Mikael Ip: The Million Unknowns Thesis

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Declaration PgDip/MArch Advanced Architectural Design (AAD) MArch Architectural Design International (MADi) I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and has been composed by myself. It contains no unacknowledged text and has not been submitted in any previous context. All quotations have been distinguished by quotation marks and all sources of information, text, illustration, tables, images etc. have been specifically acknowledged.

I accept that if having signed this Declaration my work should be found at Examination to show evidence of academic dishonesty the work will fail and I will be liable to face the University Senate Discipline Committee.

Name: Signed: Date:

The Million Unknowns

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Abstract

Abstract: The Million Unknowns In Japan there exists a phenomena known as ‘hikikomori’. It was discovered by a psychiatrist called Saito Tamaki and he defines it as: “a state in which a person confines himself to his own room or home and does not participate in society for six months or longer.”

This is a very extreme form of social isolation that seems to exist solely in this country, While the psychiatrist approach analyses the human psyche in the context of Japan, my goal is to find the root reason to the cause of hikikomori in the context of city/country. Why does it seem to only exist in Japan? Does it happen in other parts of the world? Can architects translate the problems of a hikikomori, and solve them through the representation of space?

The research in this publication will attempt to provide a step by step guide in how a hikikomori is formed. It will delve into issues such as: social isolation and its causes, cultural and personal misidentity, and underlying mental illnesses.

The reason why this is important is because, if nothing is done, there will be a frightening possibility of the future being consumed by a global hikikomori population. And thus leaving the world to socially deteriorate.

As a concluding note, the overall research aims to achieve one thing: Mental Wellbeing.

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Contents

Contents Declaration 2 Abstract The Million Unknowns

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Introduction Traits of Social Isolation 8 Community vs Individual 12 Voluntary vs Involuntary 14 Physical vs Social 16 Chapter 1: Contextual Research 20 Lonely City’s 22 Why does this happen in a ‘city’?

36 The ‘city’s’ positive and negative aspect 38 Chapter 2: Detailed Research Test: Japan Japan’s Economical Timeline Japan’s Decline Effects of the Economy Collapse Japan’s Economic Drive to Recovery Decline of Youth Saito Tamaki’s Discovery Hikikomori Statistics Lifestyle of a Hikikomori Underlying Mental Illness Effects of Prolonged Suppression Cultural Stress

40 42 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 74 76 78

Chapter 3: Research Analysis Reversing Hikikomori Medical Intervention Forced Apprehension Reversing the Walls Parenting School Temporariness & Permanence Workshop Program

100 102 104 106

Conclusion

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Bibliography & References

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List of Figures

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Introduction

Introduction: Traits of Social Isolation “Humans were not designed to be solitary creatures. We evolved to survive in tribes; the need to interact is deeply ingrained in our genetic code.”

Laura Entis

In this research I decided to team up with two other members who were interested in tackling the problems associated with isolation: Carmen and Jane. Together we decided to search for the root causes of ‘social isolation.’

Social isolation is a very complicated problem in this modern era because there are many factors that can cause isolation in the first place. It could be the advancement of technology and people’s dependency on it. For example, the smartphone, it was a massive leap in technological development - it has made it so much easier to connect people across the world. However, one criticism that the smartphone has received is that people spend more time on social media rather than interacting with people face to face. This has accelerated feelings of loneliness (Entis, 2016).

Some say it could be poor cultural integration as immigration and emigration occurs throughout the world. This reason alone, has been known to create cultural and even personal mis-identity which leads to isolation and loneliness.

And some also suggest that it is perhaps political reasons where sovereign governments deliberately create segregated rural and urban classes which can cause community isolation. In this context it is no longer simply individual isolation (Entis, 2016).

From this, as a group we identified the different types of isolation along with an opposite aspect to that isolation theme:

1.

2.

3.

Individual vs Community Voluntary vs Involuntary Physical vs Social

With each of the isolation types, there were common traits associated with this theme, and they are all capable of being broken down into positive and negative aspects, as well as challenges and opportunities. We tried to approach the topic in a non-bias manner because isolation in itself is not always bad, it is the context in which it is applied on. For example, buddhist monks practice isolation as a way to obtain enlightenment (Zielenziger, 2007).

Therefore this makes isolation a very unique topic to tackle since there are so many aspects to consider before a conclusive argument can be made to find the true solution to tackle isolation/ loneliness.

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The members:

Mikael Ip (me)

Carmen Leong

Jane Balnave

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Introduction

individual

voluntary

physical

Figure 1 This is where we identified the different factors associated to isolation.

ISOLATION

ISOLATION

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community

involuntary

social

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Introduction

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LOW EARNING AGEING POPULATION LACK OF FUTURE PROSPECT

LACK OF BE

MARGINALISATION

VULNERABLE TO EXTERNAL CHANGES INEQUALITY LACK OF PHYSICAL CONNECTIVITY LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT LOW QUALITY OF LIFE

challenges

inw

REFLE STATE OF SECLUSION

TRAITS

COMMUNITY PLEASURE Withdrawal

ISOLATION

NonParticipation

STRONG COMMUNITY SPIRIT

opportunities

HIGH ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY STRONG INDIVIDUAL SENSE OF BELONGING SIMPLISTIC LIFESTYLE LESSER DISTRACTION STRONG SPIRITUALITY

SOCIAL COHESION

STRONG TRADITIONS AND CULTURAL PRACTICES

Figure 2 An analysis on the traits and resultant effects associated to community and individual isolation.

SENS

BELONGING

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PERSPECTIVE

ELONGING

PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION

SOCIAL ISOLATION

CONNECTION WITH NATURE ENHANCED SELF ESTEEM EXPERIENCE-GENERATED CONTENTMENT SPIRITUALITY

opportunities

CREATIVITY

ward

ECTION

INACCESSIBILITY

TRAITS OF

INDIVIDUAL PLEASURE

ISOLATION

NSE OF

LONGING

EXCLUSION

CONTEXTUAL FOCUS

challenges

LIMITED EMPLOYMENT SOCIAL DEPRIVATION INTROVERSION ANXIETY DEPRESSION

SOLITUDE

PERCEIVED CAPTIVITY INSOMNIA IMMUNE DISORDER INCREASED MORTALITY STIFLED CREATIVITY COGNITIVE DECLINE

Introduction

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types MONASTRY

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

SEL ISOLA

VOLUNTARY PLEASURE

CAUSES

inwa

REFLECTION

INHABITING WILDERNESS

STATE OF

SELF EXPLORATION

SECLUSION

SPIRITUAL NEED

TRAITS Withdrawal

PERSPECTIVE

ISOLATION

Non-

Effects

Participation

PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION CONNECTION WITH NATURE PERCEIVED CAPTIVITY EXPERIENCEGENERATED CONTENTMENT

RESULT

TIME

SPIRITUALITY CREATIVITY SAFETY

THE JOY OF BEING ALONE

Figure 3 An analysis of the traits and resultant effects associated to voluntary and involuntary types of isolation.

SOLITUD

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types

LF ATION

ISOLATED COMMUNITIES

SOLITARY CONFINEMENT

INVOLUNTARY PLEASURE

CAUSES

ard

CTION

EMOTIONAL CONSTRAINTS SOCIETAL PRESSURE

INACCESSIBILITY

FEAR

TRAITS OF

LOW SELF ESTEEM

ISOLATION

EXCLUSION

LOSS ESCAPE

CONTEXTUAL

SOLITUDE

Effects

FOCUS

INTROVERSION ANXIETY DEPRESSION PERCEIVED CAPTIVITY INSOMNIA

TIME

RESULT

IMMUNE DISORDER INCREASED MORTALITY STIFLED CREATIVITY

REFORMATION

THE PAIN OF BEING ALONE

COGNITIVE DECLINE SOCIAL DEPRIVATION

PHYSICAL CONSTRAINTS REMOTE LOCATION INCARCERATION MOBILE DISABILITY POOR CONNECTIVITY PUNISHMENT

Introduction

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DEFINITION: SEVERE LACK OF CONTACT BETWEEN AN INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY

SOCIETAL PRESSURE

Social

PLEASURE

CAUSES

isolation

inwa

REFLECTION

LOST CULTURE

STATE OF

MOBILE DISABILITY

SECLUSION

TRAITS

ADVANCED AGE PAST TRAUMA FEAR

INTROVERSION

Effects

Withdrawal

ISOLATION

ANXIETY

LOW SELF ESTEEM

DEPRESSION

LOSS

PERCEIVED CAPTIVITY

LONELINESS

NonParticipation

INSOMNIA IMMUNE DISORDER

TIM

INCREASED MORTALITY STIFLED CREATIVITY

RESULT

COGNITIVE DECLINE

THE PAIN OF BEING ALONE

LONELINESS Figure 4 An analysis of the traits and resultant effects of social and physical isolation. This is also where we discover the dfference between koneliness and solitude.

