Hey, Li-Anne! Over here.
Huh? Oh, hello
Hello
You look really serious! Are you ok?
Yes. I was just thinking of a conversation I had with a Japanese friend about “Hikikomori”. Have you heard of it?
No. What is it?
I’ve heard of that. They’re those who stay holed up in their rooms all day right?
Oh! Why do they not leave their room? Is it because of bullying in school? My friends from Japan have told me about bullying in high school. It seems to be a common problem among Japanese youths. Do you think hikikomori and bullying are related?
Well, perhaps. I had a classmate since middle school who got bullied. I saw him less and less and eventually he ended up not coming to school at all. Maybe he became one himself..
But, is Hikikomori real? When I was at Uni, I spent a year living in Japan, and I didn’t see any hikikomori people
Of course not. They never come outside!
Oh. Of course.
I read online that there are a million people in Japan afflicted with it. Some of the oldest are 40.
Are Hikikomori and autism the same thing?
No, they’re different. Autistic people and Hikikomori people stay inside just the same, but Autistic people are like that from birth, while Hikikomori people become like that from about age 20.
That’s right. Autistic children are trapped within themselves from the onset, but are able to leave the house. People with Hikikomori were fine initially, but gradually stop interacting with society.
I see. Does it only happen in Japan?
It also seems to happen in Korea
As a psychotherapist, I have not heard about this in other countries.
I've never heard of it in Australia either.
I wonder why it only happens to Japanese and Koreans...
I don’t know why, but I was told about my friend’s experience. When he was at University, he became depressed and didn’t want to meet with people. The more he avoided socialisation, the more anxious he became about interacting with others as he fear how he would be viewed. This led to a deepening of his depressive condition. Finally, this became a vicious circle, and he didn’t leave his room for five years
That’s terrible!! Is your friend alright now?
Yes. He’s perfectly fine now.
Phew. Thank goodness. Well anyway, have you seen the film “100 Yen Love”?
No, I haven’t. Why?
In this film, there is a girl who seems a little Hikikomori. She’s always inside her house, she has no friends or job - she’s really miserable.
Sounds like she’s depressed
What happens to her then?
One day, she notices a cool looking boxer, and thinks “Boxing? Maybe I could have a go at that? So she tries really hard, and gets really good at it. And she gets better.
Well, maybe she wasn’t really Hikikomori?
Well, maybe that’s right. But the film was really interesting!
Actually, the friend I spoke about earlier got better through sports as well.
Sports - of course. That’s great.
Wait a minute. How in the world can Hikikomori even live? If they stay in their room every day, what do they do about work? Isn’t money also a problem? They can’t work in their room, can they?
I have heard that parents put food outside their rooms daily. The parents see no alternative but to support their children in this way.
Don’t they get angry?
Yes, it is often associated with violence
What? Violence against their parents?
Yes. The longer they stay exclusively in their own company, the more they seem to regress to a primitive way of interaction.
Why don’t the parents seek help for their kids?
They could, but the problem builds up bit by bit and must become very hard to fix
That makes sense. With regard to pocket money, maybe they get it from their parents?
Maybe. But where could they use it?
Online shopping or video games, perhaps?
Yes, it’s really easy to get hooked on video games
You can’t play video games all day
Oh yes you can! There have been cases where youth have died from playing games continuously.
Yeah, but, lots of people stay at home and play video games all the time. They can’t all be Hikikomori
Maybe they are parasite singles? This is also quite a common problem in Japanese society.
What is “Parasite Single”?
Parasite singles affect both youths and young adults. These people do not lack opportunity to study or work but are electing to drop out of society. To put it simply, unmarried people, mainly age 20 to 30, are staying with their parents for a comfortable life.
The girl in “100 Yen Love” might have been a Parasite Single, maybe
Yeah, maybe. You know, I think it would be easy to be a Hikikomori
What do you mean?
Because you don’t have to work, you don’t have to study, you don’t have to meet people. That sort of thing is too bothersome.
Well, do you think that you could be a Hikikomori?
No way
Why not?
Because I like shopping with my friends
And what about you, Jonathon?
No
Why not?
Because I like playing sport. Li-Anne?
I like travelling. Maybe it’s not that easy, huh?
Ok. I have a question. Who here didn't want to get up this morning?
(Everyone raises their hand)
Aha! I guess we are all Hikikomori!
