Shutting out the sun
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. Equally as troubling are the more than one million young men who shut themselves in their rooms, 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.In Shutting Out the Sun, Michael Zielenziger argues that Japan's rigid, tradition-steeped society, its aversion to change, and its distrust of individuality and the expression of self are stifling economic revival, political reform, and social evolution. Giving a human face to the country's malaise, Zielenziger explains how these constraints have driven intelligent, creative young men to become modern-day hermits. At the same time, young women, better educated than their mothers and earning high salaries, are rejecting the traditional path to marriage and motherhood, preferring to spend their money on luxury goods and travel. Smart, unconventional, and politically controversial, Shutting Out the Sun is a bold explanation of Japan's stagnation and its implications for the rest of the world.From the Hardcover edition.
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4recommend
7mentions
6people
2013–2026years
71% recommend29% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- A highly insightful book on Japanese culture on what makes people reluctant to be part of society (getting married, having children etc) is "Shutting Out the Sun: How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation"
- If this topic interests you, you might enjoy the book “Shutting Out the Sun: How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation” by Michael Zielenziger: https://openlibrary.org/books/OL24765707M/Shutting_out_the_s...
- The Japanese place very high value on social cohesion. Deviation from the norm - especially emotional - is not accepted or acknowledged.
I can't say whether the Japanese are especially lonely. I can say that those who are have little means to express that among themselves.
If the topic interests you, check out the Hikkikomori phenomenon, such a the book: "Shutting out the Sun: How Japan created its own lost generation."
See also the difficulty that Japanese mental health professionals have in the country. Such places are as discreet as abortion clinics are in the American south.
- I recommend the book "Shutting Out the Sun: How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation" by Michael Zielenziger. The main topic is Hikikomori, a group of (mostly young, mostly male) Japanese people who, unable to handle to immense pressure to conform to Japanese society, shut themselves in their rooms 24/7 and depend on their parents.
- I think this would definitely be helpful. Definitely something I will think about starting. You can really only get a handle on your emotions when you've someone that understands you and to do that you need to be able to express yourself without fear of rejection; a group of us would definitely help with that.
All the resources for the socially isolated tend to be directed at;
1. Those that are depressed or insane. As I mentioned (albeit in a very hyperbolic manner) people tend to assume you're depressed and the only help I have ever been offered was to help cure my non-existent depression. I think it's because most people cant imagine cutting themselves off from the world. They'd only do it if they had a serious mental breakdown, so they assume we must have had one.
or
2. Autistic people that are severely socially disabled.
I'm neither depressed nor severely social disabled. I imagine most shut-ins aren't.
The judgment and inaccurate labeling that comes with seeking help severely deters people like us from seeking it. The very reason I withdrew from society is because I couldn't take the labeling and social judgment.
I'd encourage you to read up on Hikikomori. Japan has a culture that causes a great deal more shut-ins than we do and there is a significant body of work on the phenomenon. Shutting Out the Sun http://www.amazon.com/Shutting-Out-Sun-Generation-Departures... is a pretty good book. There is a good introductory article here http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/15/magazine/15japanese.html?p...
Simply reading about others like me was enough to give me the courage to share with a few online friends and from there I got the courage to publish my story. There are lots of people like us, you're not alone. Feel free to email me anytime "k@20252.me". We can chat about whatever.
- I've been reading Zielenziger's Shutting Out The Sun on the hikkikomori phenomenon, and among many depressing story there's one that stuck out:
a father, mother and their early 20s hikkikomori son were sharing an apartment, with their son having very little communication with his parents. One day he burst out to his mother: 'Why did you divorce my father?' The mother answered that they did not divorce, it's just that the father leaves for work before the son wakes up and returns from work after the son goes to bed.
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