VS

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DEFINITION: GEOGRAPHIC SEPARATION AND INDEPENDENCE FROM EXTERNAL FACTORS

Physical

PLEASURE isolation

ard

CAUSES

CTION

REMOTE LOCATION INHABITING WILDERNESS VOLUNTARY JOURNEY

INACCESSIBILITY

TRAITS OF

DEPENDENCY

ISOLATION

POOR CONNECTIVITY

Effects

EXCLUSION

PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION

CONTEXTUAL FOCUS

CONNECTION WITH NATURE

SOLITUDE

PERCEIVED CAPTIVITY LIMITED EMPLOYMENT

TIME

VS

PERSPECTIVE

ENHANCED SELF ESTEEM

RESULT

EXPERIENCEGENERATED CONTENTMENT SPIRITUALITY SOCIAL DEPRIVATION CREATIVITY

THE JOY OF BEING ALONE

SOLITUDE

SELFSUSTAINING COMMUNITIES INCARCERATION

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Contextual Research

lonely CITY

lon VILL

Figure 5 These are contexts which were identified by our group. Isolation may occur in these different contexts and we decided to tackle each of these contexts individually. I personally chose a ‘city’ context.

nely LLAGE

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lonely world

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Contextual Research

Chapter 1: Contextual Research Lonely “City” So the specifics of isolation will be focused on ‘the city’ aspects. Now in this context of ‘city’, it does not necessarily mean a developed city like London, but the definition of ‘city’ can also be applied to an overall country that is perceived to be developed as a whole. For example, a first world country - the United States. The reason for this is because a developed country with a ‘city’, is normally viewed as a utopian place by the people. For example, the ‘American dream’.

Ironically, ‘the city’ is a place where population density is at its highest but has one of the highest statistics of people feeling lonely .This strikes me as very odd since there is a lot more potential for human interactions. Should it not be the other way around? Should there not be more connections when the conditions are so good for socialising?

This part of the chapter will discuss where social isolation and loneliness can occur, to grasp a general idea of the scale of isolation and loneliness problems.

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Figure 6 A lonely man.

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Contextual Research

United States

Population: 326.6 million

Figure 7 The number of people in the United States who experience feelings of loneliness.

America separated from the British Empire and gained independence in 1776. The new nation was called the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 states as the nation expanded across the North American continent.

After the victories in World Wars I and II, and at the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains to be the world’s most powerful nation state.

Since the end of World War II, the economy has had a relatively steady growth, along with low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advancements in technology. (Central Intelligence Agency, 2017).

And yet, such a high percentage of people in the United States still feel lonely. There is some evidence to suggest that the reason for this is people move further and further away from their original home. For example, while New York is a city where the most diversity can be found in terms of the languages spoken, it was voted as being one of the loneliest cities in the world.

(Central Intelligence Agency, 2017).

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Figure 8 Skyscraper in New York.

4 in 5 people feel they do not have a close friend

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Contextual Research

United Kingdom

Population: 64 . 7 million

Council and a founding member of NATO and the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy (Central Intelligence Agency, 2017) And yet, according to these statistics, at least:

1 in 8 people will experience a case of not having a close friend.

Figure 9 The number of adults in the United Kingdom who have reported to having no close friends.

The United Kingdom has a rich historical background. At its peak during the 19th century, the British Empire stretched over a quarter of the earth’s surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK’s strength completely depleted when it had to participate in the two world wars - along with the dismantling of its own empire. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security

A lot of the root reasons is similar to that of the United States where people have moved further from each other in search of a city lifestyle. This in turn, has caused increased feelings of loneliness, and the ones that have suffered especially the most is the elderly population.. For example in Bristol, the elderly population aged 65+ have stated they have not had contact with their family members for 3 years .

The Million Unknowns

Figure 10 An old lady suffering from loneliness.

And yet, up to 15% of the elderly population feel lonely

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Contextual Research

Canada

Population: 35 . 6 million

Figure 11 The number of people who list themselves as lonely in Canada

Canada is a country with vast lands and rich natural resources - it became a self-governing country in 1867, while still retaining ties to the British empire. Canada became fully independent in 1982, severing all ties to the once great empire.

Economically and technologically, the nation has managed to advance to the levels of the United States. However, Canada still faces the

political challenges of meeting public demands for quality improvements in the sectors of health care, education, social services, and economic competitiveness. Despite this, Canada still aims to develop its diverse energy resources while still maintaining its commitment to the environment (Central Intelligence Agency, 2017) In Vancouver, 1 in 4 people list themselves as being lonely, this could be due to the poor cultural integration in the country as immigrants moved into the country. 1 in 3 people of the diverse multi-cultural residents still find it hard to make friends with people. It may take some time for Canada to fully settle down as it tries to adjust to the new integrated population .

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Figure 12 A guy walking away from a woman.

And yet, 1 in 3 people find it hard to make a friend

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Contextual Research

Russia

Population: 142.2 million

Figure 13 The number of people who feel isolated from Russian society due to having a disability.

At the turn of the 20th century Russia suffered from many war defeats including against Japan in 1904 to 1905. This was a contribution to the Revolution which completely took down the imperial household. By 1917 it was no longer the Russian empire, but became the name of USSR. Not too long after this period, Russia under the

rule of Vladimir Lenin strengthened communist influence by 1928.

After defeating Germany in World War II, the USSR expanded its territory and influence in Eastern Europe and emerged as a global power.

The USSR was the main rival to the United States during the Cold War from 1947 to 1991. Russia shifted toward a centralized authoritarian state under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin from 2000 to present day. (Central Intelligence Agency, 2017) In Russia, the government has been slow to enforcing laws to make public places more accessible for the disabled people.

This may be due to the political background Russia had during its rule USSR days, going so far as to claim “There are no disabled people in the USSR�, and refusing to host the paralympics in 1980. There is a clear sign of poor integration which may take some time before isolation of the disabled can be solved.

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Figure 14 A disabled person unable to overcome the stairs

And yet, 13 million people with disabilities feel participation in everyday activities is difficult or impossible

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Contextual Research

Australia

Population: 23.2 million

Figure 15 The number of people who often feel lonely in Australia.

All of Australia was claimed as a British territory in 1829. Australia gained independence and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.

The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries. In recent decades, Australia has become an internationally competitive, advanced market economy due to

economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. Long-term concerns include an aging population, pressure on infrastructure, and on environmental issues such as floods, droughts, and bushfires. Australia is home to 10% of the world’s biodiversity, and a great number of its flora and fauna exists nowhere else in the world.

A lot of the social isolation problems in the country has put blame onto the fast development of technology. 31% of people felt they were more lonely when they were using social media (http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/09/26/ lifeline-60-percent-of-aussies-often-feellonely_a_21479693/). Efforts have been made to try to control the use of technology to assist in the emotional wellbeing of Australian individuals.

Awareness is high, with 82.5% of residents agreeing that loneliness is a rising problem within the country (references).

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Figure 16 A lonely child.

