The book starts out talking about the trend of the hikikomori. Predominantly young men, who shut themselves off from the world and cloister in their rooms, sometimes for months and years on end. The plight of these people didn't start to be recognized until the end of the 20th century and according to the book is still relatively ignored by Japanese institutions. The author used his status as a foreign journalist in Japan to interview professionals at various levels who are trying to work with the hiki. He was able to gain access to some hiki themselves for candid interviews. What he found through his series of interviews were that many of the hiki questioned the state of Japanese society, its rigid hierarchal structure and their own ability to find a place for themselves in a system they see as having abandoned them. Many of them explain that they became shut ins due to severe social and peer pressures, causing them to lose faith in themselves and their ability to interact with those around them.
There are various aspects of society that can be oppressive. Japan is famous for enforcing the will of the group on the individual. Rigid systems are in place that foster hive mind mentalities. If someone, realistically or imaginatively, is ostracized from the group it is an incredibly heavy problem to deal with in a society that values membership to the whole over individuality. When there is nowhere an individual can turn for help when they feel lost and alone one of the natural outcomes is to close yourself off from outside contact. Resigning one’s self to the isolation and ostracism, excepting your rank of outcast.
There is an idea; I would agree is true to some degree, emotions and personal closeness in Japan are difficult for many people. Public affection is highly frowned upon and based on a lot of popular culture you would think children are abandoned and emotionally neglected by their parents. Given the idea of human nature and out instincts for nurturing our young I find this somewhat hard to swallow on the whole. That would suggest that Japanese parents are unable or unwilling to connect with their offspring and instead place their development onto the national identity of the group. Restricting and punishing individuality. Japan is famous for the slogan, hammering in the nail that sticks out the furthest. This can be true to an extent. There is truth in the collective pressures on people to conform to standards. But this is not unique to Japan; this is an aspect of human society as a whole. One striking difference is the Japanese people’s own perception of those collective pressures. They have a tendency as a whole to accept and recognize that they conform at various levels. The major difference in America is that we refuse to admit that we conform, even though we have just as much social pressure as they do in Japan. It's not that Japan is different in this regard; it’s that they are honest and upfront about it. Mostly accepting it where as American's have a pattern of attempting to resist it but succumbing anyways. It’s like all of the flower children who got a bit older and decided to become business professionals like their parents before them, becoming a part of the system they rebelled against in their youth. The Japanese do this as well, as do all cultures. If there wasn't an active rebellion against the adult world you wouldn't have the displays of individuality and fashion like you have in Harajuku. Like everyone else in the industrialized world, those kids who are so blatantly rebellious (although they conform to the standards of their small cliques anyways) will eventually put that aside and do what society demands them to do in order to be a functioning member of it. You don't see lawyers in America with Mohawks. For the same reason the legions of blue suit clad business men in Tokyo make it seems like everyone is a drone.
In Japan, as in other parts of the world, individuals have separate personalities and faces they tend to present. The professional personality and the private personality. In Japan there tends to be a more rigid system to dictate these personalities. Much of that is built into the language and the long running feudal culture. But it doesn't mean its unique to Japan. The author instead is presenting this as one of the differences between the nation and its Western counterparts. Propping it up as part of the oppressive hierarchy. One usually does not impress their private passions in a business setting due to either the possibility of it inhibiting professional growth or not being appropriate or related to the profession. People will look at you weirdly anywhere if you are constantly talking about your passion for building doll houses while people are trying to accomplish advertising sales transactions. Peoples private lives are separate from their professional lives for many reasons, most of which have nothing to do with misconduct of lewd behavior. There is a place for everything and the boardroom is not the place to discuss your favorite soap opera. The author fails to recognize that the personal side of people in Japan is kept very personal and separate from their public side. This doesn't mean they are all listless and lack dreams and ambitions.
Since the idea that Japan is unique in pressuring its people to join the flock is not unique to them, what else could be occurring? One thing Zielenziger presents that does make sense is the attitude towards mental health in Japan and this being a contributing factor towards hiki and other acts of resignation. Japan's attitude and approach towards mental health is lagging behind Europe and America. On top of that is the social pressure of gossip and suspicions. In many neighborhoods, even like America, everyone is in everyone’s business. Busy bodies keeping tabs on the Tanaka's. If you are afraid of what the local house wives will discuss if you are seen walking into psychiatrist’s office you may be hesitant to do so. It’s hard to ask for help when your gripped with the fear of what others will think about you for asking for that help. If you have significant social anxiety issues it’s that much more difficult to seek help in overcoming those issues when you perceive real or fictional social backlash from those around you for doing so. Having somewhat experienced it myself growing up, it can be hard to seek help growing up when your peers are punishing you for something that may not even be real or under your control. It’s hard when you can't get any help from your guardians if they think that you’re the problem and not the peers pressuring you.
