never Knew by David Suzuki and Keith Oiwa. Oiwa is a Japanese of Korean descent and talks about that racism towards Koreans even though to any outsider he would just appear to be Japanese. The book also mentions severe prejudice towards people who work with dead animal products. The word 'eta' is used and means heavily polluted and is considered as strong a word in Japan as n****r (I thought WP would censor that word for me. Sorry if anyone was offended before I edited) in the United States. Having said all that, racism exists everywhere. We should definitely know that if it even exists in such a seemingly conformative society like Japan. Still I'd love to go there and stay for a long time one day. The place fascinates me.