And yet, city dwellers state they have fewer friends than they did two decades ago

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Contextual Research

China

Population: 1.38 billion

Figure 17 The number of people in China from rural areas that have been isolated from the urban cities.

For centuries China stood as a leading country, by advancing its arts and sciences in comparison to the world, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was suffering from civil war, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation.

After World War II, the communists under Mao Zedong established an autocratic socialist system which ensured China’s sovereignty over daily lives

which has led to millions of deaths. Although, after 1978, his successor Deng Xiaoping began to focus on market-oriented economic development.

By the year 2000, much of the population, have dramatically improved along with more freedom to choose .

A majority of China’s labour force comes from the rural areas of the country, but for the government to control the huge influx of population coming into the urban city - they implemented something called the ‘hukou’, which in its simplest form is an internal country passport. This causes a segregation of social class and identifies which sector of China the individual is from. This group of people is known as the ‘floating population’.

Unsurprisingly, this has led to serious cases of discrimination against these people .

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Figure 18 The floating population in China

And yet, there are more acts of discrimination against the 230 million ‘floating population’

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Contextual Research

Japan

Population: 126.9 million

day Taiwan, and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-32 Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937 it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 - triggering America’s entry into World War II, which ultimately led to the loss of the war.

After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic powerhouse for the next 30 years Central Intelligence Agency, 2017.

Figure 19 The number of people that have went into selfincarceration.

In 1603, after decades of civil warfare, the Tokugawa shogunate created a long period of relative political stability and isolation from foreign influence.

Japan opened its ports after signing the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854 and began to modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, modern

In the present day, Japan suffers from a lot of social isolation problems. The social problem has become infamous in the western world, with the rise of popularity in things like “cuddle cafe’s” and “cat rental shops”, purely to accommodate the growing lonely population. For the most extreme cases of sheer loneliness, Japan’s new generation of young people have chosen to self-incarcerate not leaving their bedrooms for months or years.

(Central Intelligence Agency, 2017)

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Figure 20 A Japanese citizen walking in the Shibuya district.

And yet, 1% of the population has chosen to self-incarcerate

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Contextual Research

Why does this happen in a ‘city’?

Based on a general analysis, of why social isolation can occur, it is concluded that there are a multitude of reasons - distance, politics, technology, cultural, and society.

When people decide to travel or permanently reside in a developed country - there seems to be the belief that the: “grass is greener on the other side”, while it may be true for some instances, it is most certainly possible for the opposite to happen as well.

The positives that an individual seeks for usually means attempts to finding a better career, status, education, technology, opportunities, and entertainment. Chasing after the so-called ‘American Dream’, or any other desired dream.

However, there will always be negatives to a ‘city’ life, such as competition, stress, poor cultural integration (if it is a diverse city), and just overall societal pressures.

As a city strives to achieve more economic growth, an individual can be subjected to more demanding tasks even if they have already achieved their goal - as a city develops, there will be an increase in demand which leads to: more increased productivity; more economic drive; the strive for more; and higher stress.

Now there are many ways in which people can cope with this high stress. The most common and perhaps the healthiest is socialising - these events could be going to a bar with work colleagues or friends. In some more severe cases if people are unable to cope as well, it could be drugs or therapy sessions.

This now has inevitably become a new cultural phenomena where most developed cities have began to follow. This globalization along with industrialization has accelerated this new cultural growth.

Whether it is fortunate or unfortunate, sometimes the economic drive can mask the old culture of a ‘city’. For example, the Christian religion has become less prominent in the United Kingdom as the people have different ambitions: to become more affluent, over faith. In the case of positive outcomes, it can enhance a ‘city’s’ culture making it even more rich, but this requires good integration and planning to assist in this.

However, there are negatives to this as well.

Certain cities do not integrate well with the diverse cultures inside the environment. When such an event occurs, it is very easy for an individual to feel a sense of cultural mis-identity - this could lead to people feeling out of place, not respected, and ultimately alienation. Now experiencing this from a personal point, this severity can vary depending on how the level of integration the ‘city’ has chosen to accept. In the absolute worst case scenario - personal mis-identity can happen and this is where real problems occur.

Depression, anxiety, and loneliness can sink in.

Sometimes prolonged periods of personal identity can lead to even more severe illnesses.

So is there a way to reverse this?

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Figure 21 Myself with my manifesto.

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Contextual Research

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BETTER CAREER status

Positive PLEASURE

INCREASED PRODUCTIVITIY

diverse culture education technology MORE ECONOMIC DRIVE

food variety entertainment

THE CITY

accessibility opportunities TRANSPORTATION

STRIVE FOR MORE

HIGHER STRESS

ENLIGHTENED SELF

HEALTHY

Figure 22 The possible traits and resultant effects of a typical city lifestyle.

perso

mis-id

ILLN

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poor cultural integration

negative PLEASURE

competitive society societal pressures claustrophobic stressful

CITY

pollution low community spirit

drugs

coping mechanism

therapy vacation socialising isolation

onal

CULTURAL

new

dentity

mis-identity

culture

ILLNESS

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Chapter 2: Detailed Research Test: Japan

So why have I chosen Japan as my context?

I was drawn to Japan as my own ‘experiment’ because from my own personal view, I experienced something similar: cultural and personal mis-identity, albeit it was not severe but it is definitely something I feel that should be addressed in the future.

For me, my escape was through Japanese media since the country was seen as somewhat as a utopia with its high tech industry and positive media representation of the country. It became a somewhat obsession with not just myself but many other people who also suffered from cultural and personal mis-identity. But as the years went by, Japan was actually more dystopian than it actually was.

Scotland as a ‘city’, is considered miniscule in size compared to Japan. As an example, the population in Scotland is 5.2 million whereas Japan is 126.9 million.

What is interesting to know as well, out of all the social isolation cases, Japan is the most severe case - if isolation can be quantified or decoded here, then it lays a better foundation in helping other nations tackle this problem.

Figure 23 Myself in Hong Kong.

Detailed Research

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Timeline: 1945 - Present Postwar 1945

1950s

Dropping of the two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In 1952, Japan gains its indepedence from the United States.

End of World War Two

New economic reform for the country.

Japan becomes a state under United States occupation.

Japan shifts from an imperialist nation to a democratic one.

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1960s

Japan becomes an economic powerhouse, with a relentless economic slogan of ‘monozukuri’, which means, ‘manufacturing spirit’.

The next 30 years which come after this is known as ‘Japan’s Economic Miracle’.

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1970s

Technology becomes Japan’s main export

Detailed Research

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1980s

Economic bubble began in 1986 - stock and real estate market prices were heavily inflated.

1990s

Asset prices became overvalued and began to fall in late 1991 With the continuation of this trend, the economic bubble collapsed in early 1992.

Commercial, residential, and industrial land prices dropped significantly.

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Present

2000s

Economic stagnation has continued into the new millenium. Very little change in economic growth.

This period, from the 1990s till now is known as the ‘Lost Decade’.

Continuous economic stagnation is still occurring in the present day into what is known as the ‘Lost Score’ (20 years).

Declining birth rate in Japan along with increasing death rates. There are more old people than youths.

This is causing a concern for Japan’s uncertain future...

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Detailed Research

Japan’s Decline

With the current trends continuing as it is, the predicted future of the country does not seem to have good prospects. For almost 30 years, the country has had a ‘zero growth nightmare’ . With several countries surpassing Japan’s GDP ranking.

This period is often referred to as ‘cold of the soul’.

The economic stagnation has still continued, and while new reform and policies have been implemented to try and improve the economy it still has not improved.

The predicted population will drop from 126 million to just over 90 million, which is almost the same as what the population count was back in 1960 (exactly one century ago).

The Japanese government has been trying to encourage its people to increase the population since it has become a national problem.

Birth rate has noticeably decreased over the years with death rates just surpassing it at the turn of 2010s. If the trend continues at this rate with no change, the birth rate per annum could be as low as 600 000. Comparatively the death rates could reach a staggering high of 2 000 000.