An interesting idea that is presented by one hiki in the book, which I would tend to believe as being more common than not, is the idea of unspoken communication. The idea that so much in Japanese society is understood without needing to be communicated. His thinking, which may not be unusual, takes this a bit to the extreme though. According to him, a mother should be able to understand what is going on with her child instinctively. The idea that everyone in Japan needs to be semi-telepathic in order for everything to work as society has been set up to anticipate. Just based on the things I understand with the language through my studies I can see how there can exist various levels of non-communicated communication. The hikikomori interviewed brings up a catch-22 problem with dealing with the things that can drive someone to that life style. "'If I have to articulate my problem (the hikikomori says), then I have to recognize it,' which will lead to shame and frustration." Pg 62. Meaning, his mother should be able to, instinctively, understand the problems her son is facing, offer to help solve the problem without him telling her anything.
In his research, he finds that Japan is somewhat unique with the hikikomori problem. The uniqueness is perhaps best attributed to the estimated size of the tribe and the occasion for the length of time as a hiki being quite long compared to other nations. He believes that the seclusion and parasitic nature of the hikikomori is in part due to Japanese families willingness to allow it to happen. Strong feelings of duty to care for and provide for family members...which also starkly contrasts to the points he tries to make about Japanese families being uncaring. The fact that a late middle aged or elderly couple are willing to allow an adult child to act like a spoiled child. Refusing to earn a wage, participate in the household in any way, demanding sustenance and to do what they want. It is true though, a hikikomori can not exist if his family members are not willing to at least make sure he doesn't starve to death. An outside would question why parents, who should have more authority over their own children, are unable to force them out of their seclusion and parasitic nature. I'm pretty sure most families do attempt at some point in the process to do that. There is unfortunately only so much one can do. You can only get so far forcing someone to do something they do not want to do. Eventually it no longer becomes worthwhile to continue in that direction and may be significantly easier to just deal with it. A popular word in the Japanese language is ganbatte (がんばって) or 'persevere'. Bare with it, endure, cope. This phrase suggests negative connotations to me. But its indicative to popular idealism in Japan. Persevere, bare with it, keep going. So its not hard to understand why these parents, who feel there is no choice, will ganbatte and allow their child to continue to act selfishly. The child too must be expecting their problems to be solved for them, but shouldn't have to actually discuss it. It should just magically happen. More childish and unreasonable behavior and expectations. If there is a lack in infrastructure to help the hiki themselves deal with their issues, then there is even less of a support network for the families to deal with the problem as well. Add to that the paranoia of being criticized by the neighbors, that you have failed as a person because your child has become a worthless parasite, refusing to conform. Without any real legal means to physically remove them from your house what else can you do when you can't persuade them to confront their fears? Ganbatte. That strong sense of familial duty that is so prevalent in Japanese society makes it hard to refuse to persevere when its your own flesh and blood. You sit back and hope that they can come out of it on their own, in the mean time you have to deal with your own growing anxiety about the situation and how it reflects on you.
We have a variety of things suggested that help lead to the hikikomori life style. He believes the contributing factors are thus; Japanese 'unique' social oppression and rigid conformity. Lack of emotional support and encouragement from the familial unit. Overwhelming pessimism relating to a prosperous future due to the long running economic recession. Lack of a strong mental health industry. A greater likelihood for families to allow the hiki to remain so, given the strong family unit bonds that are a core of society in Japan.
Zielenziger then moves on to talk about another group of people who seem to have turned their back on Japanese society, the so called Parasite Singles Adult, professional women, who refuse to marry and have children. Instead many of these highly educated women choose to live with their parents and spend their vast disposable income on themselves. It’s hard to fault an independently minded woman from wanting to sacrifice her career for the traditional way a Japanese family unit is expected to operate. Usually once a child is born the woman is expected to leave the work force, at least as a full-time employee, in order to become the homemaker and care taker. The man is expected to be the sole bread winner for the family, which in many cases in the business world requires long hours and severe dedication to the work unit. Just as the mental health industry is lacking so to is the professional childcare industry. Day cares are few and far between and are no where near as flexible and compliant as they are in other portions of the world. The woman is expected to provide most of the care for her young children. Once they enter the school system the woman is then able to return, part time, to the work force, still needing to be available to care for the child outside of school. Unless close family members are available it is difficult to find strangers who are willing to provide childcare. According to the author it is something that is not socially accepted, outside childcare.
