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Is it just me, or does Japan have more of these subcultures like “jouhatsu” and “hikikomori” simply because they give the behavior a name? There are people who

by ponker 6y ago

Is it just me, or does Japan have more of these subcultures like “jouhatsu” and “hikikomori” simply because they give the behavior a name? There are people who do this everywhere but it seems like it’s exoticized when Japanese. Or are these extreme behaviors actually more common in Japan?

luckylion 6y ago
I don't know, but I believe that an industry forming around something is an indicator that it's somewhat common. But then again, maybe companies offering these services exist everywhere and I'm just not aware of them.
- ponker 6y ago
  Well an industry can form only when there’s a name, otherwise people can’t identify themselves as the target market or seek out the vendors.
Cthulhu_ 6y ago
I'm sure it's (as you say) exoticized or named because it's Japan. I mean over here we have similar things; we have shut-ins but we call them neckbeards, hoarders, recluses or just "people in their parents basement"; we have people that vanish but we've memed them with the "still waiting for dad to return from the gas station for cigarettes 15 years ago", we have "friends for hire" but they're called prostitutes or e-girls, and we have suicide but it's people jumping off bridges instead of hanging themselves in a bamboo forest. A lot of Japanese things are romanticized by using their Japanese monikers but when you zoom out, it's the same problems, different setting.
- viraptor 6y ago
  There's definitely a bit of nihonjin-ron / idea of Japanese uniqueness. But some ideas can't be generalised that easily. For example prostitutes exist, but these are different than friend / family rentals or maid cafes. (Even if the concept on some level has the same roots) They seem to come from different needs. But I'd totally read a deep dive into similarities/differences between western shut-ins and hokikomori. I don't understand differences here either.
redis_mlc 6y ago
This isn't a direct answer to your question, but here's some background as a starting point. Some Asian cultures, especially Japan, have an inside-outside psychology. They present one face (image) to themself, family and close friends, and another to the office and strangers. It's like a mild form of multiple-personality disorder, but on an hourly basis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honne_and_tatemae https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honne_and_tatemae Also there can be extreme pressures within the family on what to study or do as a career, and resulting shame in not measuring up. One of my Japanese female friends had to run away from home to the US to study at art college, for example. (To summarize, you cannot apply Western cultural norms to countries like Japan, which have no cultural similarities.) For non-Japanese countries, religion can result in an inside-outside split personality also, especially with social media and surveillance culture today. Most of my Muslim friends have private social media accounts for that reason, and even then are very selective about what to post for even friends and family to see, to avoid shaming drama. Doubly so in Islamic republics.

by ponker 6y ago

luckylion 6y ago

I don't know, but I believe that an industry forming around something is an indicator that it's somewhat common. But then again, maybe companies offering these services exist everywhere and I'm just not aware of them.

ponker 6y ago
Well an industry can form only when there’s a name, otherwise people can’t identify themselves as the target market or seek out the vendors.

Cthulhu_ 6y ago

I'm sure it's (as you say) exoticized or named because it's Japan. I mean over here we have similar things; we have shut-ins but we call them neckbeards, hoarders, recluses or just "people in their parents basement"; we have people that vanish but we've memed them with the "still waiting for dad to return from the gas station for cigarettes 15 years ago", we have "friends for hire" but they're called prostitutes or e-girls, and we have suicide but it's people jumping off bridges instead of hanging themselves in a bamboo forest. A lot of Japanese things are romanticized by using their Japanese monikers but when you zoom out, it's the same problems, different setting.

viraptor 6y ago
There's definitely a bit of nihonjin-ron / idea of Japanese uniqueness. But some ideas can't be generalised that easily. For example prostitutes exist, but these are different than friend / family rentals or maid cafes. (Even if the concept on some level has the same roots) They seem to come from different needs. But I'd totally read a deep dive into similarities/differences between western shut-ins and hokikomori. I don't understand differences here either.

redis_mlc 6y ago

This isn't a direct answer to your question, but here's some background as a starting point. Some Asian cultures, especially Japan, have an inside-outside psychology. They present one face (image) to themself, family and close friends, and another to the office and strangers. It's like a mild form of multiple-personality disorder, but on an hourly basis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honne_and_tatemae https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honne_and_tatemae Also there can be extreme pressures within the family on what to study or do as a career, and resulting shame in not measuring up. One of my Japanese female friends had to run away from home to the US to study at art college, for example. (To summarize, you cannot apply Western cultural norms to countries like Japan, which have no cultural similarities.) For non-Japanese countries, religion can result in an inside-outside split personality also, especially with social media and surveillance culture today. Most of my Muslim friends have private social media accounts for that reason, and even then are very selective about what to post for even friends and family to see, to avoid shaming drama. Doubly so in Islamic republics.