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Projected population until 2060 population in: millions

years

Projected birth and death rate until 2060 population

years

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Detailed Research

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Effects of the Economy Collapse The most obvious being the decreased price of assets, and economic stagnation. But what made this collapse unique is that the country still has not recovered from the after effects. Just last year, the economic growth was only at 0.99 compared to United Kingdom which had 1.81 economic (that’s more than double) or the United States with 1.61 growth (World Bank, 2017).

Globalization has put an increasing pressure on Japan to upkeep their economic place in this world, Shinzo Abe, the prime minister has desperately tried to fix the weakened Japanese economy . So far, progress is good but it is slow. It took four and half years for Abe to implement the ‘three arrow’s policy’.

The ones to suffer the most are the youths of Japan since traditional systems - older and more experienced employees are preferred over the

Figure 24 De-preciating value of the Japanese yen.

inexperienced youth. And with this prospect, Japan could lose almost one third of its population in the next 50 years.

The rigidness of the system makes it hard for Japan to implement new ideas into business models.

Even something as simple as a foreign teacher coming to work, in a local school. They are not to delineate from the standard school strucutre i.e. outside books are not allowed to be brought in .

This slow adaptation has left Japan to this continuous economic stagnation as other countries have openly accepted new methods and ideas.

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ECONOMY Collapse

RIGIDITY TO CHANGE

rising unemployment declining birth rate

effects PLEASURE

increasing death rate depression economic stagnation

elderly

youth

mid-age

Detailed Research

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high gdp BETTER CAREER wealth

Positive effects

INCREASED PRODUCTIVITIY

high status superior education

MORE ECONOMIC DRIVE

more opportunities

japa

econ

dri

STRIVE FOR MORE

HIGHER STRESS

ENLIGHTENED SELF

HEALTHY

Figure 25 The same model from a typical ‘city’, was applied in a Japanese context. This has been the model for Japan’s drive for economic recovery. Unfortunately for an individual in Japan, there were barely any positive effects compared to the negatives, so with the bigger push from the government for economic recovery it was downward spiral for a Japanese person’s wellbeing.

perso

mis-id

prob

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poor cultural integration

negative

PLEASURE effects

an’s

very competitive society extreme societal pressures claustrophobic very high stress

nomic

pollution

ive

one dimensional goal

coping mechanism

extreme isolation drugs socialising going out to nature recreational activities

onal

CULTURAL

new

dentity

mis-identity

culture

blem

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Detailed Research

Decline of Youth in Japan

The biggest misfortune to suffer from any economic stagnation is, like previously stated the youth of the country, and Japan is no exception to this rule. In fact, Japan’s youths has probably suffered the most out of any recent instances of economic stagnation.

From the previous analysis, the youths are subject to high pressures from the country to achieve the goal of increasing their economy by 2% (World Bank, 2017). Although it does not seem much ro the naked eye, this is actually more gain than what the country has achieved over the past 20 years. So the expectation is very high.

What this means for the youth of Japan, is that expectations have not been met in the prior years. For example in 2015, the goal was to achieve this economic gain percentage but the outcome was this . This leads to a vicious cycle of having expectations constantly not being met, and as a result the youths are subject to extremely high stress. As identified in the previous diagrams, there were multitude of ways to cope with the high stress: 1. Drugs 2. Socialising 3. Going out to nature 4. Recreational activities 5. Isolation In recent media as well reports, the one that has always stood out the most is the rising population of isolation.

In Tokyo alone, 1 in 10 people have passed away without even being in a relationship .

This has become somewhat of an infamous trend in Japan. And to add insult to injury - Japan’s greatest innovators and entreprenurs have utilised this by creating a new culture where technology has been designed to encourage isolation tendencies.

Other cultures within the country such as the gaining popularity of host and hostess bars, for perfectly normal individuals. This is a response to the system of economic pressure.

“I don’t have time for a relationship...”

So it is no surprise that many - as a form of escape - have decided to be more alone. Now in the most extreme cases, there are instances of people who choose to

self-incarcerate...

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EXPECTATIONS NOT MET

HIGH

ECONOMIC PRESSURE

PLEASURE

SOCIETAL PRESSURE

HIGH TECHNOLOGY

the preference to be alone

PARENTS AFFLUENCY

STRESS

selfincarceration

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Saito Tamaki’s discovery Saito Tamaki is a psychiatrist in Japan, his most notable finding was the phenomena of certain individuals choosing to incarcerate themselves.

He had been gathering research after parents approached him of a strange phenomena that was happening within the country.

This discovery ‘hikikomori’

was

the

The word ‘hikikomori’ can be segregated into multiple parts. ‘Hiku’ means to draw or pull and ‘komoru’ means to seclude oneself. In other words, to pulling inward, or being confined .

The hikikomori gained popularity in 1998, on the same decade when the Japanese economy bubble collapse occurred.

It was a find that shook Japan as it pointed out many issues with the Japanese society and culture, and how it leads to a generation of recluses.

Saito’s findings are published in a book called:

Figure 26 Psychiatrist Saito Tamaki

“Hikikomori: Adolescence Without End”. He calls it this because his research implies that the youths have stagnated themselves in a child like state as they are unable to progress in life due to economic decline. (Saito) Other publications after Saito’s discovery came into existence when he essentially decoded the hikikomori. However, even with Saito’s expertise, he says that current methods in aiding this small population is slow. He states:

“No effective antidote has yet appeared for the ever-increasing problem of social withdrawal.”

But this does not mean we should not keep trying different methods to try and help out such extreme social isolation. Because if this can be solved, it may unlock answers to global social isolation.

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selfincarceration

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at least 6 months dropped out of school not in education employment training (NEET)

hikikomori PLEASURE

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Hikikomori Statistics Saito’s statistics show some remarkable information.

The age at which hikikomori occurs is usually around the teenage years, the age where most development occurs in a young adult male. The starting point to their withdrawal begins with skipping school - usually due to bullying, or unable to pass an exam, of the falling out with a friend. The reason as to why males are the main affected sex is due to a male dominated society in Japan. The male is expected to lead a family which adds further pressure for the boys to succeed in wealth, career and relationships.

Japan. And the phenomena cannot be simply described as depression as it as multitude of symptoms which lead to this kind of behaviour.

The affected demograph are usually males of middle to upper class families. The logistical reasoning Saito gave was that in order to fulfil the conditions of a hikikomori, they would need parents who were affluent enough to support this kind of lifestyle.

1) Young adult males between ages 16 - 30 2) 4 in 5 males because they are expected to lead a household (hence extra pressure).

3) Individuals who have isolated for at least six months.

It was just a prediction made by Saito but by his calculations he predicts that there are over 1 million hikikomori’s in existence throughout

Hikikomori is not exactly the easiest diagnose.

For example, it is not uncommon for people to go into isolation for months, so Saito set a time period in which someone can be diagnosed as a hikikomori - six months. It is just short enough as to not wrongly diagnose a patient, but not long enough as it becomes too late to help the incarcerated individual.

So to summarise: Hikikomori affects:

10-15 8.4%

?

14.1%

>35 14.1%

16-20 19.8%

31-35 10.2%

21-25 20.8%

26-30 18.2%

Figure 27 The average age of a hikikomori resides between 16 - 30 years of age.

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Figure 28 1% of population is hikikomori, this means more than 1 million exist in the country, number is undoubtedly higher over the years

Figure 29 4 in 5 hikikomori’s are male

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What do they think about?

One absolute common trait associated with hikikomori’s is the conflicting thoughts they have in their minds. From Saito’s diagnosis, it is usually a stream of constant negative thoughts: “I just don’t fit in...”

“I blame my parents...”

“I’ve tried to leave but I just can’t...”

Saito’s psychiatric analysis can actually put hikikomori’s on a mental scale based on the severity of their withdrawal. The most severe type of mental torment that Saito stated, was schizophrenia but it is inconclusive whether schizophrenic patients can be considered hikikomori’s. The more common diagnosis could be deep rooted depression or anxiety (Saito, 1998).