Even without the threat of having to choose between family or career, women in Japan are still second class citizens in many ways. Professionally woman are treated with less respect than men and find it harder to compete on the same level. Zielenziger concludes that this attitude of the male dominated workforce did not exist much prior to the opening up of the nation and its rush to industrialization in the late 1800's. Stating that prior to that period, when it was more agrarian, the women and men shared equal work load in their rural communities. While it may be true that, as anywhere, rural communities do see shared responsibilities between everyone in the community, this is not indicative to equal rights for women. Japan classically and modernly is patriarchal. So I don't think this is a malaise of the industrialization and urbanization of the nation. Instead this is a problem that is deeper rooted and exists in almost every culture around the world.
I think the real picture her is that these Parasite Singles are being targeted by a nation that has problems with women being in control of themselves and is trying to help blame them for the decline of the nations growth. There is nothing wrong with what they are doing, this is a byproduct of feminism and a sigh of free thinking and individual action over adhering to the status quo.
A troubling thing with the book is that only about a third of it is really spent dealing with the hikikomori. A good half of the book is dedicated to Zielenziger recounting the economic and governmental practices of the nation since the end of World War Two. Somthing he sees as being the major force that has kept the nation from breaking free of its recession since the early 90's. An excellent book already exists regarding that and so much more, Dogs & Demons, by Alex Kerr, of which he references a handful of times in this book. I didn't pick up this book for 200 pages of economical theory debate and problem solving. I understand the idea of laying some ground work to help explain some of the societal issues that may contribute to hikikomori. Instead I got a half hearted recap of Dogs & Demons and a little bit of ideological preaching as well. During a number of portions the author seems to be letting his bias leak a little bit, a bias I was slightly offended by, intellectually, which really made the remainder of the book a bit of a chore to read.
At times he seems to be circling around and contradicting his theories as to the woeful state of Japan. On one hand, bashing the country for being mired in its unique socio-economical-political quagmire. Questioning why the nation is the way it is, when other neighboring nations (essentially just South Korea) don't suffer from the same malaise. But in other portions he reiterates the unique nature of the Japanese psyche and history. Then goes back again and wonders why they are having the issues they have, unique in the world, when others in their situation have not had this issue. Then he grasps at vapid reasons to this; ideas that Japan just doesn't have the firm moral framework other nations in the world have, with their continued attachment to Shinto and Buddhism. Systems he says don't promote the thought processes needed to develop the skills for the Japanese people to pull change their ways to match more in line with European and American processes. He glosses over a number of historical occurrences to support his notions that the citizens are unable and unwilling to fight for change and expression.
He also strongly believes that the key to unlocking Japans economical potential in order to become the powerhouse it once was is by embracing open market business practices and opening up the flood gates of foreign capital and corporate takeover. While I agree that the cozy relations between business, financial sectors and the central government are the reason the economy has gotten into the situation it’s in. I don't agree with the notion that its unwilling and unable to change to better meet the future. Policy changes are sometimes slow and with the central government being an old boys club that has been in power for a long time, it’s going to be difficult to move that change. Yet, they recognize their problem and won't just let the entire thing collapse. Allowing a flood of outside influence and control isn't going to help them though, they need to ultimately make these moves themselves. But I digress, just as the book did.
Zielenziger unfortunately paints the Japanese with a very broad brush, pigeon holing all of them to be kowtowing, subservient drones. Again and again he paints the nation as a group of people who are unwilling to challenge convention and of restricting free thought and free will. Saying again and again that the only people who are able to do so are those that have expatriated. From my own observations alone this is an absurd and narrow sighted view of this nation of over 125 million people. I went into this book with the hopes of learning some inside information on the hikikomori, of which there was some. But apparently there was not enough to make a full length book so instead he fills half of it with distractions. I won't even get into his theories on Western religion and how he feels it is/can affect a mental shift in the Japanese people, because its absurd conjecture.
He never even got into other portions of Japanese society and how they reflect breaking from the convention he laid out. In his book one would think 3 types of people exist in Japan. The normal carbon copy individuality surpresing masses, the hiki and other fringe groups who shut out the world and refuse to join the herd (if not outright kill themselves) and those brave and learned people who flee the country for 'freedom'. I am interested in how the other outcasts fit in with the complexities of the way society organizes and operates in Japan, the homeless, the underworld, etc. These factions would seem to put a huge wrench in the observations the author has presented. These are groups of people, some rather large and influential, who exist outside of the norms of society.
Overall I would not recommend this book. Read perhaps the first 120 pages or so, then put it down and read Dogs & Demons to get a better understanding of what else the author is trying to say. For a look at the outcasts of society read Speed Tribes by Karl Taro Greenfield.
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