Shutting Out the Sun -- How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation

This is an interesting book about Hikikomori written by Michael Zielenziger, it is interesting to read, and it gives a good view on certain parts of the Japanese society, how ever it also does make Japanese society look bad in my eyes with this problems.

Is there anyone else who have read this book?

The world's second wealthiest country, Japan once seemed poised to overtake America. But its failure to recover from the economic collapse of the early 1990s was unprecedented, and today it confronts an array of disturbing social trends. Japan has the highest suicide rate and lowest birthrate of all industrialized countries and a rising incidence of untreated cases of depression. Even more troubling are the more than one million young men who shut themselves in their rooms (<a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;>"hikikomori"), withdrawing from society, and the growing numbers of "parasite singles," the name given to single women who refuse to leave home, marry, or bear children.

Read more on his website

Click to expand...

I have also found an interview from him last week

Don't have to read the book, I've seen most of it and been hearing it for years.

Theres huge issues socially and politically that despite these well known issues change does not happen - its bizarre. Koizumi was pushing to make changes, but opposition within government meant that the best he could do was privatise the post office.

The numbers for the debt Japan faces is staggering, and nothing is being done to cut spending. The budget is a mess. Gyaaaa its bed time. Nite.

I've been proposing many of the same ideas for a long time now... When people look to Japan, they see these wild-children hanging out in the streets of Harajuku wearing all sorts of bizarre fashion, but they never see this as an after-effect of the oppressive aspects of Japanese society.

I don't necessarily think that it paints Japan in a bad light--- I mean, it's important to talk about aspects of society that create these trends. People in Japan are definitely interested in these topics, I mean, for a while I think they considered freeters to be a benefit to society because of all the disposable income they had--- but then I think slowly they realized they were contributing to a major drought in the workforce...

Unfortunately, certain means of dealing with the problem was to use scare tactics to let freeter know that there would be no second chances, that if they hadn't picked a career right out of college, that they would be doomed to a life of low paying menial jobs, with no hope of advancement. And these are the exact types of strategies that created all of these parasite singles in the first place!

Looks interesting, and I've found that the Carnegie Library near me has it available, so I think I'll check it out and give it a read.... review possibly forthcoming.

Freeters and Harajuku girls are not even part of the issue - these are just minor issues that any country has, but is new and unique to Japan.

Far, far worse is the issues of hikikomori and tokokyohi where individuals are refusing to interact with society, locking themselves up in their rooms. And its not small figures either.

This book is a must read - Amazon product ASIN 0415154391
To understand whats wrong to need to understand the current "system"; you go to school, taught that anything not Japanese is foreign, that life is hard and you just have to ganbarre, not to question, that your sempai is always right, then you go to university, get a job, and work.

Anything outside of this chain is considered weird.

Another interesting book is Dogs and Demons, thats also a must read, some of the details are a little dated but constantly come up in the news which makes it a fascinating book to have on your shelf.

with modernisation came losing heritage and tradition, its a shame to see these things gradually disappear, of course development is important and i realise it wont be practical for the days of samurai to come back lol but still its a unique culture and way of life. Also spritually Japan is suffering, with most people not practising a religion, being economically rich is one thing but spiritually poor is another, many people are aware of the suicide rates in Japan, and even suicide pacts being organised on the net. Something obviously isnt going right.

In the starting-over campaign by the govenment, they will hire 100 new public servants from middle-aged part-timers.
Better than nothing, though...

Ewok85 said:

Freeters and Harajuku girls are not even part of the issue - these are just minor issues that any country has, but is new and unique to Japan.

Click to expand...

I'm just saying that I think that a lot of what passes for Japanese fashion-trend, or social trend has a lot to do with this avoidance of future responsibility, that there is really not a lot to look forward to for Japanese youth, and some of course deal with it differently than others.

You are right, girls dressing up adorn-style in Harajuku isn't such a problem when compared to people isolating themselves from society--- In a way, the people, freeters, etc, may simply be trying to forgo making any huge life decisions--- but Japanese society is set up to try to insure those people that should they put off deciding on a career, that they will probably never get a good one for the remainder of their lives... and this produces more hikikomori...

I'm not as familiar with the school system, but I'm imagining it as you describe it, and I'm seeing it as part of societal pressures wholly...

I think a lot of these things are interconnected, however grave the circumstances are of the individuals themselves, and what (abnormal) characteristics they show.

Do you guys see this Hikiomori trend ever happening in Western countries. I know there are kids who already do spend significant time playing vidoe games and on the internet but do you think it could happen on a bigger scale like in Japan?

RevengeBabyYeah said:

Do you guys see this Hikiomori trend ever happening in Western countries. I know there are kids who already do spend significant time playing vidoe games and on the internet but do you think it could happen on a bigger scale like in Japan?

Click to expand...

No, thats not hikikomori, thats just plain old truancy.

What is important is to make the distinction between people who refuse to go to school because they want to play games, hang out with friends etc (truancy) and those who are unable to go to school because it scares them (tokokyohi).

Hikikomori is people who refuse to go out into society, who are unable to emotionally handle interaction with other people etc - not people who chose to stay at home and do what they want to do.

Thanks, i didn't know that much about the subject Well do you ever see that happening on a large scale in the West?

RevengeBabyYeah said:

Thanks, i didn't know that much about the subject Well do you ever see that happening on a large scale in the West?

Click to expand...

Yup, and thats the point