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Figure 30 Thinking hikikomori.

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What kind of place do they live in?

Because hikikomori’s do not leave their rooms, their environment is usually very messy - garbage such as potato chip packets and water bottles are piled up in a corner. Their refusal to leave their rooms means the waste stacks up for days, weeks, months, or even years.

This resultant effect can potentially turn into a health hazard. This is an immediately identifiable trait that has been romanticized in media. However, it is not always the case. (Saito, 1998) Japan itself is considered a very clean country, from kindergarden adolescents are taught to clean up after themselves. They are taught to even clean the public school bathrooms.

So this is a big dilineation on what a traditional Japanese person was taught at school, which may be a factor in creating the vicious cycle of making the hikikomori lose their self-worth as they cannot live up to that standard, and that is where complacency steps in.

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Figure 31 Hikikomori in a messy room.

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How is their health?

From observations in the limited given interviews, hikikomori’s look like any other citizen, there is no immediate visible physical health defects. In the anime “Welcome to the NHK”, a hikikomori is seen smoking on a regular basis. Habits like this are usually associated of wanting to pass the time.

This suggest it is purely a psychological health factor, such high stress factors from society and the country’s culture for prolonged duration is known to increase cardiovascular diseases .

Therefore prolonged incarceration is not just mentally straining but it can manifest itself in physical form if not treated.

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Figure 32 Smoking hikikomori

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What do they do for fun?

To tackle boredom, hikikomori’s take advantage of their country’s advanced technological inventions. According to Saito, a majority of them spend their time playing video games - the main goal is to pass time and escape from the troubles associated with reality.

Apart from that, hikikomori’s are also known to spend time browsing forums, listen to music, watch anime and manga, and keep themselves up to date with the news. So overall they are generally well informed of the outside world. The trends and stories despite their incarceration and disconnection to the outside world.

Obtaining these products would mean online shopping, or asking a family member (usually the mother) to collect it for them (Saito, 1998).

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Figure 33 Hikikomori playing game

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How do they survive?

For hikikomori’s who are staying with their parents, the mother will usually provide food for them. They will usually leave food outside of the hikikomori’s bedroom and once they see that the food has been emptied - it will be re-sustained when it is time to eat again.

Hikikomori’s who stay alone will order food and have it delivered to their doorstep. This is thanks to the parents affluency which enables this form of lifestyle. This is about as much human contact they will normally have with a stranger.

For the very extreme hikikomori’s, they will put themselves into absolute solitary confinement where they will even excrement and urinate into bottles and leave them out for a family member to clear up after them. This is very rare, in most instances they will do their activities when everyone has slept (Saito, 1998).

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Figure 34 Hikikomori having food placed next to his door.

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When are they active?

More times than not, all of a hikikomori’s routine would occur at night time, this is because hikikomori’s sleep throughout the day and do their activities when the sun is down. This inversion of time cycle is an adpatation of the desire to avoid as much human interaction as possible. If a hikikomori is ever seen, they will immediately feel they are being judged and shunned. ‘Welcome to the NHK’, illustrates this by showing the main character believing the whole world is creating a conspiracy to make him an outcast.

While that is an exaggeration, it is not uncommon for a hikikomori to go outside once in a while to a nearby park, or to cycle around the quiet neighbourhood. This serves as a tempory escape from their bedrooms, and this usually occurs late at night around 3am to 5am where there is virtually no people. Just before the sun arises, they will begin their retreat back into their rooms and sleep until the night falls again.

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Figure 35 Hikikomori cycling in the neighbourhood.

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Who do they talk to?

Most hikikomori’s are at the very least able to interact with their parents (usually with their mothers). Albeit, it is not a solid form of communication since the parents themselves do not understand the phenomena. This can cause a major disconnection of harmonious relationship which in some cases lead to violence.

Outside interaction is very rare, or non-existent. As stated earlier, hikikomori’s feel if anybody witnesses them in their state they will feel like they are being judged.

According to Saito, this may be a first step to helping a hikikomori, re-kindling the relationship with a mother and child. But one of the main problems is that parents report these incidents far too late where an incarcerated individual will find it very hard to accept coming out of the room once more. This goes back to the culture of Japan: the mother is more concerned on how the neighbour thinks of her household, rather than fully caring for her own child.

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Figure 36 Domestic violence in a hikikomori household

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What’s the worst case scenario?

In the worst cases of a hikikomori’s torment, there can be very extreme tendencies where thoughts of suicide or self harm can happen. As stated earliy, depression is one key symptom which Saito has diagnosed in a majority of a hikikomori. But it would mean there are many other symptoms that would push a hikikomori to the extreme - which is why hikikomori is so unique. It is not as simple as someone with depression or anxiety.

In this instance, criticism or comments by people or family members can cause a hikikomori to do the unthinkable stuff. Even something as simple as, removing the internet cables can cause these forms of outburts. There is a news article quoted by Saito in which a hikikomori, grabbed a baseball bat and beat both his mother and father to death.

Although very rare, homicide can happen in the household - but it goes to show how much a hikikomori suffers.

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Figure 37 Murder tendencies in a hikikomori household

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Underlying Mental Illness There is a stigma that is attached to ‘mental illness’. In my personal study of mental illness, I went to a mental health expert - Dr. James Reilly who states that mental illness occurs in everyone at some point of their lives. He illustrates a graph stating that too much stress can push someone past a threshold point, all the way until they become mentally ill.

Vulnerability means an individual may have disadvantages to begin with. This could be poor background, growing up in deprived areas, single parenthood, physical and mental disabilities, etc.

In the context of hikikomori - they are subjected to very high stress which can push them into the boundaries of illness very quickly. However, in Japanese culture it is not really in their culture to seek for help because it is considered an unnecessary trouble for another person to care for what a hikikomori does.

And this constant vicious cycle continues until the point where it becomes harder and harder to recover from the hikikomori phenomena.

Saito identified traits of this and Dr. Reilly has confirmed those traits in Scotland.

Does that mean hikikomori exists in Scotland?

It is very hard to say because, hikikomori is at such an extremity compared to the cases located here. Secondly, Scotland is very aware of the importance of mental health, and actively promotes mental wellbeing. In Japan however, the stigma surrounding mental health is looked at differently: If you go see a psychiatrist or psychologist - you are viewed as sick and you have a problem and everyone will judge you for it. And this is engraved so deeply into the culture that simply seeking therapeutical assistance is simply not enough.

illness stress

wellness

vulnerability

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Figure 38 Mental health issues, negative thoughts

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Figure 39 Suppressed Shinto Shrine.

Effects of prolonged suppression Western philosophy has erased and created cultural and personal mis-identity

Japan has always been a proud country with a very rich cultural background but once the country was subjected to globalization, a lot of the countries culture was either masked, or replaced by economic ideas.

For example, bushido was all about loyalty to the emperor and nation, defending the homeland to your dying breath .

However, ever since the humiliation of the war, with United States (their enemy) occupying their homeland territories, the Japanese have opted for other ways to beat foreign countries. This ended up skewing a lot of the initial ideological teachings. Using bushido as an example again, the loyalty has now been changed to absolute loyalty to your company, and it was very successful when the economy was booming back in the 1960s. All efforts were placed into recovering the country instead of diverging the spending onto the military. This was known as ‘monozukuri’ or ‘manufacturing spirit’. However, in the present day, that thinking has not adapted properly after the economy collapsed. The success that the country once had was not there and yet the same economic pressures are given to the individuals. Without a visible successful physical manifestation of the labourer’s hardwork, the new culture may be seen as heavily suppressing.

Japan needs to adapt otherwise it will create a lost generation.

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“Education in Japan is not intended to create people accomplished in the techniques of the arts and sciences, but rather to manufacture the persons required by the State” Arinori Mori

This is where Japan derives most of its pressures from, most hikikomori’s that have dropped out of school have stated that it was school that made them want to isolate themselves (Saito, 1998) Children at a very young age are subjected to very tough environments - where competition and status begin to form in their mindset. Grades determine everything for the individual, because it decides which middle school, high school and university they will end up in. If an individual does not do well, then they are already at a disadvantage compared to the rest of society.

In a documentary, to help struggling students at school, parents have the option to put children into ‘juku’s’ or cram schools. A juku is normally open after school hours, weekends or holidays - there is a lot of success with juku’s since they produce good results but it can be very expensive to attend one. Entrance exams into good schools are very tough, and if children are not sent to juku’s they are at the risk of falling behind. That is one of the main criticisms of a juku.

The other main criticism juku has received is they eat up a lot of time into a child’s daily routines. If a test is taking place inside a juku, a student will need to keep repeating the test until he or she can pass. In that documentary, some children were still taking those tests until 2 in the morning. This is one of the reasons as to how a hikikomori can begin to feel overly stressed. If he or she keeps failing, in others eyes - it seen as a failing student.

This mentality goes straight throughout the years of study, in middle school and high school where every individual are competing to see who can get the higher score.

It is no surprise that a hikikomori may choose to escape from this lifestyle. Many hikikomori’s blame their parents for forcing them to go into a juku.

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Figure 40 Intense classroom studies.

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“The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed.”

Buddha

The main religion in Japan is Shintoism (79.2%) followed by Buddhism (66.8%). A majority of the Japanese people integrate both religions into their beliefs which is why the numbers exceed 100%. Not everybody is religious but because they have been around for a very long time (since 6th century), they will have somehow passively been integrated in every day life.

Japanese Buddhism as one of its teachings, states

“Everything happens for a reason” .

that:

This interpretation in the context of a hikikomori, whether they are buddhists or not suggests that the torment they are feeling is meant to happen.

Hikikomori’s know what they are doing is wrong but they may be simply accepting that this

suffering was supposed to happen - this leads to not wanting to seek help. And this is confirmed with Saito’s own research, from both parents and the victim to the hikikomori phenomenon because help is not seeked.

A buddhist will pray in solitude to find enlightenment which is similar to a hikikomori’s thinking about how they will one day be free from their incarceration. Although seemingly far-fetched it is not that hard to imagine the two similarities.

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Figure 41 Buddhist statues

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“the feeling of distress is the root of benevolence, therefore a benevolent man is ever mindful of those who are suffering and in distress.”

Inazo Nitobe, Bushido, the Soul of Japan

“Bushidō, then, is the code of moral principles which the samurai were required or instructed to observe ...

More frequently it is a code unuttered and unwritten ... It was an organic growth of decades and centuries of military career. In order to become a samurai this code has to be mastered.”

Bushido is an ancient samurai code of honour which came into existence around the 18th century .

It followed through with 8 main teachings: righteousness, heroic courage, benevolence, respect, integrity, honour, duty and loyalty, and self-control. It was the idealised model of what a warrior should be.

However, during World War II, bushido was

altered to ‘imperial bushido’. The main change in its core belief was to have absolute loyalty to the emperor and nation . Hence, why the fighting spirit was so powerful in Japan.

In the context of the modern era, the ‘master’ is the school or the company, so whatever they teach and believe in - you must follow what they do. It is a disciplinary practice that most males try to adhere to, however for an individual to be forced into doing something he does not want can lead to stress - but speaking out would be breaking the honourable code which has been preserved for centuries. So as a result, rather than speak out, an individual may resort to hikikomori instead, as it is a lot easier to self-punish than to deal with the consequences.

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Figure 42 Ancient samurai’s

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“They are tormented in the mind” Saito Tamaki

“Sekentei is defined as social appearance that causes an individual to worry about others’ observations and evaluations of his or her behavior.”

This is perhaps one of the main reasons as to why a hikikomori exists in the first place. Sekentei is all about public image, if anyone were to find out somebody was a NEET (not in education employment or training), then that person has failed to achieve what a standard individual should be.

The public image or sekentei that an individual should give is that they are successful in studies, in work, and in social matters. However, with the decline of the economy in Japan sekentei becomes a lot harder to achieve which makes many of the young male graduates feel ashamed. The coping

mechanism behind failure to achieve sekentei is to shy away from the public altogether.

“Then, gradually, I became afraid to go out and fearful of meeting people. And then I couldn’t get out of my house.”

The quote above was one of the few hikikomori’s who was okay to be interviewed (BBC, 2013), but the statement goes to show how much suffering an individual cares about their image. A simple comment or criticism as stated in an earlier page can easily shatter an individual’s sekentei. All this adds pressure onto an individual, making incarceration a much easier alternative in a hikikomori’s perspective.

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Figure 43 Two people respecting each other due to Sekentei or Respectability

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“Success is not a good teacher, failure makes you humble.”

Shah Rukh Khan

Deru kui wa utareru is literally translated as: ‘the nail that stands up gets hammered down”.

Japan is a country of conformity and thinking as a group. There is no individualism, you should always consider the group before yourself.

In this culture, someone who is too different, opinionated, or outspoken might be seen as a show off and creating a potential threat to the rest of the group. The system does it’s best to bring up the underacheivers, but at the same time, in a culture where praise is rare, people can get feelings of discouragement - the exceptional students can be seen as being “too smart” which can be mistaken for showing off. If someone gets too full of themselves, society has ways to bring that person down.

The societal culture in Japan is exceedingly complex to comprehend. As an example, in education - people are expected to achieve high grades however, obtaining a mark that is too high can been seen as disrespectful. The culture contradicts itselfs in many ways, but the reason for this is because it strives to achieve balance within an individual.

In the context of a hikikomori, if one person wants to do something different, there is a belief that ‘deru kui wa utareru’ may be coming their way. So rather than having to deal with all that, an individual may choose to simply escape - it is the easiest and perhaps seen as the most humble way to do whatever they want. And thus leading to hikikomori.

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Figure 44 A man hammering a nail down, signifying that an individual shouldn’t stand out from society.

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“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

George Bernard Shaw

Nasake wa hito tame narazu is translated as “kindness is never lost”.

However, the term has now been unfortunately misinterpreted as “kindness doesn’t benefit anyone”, and with the rising popularity of the term means it has already been engraved within the societal beliefs.

In Japan there are very little beggars on the streets for a reason because they know that with this belief, no kindness is going to be shown to them anyway. There are homeless people though but even they know they must look after themselves and not expect help. That is why a lot of homeless people stay near public parks to use the public washrooms to stay clean.

For a hikikomori, there may be a deep seated belief that they know there will not be help available and that they must solve their internal turmoil themselves.

This is may be one of the reasons as to why a hikikomori will never seek help, or even the parents who wish to help their child. A part of them is ashamed that they could not help themselves and troubling others is an unnecessary burden.

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Figure 45 Homeless people not expecting help from people due to the solgan

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Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.

Marcus Aurelius This is literally translated as: “can’t read the air...”, which when broken down in its meaning is when someone cannot understand what others are feeling .

Like previously stated, Japan is a culture where you must act as a group or a unit, not individualistically. As an example, if a joke has been made but it has offended someone but that person continues with the joke, then that person ‘kuuki ga yomenai’.

It is an added stress or pressure factor for people to be aware of what others are thinking. In the context of hikikomori, this influence is just one more thing that leads to their self-incarceration, because they may believe that people overall as a consensus do not want them there in the first

place.

This is only a fraction of a lot of the invisible rules and etiquettes that exist in Japan, but all of them requires consideration when an individual decides to speak, or perform an action. For some individuals, in the case of hikikomori’s, it can be too much to handle as they themselves have suffered a sense of failure for not being able to obtain a proper job or an education - a success that cannot be replicated consistently compared to their parents generation.

Sometimes the easiest way is to simply selfincarcerate in their bedrooms. In a way the bedroom acts as an addictive drug which may be the reason for their refusal to leave them.

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Figure 46 A group of buseiness people

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Figure 47 Dense city of Tokyo

As a concluding point, Japan as ‘lonely’ city is very densely populated as well. Perhaps, the environment that the people are subjected to plays a role in making people feel more alienated. In chapter 1, many modern ‘cities’ create a form of loneliness because of a globally conomic driven goal.

The striving to achieve more creates stress which can severely affect someone’s wellbeing. In Scotland, Glasgow especially - the population is merely around 600 000, whereas Tokyo has a population of 9.2 million. It simply means the positive and negative effects are amplified as there are far more people in the urban city.

For Japan, it is the most extreme example of the negative effects and it is not exaggerated which is perhaps why I am so drawn to the country. My childhood fascination, of believing it is utopian actually turned out that

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Chapter 3: Research Analysis Reversing hikikomori Based on all the statistics, evidence and professional theories - something needs to be done. Otherwise Japan will forever be in a state of decline.

but according to Saito, they are too small to make a big impact for the whole spectrum. There are multiple sought after methods that have been implemented by psychiatrists.

The problem with hikikomori is their disconnection to the overall society, there is no buffer that allows an incarcerated individual to integrate back into society.

1) Medical intervention: which could be the use of drugs - anti-depressants, or therapy sessions.

2) Forced apprehension: which is a more improvised approach, do not provide any sustenance and let the hikikomori come out themselves due to hunger, or it could be an extreme case of just dragging them outside of their rooms to participate.

3) The third method is the unknown solution but perhaps by the end it could be ultimate solution to the hikikomori phenomenon.

Along with cultural reasons, Japanese society is very quick to judge as they perceive these individuals as outcasts, which makes the individual begin an endless cycle of wanting to escape or withdraw. This is identified as must be overcome.

stigma

which

There have been attempts to try and resolve this,

Family

Individual

Society

Figure 48 A hikikomori system in relation to individual, family and society

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DRUGS

AUTHORITY

???

medical

PLEASURE

intervention

forced

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THERAPY

PLEASURE

KICKED OUT OF HOUSE

???

PLEASURE

???

apprehension

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Medical Intervention Medical intervention does not necessarily mean the use of drugs. While it can be one method, it is not the best solution to help a hikikomori.

According to psychiatrist Saito Tamaki, therapy seems to be the better solution as expert advice can be given to both hikikomori and the parents themselves.

He advises for a more gradual step to recovery of a hikikomori through: 1) Communication 2) Acceptance of the problem 3) Creating an allowance 4) Acceptance of laxity 5) Maintaining the relationship This is just a guideline in what may help a hikikomori to adjust back into society.

At the very least there is a coherent conversation between an incarcerated individual and their

parents. Communication does not necessarily mean face to face, sometimes writing letters are a better method to let the hikikomori know they have not been forgotten.

The next guidelined step is to accept the problem, and this requires a lot of patience for such a rigid culture. But if this step is achieved it will make a hikikomori feel more comfortable.

Creating an allowance does not spoil a hikikomori, this way both sides will understand that there is a rule that is not subject to change. This will give a sense of responsibility.

People can get complacent and both parties need to accept that, forgive and keep working at it until it becomes a habit.

Lastly, the most important step is to maintain all of the above points.

Communication

Individual

Family

Society

Figure 49 A healthy system of individual, family and society

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Figure 50 A mother attempting to communicate with her son

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Forced Apprehension

This is the more extreme method to make a hikikomori leave their rooms, but it tends to be the most common way where most people think will work .

“If you starve them, they will come out” Unfortunately, in theory it may work but the sudden transition from isolation to a social environment - especially for an extremely rigid cultural context is not mentally healthy for a hikikomori. To allow someone to be dragged out of their rooms is a completely incorrect methodology because what can happen, and more often than not, is seclusion. Even if a recovering hikikomori was to join a social circle, due to a lack of practice for social skills, the feeling of isolation will still be replicated - only in a different environment.

To truly help a hikikomori, authoratative approaches are simply too imposing on the rights on a human being - they will feel like they are being treated like criminals.

Being a hikikomori is not breaking the law, nor should it be looked down upon - it is a very misunderstood phenomena and society needs to change that perception first.

One positive thing about this method is that it saves time, if it works then it really does work.

But to soften the blow, one must accept that they have to reward the hikikomori for overcoming the problem in a such a quick manner instead of making remarks: “You were just acting the whole time”.

This can completely wipe out the efforts of starving or dragging them out. And a second attempt of using the same method will not necessarily work since a hikikomori will be prepared in advance to block the apprehender’s attempts to extricate them.

That being said, this is still a non-desirable approach because if anything goes wrong - it can be a serious health hazard where even death can occur if the hikikomori outstubborns the apprehender.

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Figure 51 A father pulling his son out of his room

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Reversing the walls “Architecture is the thoughtful making of space.”

Louis Kahn

The final method is the unknown method, hikikomori’s are stuck in their rooms - they see it as a haven in comparison to the outside world. So is it not our job to try and reverse the comfort of those walls?

As architects, we have a responsibility to translate the problem into a physical form. It has been officially identified in a psychiatric methodology but according to Saito - even he says there needs to be more intervention in place to save the country from this growing hikikomori problem. And not just hikikomori, the overall social isolation problems.

Again, as stated previously, Japan is the most extreme case of isolation. The study of the environment in which a hikikomori still needs further study - only when that condition is met then can a somewhat physical manifestation/ system be implemented to help aid the in this

growing problem.

There are three conceptual ideas: 1) Parenting School 2) Temporariness & Permanence 3) Workshop Program If there is a common theme, it is the connection with parent and child which is why the first solution was stated.

The second concept is for a hikikomori to understand that this is a temporary problem which has a permanent solution.

Lastly is a workshop program, even if hikikomori’s manage to escape from their rooms, there is no definitive job ready for them.

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parenting

PLEASURE school

temporariness & PLEASURE permanence

workshop

PLEASURE program

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Parenting School

The relationship between child and parent should be the first step in establishing a healthy relationship. This is suggested by Saito already.

Unfortunately in Japan, this has been skewed due to a multiple of reasons: The father is the sole provider of the family, usually lacks the freedom to spend time with his spouse and children. The father is pressured by the strong work ethics of a company, so he himself will find it hard to accept the behavioural patterns of a hikikomori.

Unfortunately, in this present era, it is not easy to find a job because the same success will not be replicated compared to when it was back in Japan’s golden age (1960 - 1990). And this is something that needs to be drilled into the minds of all the father’s:

To show patience and accept your son for what he is.

The mother is one of the key communicative figures for a hikikomori. The mother must act as

the median between the father and the son.

The problem is that mothers are generally unaware of why their child is the way they are which is how it gets out of hand in the first place. There is a lack of bonding amongst family members and true desire to understand each other.

My goal is to re-create that bond, but there are no quick facilities where parents have easy access to. Hikikomori’s may not come out of their rooms but the parents has the full capability to attend what could be a ‘Parenting School’.

Overall this does not sound stigmatizing as well since it could be seen as a family event where adults will gather to share stories. Rather than going to a clinic to find a psychiatrist, the school can be a hub to share success stories as well as experts to give opinion en masse instead of individual consultations.

There will be a more true desire to help each other as everyone gathered there have a common problem.

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Figure 52 A parent and child holding hands.

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Research Analysis

Temporariness & Permanence

There is a building called the “Ise Grand Shrine” located in the city of Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan.

It is a Shinto shrine built in the 3rd century, dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu.

The whole concept behind this shrine is passing off skills from master to apprentice. And how it does this is by dismantling the Naiku and Geku, and Uji bridge, every 20 years and immediately reconstructing it after being taken down. This is a tradition that has been continuing for the past 1 300 years. After rebuilt a special ceremony takes place to transfer the god back into the shrine (new home).

I believe this is a good step for a concept of a hikikomori because it applies skills which a hikikomori may have never had.

Now it is not about building a full shrine, perhaps just a temporary structure that can be used for shelter.

Before a hikikomori comes out, the initial stages could be taught to a father at one of the parenting

schools - then this creates an opportunity to bond with each other when the father is ready to apply his new skillset.

The only problem with this is that the father needs to have a patience and the tenacity to complete the course himself. Another positive outcome of this is the fact that the building can be taken down later, and act as a symbol of the recovery of a hikikomori. The country has become so driven with economic drive that it has masked a lot of old traditions/culture. This is just one way to bring that back and celebrate it amongst the hikikomori’s and their family members.

“Removing the problem” or “I am recovered, I do not need this shelter anymore”.

To an outsider, a shelter is just a shelter it does not mean anything to them but they will also be able to appreciate the craftsmanship from a distance.

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Figure 53 Ise Grand Shrine.

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Research Analysis

Workshop Program

The last conceptual idea is a workshop program, this is a requirement since the chances of a hikikomori finding a job is already slim due to the economic stagnation.

The program could be applying a work station for the hikikomori to: 1) Maintain 2) Or sell goods 3) Or to perhaps even teach.

The great thing about this is that the program is so versatile, the hikikomori is given a choice to do what he wants. It is not simply being told what to do, as an architect we do not instruct people what to do - we simply lay out the foundation of a building, what the building is used for is entirely up to the user.

The whole idea is to develop skills and help hikikomori’s confidence as well establish a re-

connection with disconnected family members.

The workshop collaborates and encourages people to work together. And the best part about it is that it is hands on work. Nothing computerised to enable the temptation of individual interaction.

It keeps people busy and enables interactions with one another, even passerby’s can interact with a family that has built something for the community.

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Figure 54 Getting ready to prepare work tools

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Conceptual Hik

kikomori Shelter

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Conclusion

Conclusion These were just me throwing out ideas in an attempt to try and help hikikomori’s. These are all just theoretical solutions, it may not necessarily work but as Saito says there is a need for “a more general, holistic response”.

Perhaps this is the second step to that stage? If hikikomori’s can be helped, and since they are seen as the most extreme case of social isolation, if this is solved or at the very least improved.

Then that means a global model will be able to be utilised.

My goal was to: “Find a Home for the Million Unknowns.”

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[THE END] 終わり!

THANK YOU! ありがと!

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Bibliography Tamaki, Saito. Hikikomori: Adolescence Without End. University of Minnesota Press, 2013.

Zielenziger, Michael. Shutting out the sun: how Japan created its own lost generation.

Ishida, Eiichiro, and Teruko Kachi. Japanese culture: a study of origins and characteristics.

Takimoto, Tatsuhiko, and OĚ„iwa Kenji. Welcome to the N.H.K. TokyoPop, 2008.

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References http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1745691614568352 https://www.cia.gov/index.html http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/254982/1/9789290225737-eng.pdf?ua=1&ua=1&ua=1&ua=1 http://www.who.int/en/ http://fortune.com/2016/06/22/loneliness-is-a-modern-day-epidemic/ https://www.relate.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/2017/2/22/loneliness-rising-1-8-adultshave-no-close-friends http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/the-loneliness-epidemic-moreconnected-than-ever-but-feeling-more-alone-10143206.html http://www.newsweek.com/lonely-planet-isolation-increases-us-78647 https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/06/health/lonliness-aging-health-effects.html http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2112709/finding-cure-hong-kongs-lonelinessmust-be-priority https://www.psychologies.co.uk/self/the-loneliness-epidemic.html https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/life-of-solitude-a-loneliness-crisis-is-looming/article15573187/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/09/26/lifeline-60-percent-of-aussies-often-feellonely_a_21479693/ https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/sep/27/eighty-two-per-cent-of-australians-say-loneliness-isincreasing-lifeline-survey-finds https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/16/arts/seeing-where-shinto-and-buddhism-cross/#.

WhsA_Epl9PY https://www.insidejapantours.com/japanese-culture/people/ https://en.wikipedia.org/

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List of Figures “Figure 1 This is where we identified the different factors associated to isolation.” on page 10 “Figure 2 An analysis on the traits and resultant effects associated to community and individual isolation.” on page 12 “Figure 3 An analysis of the traits and resultant effects associated to voluntary and involuntary types of isolation.” on page 14 “Figure 4 An analysis of the traits and resultant effects of social and physical isolation. This is also where we discover the dfference between koneliness and solitude.” on page 16 “Figure 5 These are contexts which were identified by our group. Isolation may occur in these different contexts and we decided to tackle each of these contexts individually. I personally chose a ‘city’ context.” on page 18 “Figure 6 A lonely man.” on page 21 “Figure 7 The number of people in the United States who experience feelings of loneliness.” on page 22 “Figure 8 Skyscraper in New York.” on page 23 “Figure 9 The number of adults in the United Kingdom who have reported to having no close friends.” on page 24 “Figure 10 An old lady suffering from loneliness.” on page 25 “Figure 11 The number of people who list themselves as lonely in Canada” on page 26 “Figure 12 A guy walking away from a woman.” on page 27 “Figure 13 The number of people who feel isolated from Russian society due to having a disability.” on page 28 “Figure 14 A disabled person unable to overcome the stairs” on page 29 “Figure 15 The number of people who often feel lonely in Australia.” on page 30 “Figure 16 A lonely child.” on page 31 “Figure 17 The number of people in China from rural areas that have been isolated from the urban cities.” on page 32 “Figure 18 The floating population in China” on page 33

“Figure 19 The number of people that have went into self-incarceration.” on page 34 “Figure 20 A Japanese citizen walking in the Shibuya district.” on page 35 “Figure 21 Myself with my manifesto.” on page 37 “Figure 22 The possible traits and resultant effects of a typical city lifestyle.” on page 38 “Figure 23 Myself in Hong Kong.” on page 41 “Figure 24 De-preciating value of the Japanese yen.” on page 48 “Figure 25 The same model from a typical ‘city’, was applied in a Japanese context. This has been the model for Japan’s drive for economic recovery. Unfortunately for an individual in Japan, there were barely any positive effects compared to the negatives, so with the bigger push from the government for economic recovery it was downward spiral for a Japanese person’s wellbeing.” on page 50 “Figure 26 Psychiatrist Saito Tamaki” on page 54 “Figure 27 The average age of a hikikomori resides between 16 - 30 years of age.” on page 56 “Figure 28 1% of population is hikikomori, this means more than 1 million exist in the country, number is undoubtedly higher over the years” on page 57 “Figure 29 4 in 5 hikikomori’s are male” on page 57 “Figure 30 Thinking hikikomori.” on page 59 “Figure 31 Hikikomori in a messy room.” on page 61 “Figure 32 Smoking hikikomori” on page 63 “Figure 33 Hikikomori playing game” on page 65 “Figure 34 Hikikomori having food placed next to his door.” on page 67 “Figure 35 Hikikomori cycling in the neighbourhood.” on page 69 “Figure 36 Domestic violence in a hikikomori household” on page 71 “Figure 37 Murder tendencies in a hikikomori household” on page 73 “Figure 38 Mental health issues, negative thoughts” on page 75

“Figure 39 Suppressed Shinto Shrine.” on page 76 “Figure 40 Intense classroom studies.” on page 79 “Figure 41 Buddhist statues” on page 81 “Figure 42 Ancient samurai’s” on page 83 “Figure 43 Two people respecting each other due to Sekentei or Respectability” on page 85 “Figure 44 A man hammering a nail down, signifying that an individual shouldn’t stand out from society.” on page 87 “Figure 45 Homeless people not expecting help from people due to the solgan” on page 89 “Figure 46 A group of buseiness people” on page 91 “Figure 47 Dense city of Tokyo” on page 92 “Figure 48 A hikikomori system in relation to individual, family and society” on page 94 “Figure 49 A healthy system of individual, family and society” on page 96 “Figure 50 A mother attempting to communicate with her son” on page 97 “Figure 51 A father pulling his son out of his room” on page 99 “Figure 52 A parent and child holding hands.” on page 103 “Figure 53 Ise Grand Shrine.” on page 105 “Figure 54 Getting ready to prepare work tools” on page 107