Kinda like my family. What's worse I can't move out since I live in a country where family always sticks together, even though I don't want to be with them and I'm not an adult yet.
I am concerned that the products that rise to occupy the social interaction space will eventually denaturalize human interactions in such a degree that it'll be impossible for the 'customer' to recover from it on their own, maybe ever. How can a real woman compete with a computer that gives all the positives but none of the negatives? It has no downtime, never gets sad or angry at you, it literally lives to serve you, no wonder these people don't want relationships. I know I'm not doing a good job of explaining myself but what I mean is that the imperfect nature of humans means that when compared materialistically (not 'objectively', because that's not the word for this) the human always has a catch or a downside, the product does not, by design, so it will always outcompete the person. I don't like where this is going.
The whole pandemic is a perfect way to breed new systems of wealth around isolation. A dark new age - we look at dollars, but not the other costs of those dollars.
It's also due to conventions... when you're "supposed to bring your family", implying if you don't have one, you need to bring one anyway. Not meaning it's not sad, but it's the mindset behind it, not breaking rules.
@@-DistantHorizons- That is some bs. Don't blame a political system for it, it's the people's choices that lead to their downfall. The fact that the system has created markets to at least combat the problems of loneliness shows that it care for the people than their own government.
@@pullbackracer5223 Yeah but why are they making those choices? The need wages to buy shelter and food so they go to the cities where the jobs are. The jobs are super competitive so they have to work harder to support city living. Harder work means less time for personal stuff. You can totally blame capitalism. This lack of promotion or ridiculous hours is directly from hyper-capitalism. Every other problem snowballs from that.
I always remember this one student in my college, he was born and raised in Japan and only been in this country a year, I never knew him by name and we never interacted with each other either, but obviously he stood out in comparison to everyone else, he was part of a mental support group I also was a part of due to my mild autism, it wasn't much, one of many tutors would just bring you to their desk, providing a snack or two and just asked you to talk about yourself, how you're feeling and what's made you feel this way, be it good or bad and this would be nearly every day during lunch, just talk about things for 10-20 minutes and other students would be not so much in earshot but you would stil lsee them easily. I remember always being visibly uncomfortable when I showed up at the same time he did, mainly because I knew he would mostly end his session crying, no idea why they happened or the cause of it and I didn't attempt to find out why as they weren't my issues and they could have been personal. He was only here a year and was gone the next and I was still in the support group doing the same thing, eventually after talking with one of the tutors who used to talk to him frequently, I haphazardly asked what was his reason, and for the most part he kept breaking down because he wasn't used to people caring about his issues and just felt overwhelmed that people were willing to listen to him.
@Zep this is bullshit, the human brain begins to break down in unavoidable ways if left isolated for too long, periods of deliberate isolation can be healthy but there's a fine line between that and abandonment
and then some jobless incels who still live with their parents and probably never earn their own money, dared to call those anime as " $hitty " or " boring a$$ shonen " I mean, everyone has opinions, but there is a clear difference between voicing opinions and being annoying/snobbish.
@@salmaabdullahgb When someone diss some anime/manga/LN such as Re:Zero, Madoka or One Piece, I looked at their MAL account and saw their taste isn't really sophisticated in any way. I missed 2011-2014 when we could like what we like.
@@HonestFarmerLigue1Fan Who disses Re:Zero anymore, after Discount Jesus praised it in a video? Almost nobody. Most of the people who did that was back in 2016, when hating on Subaru was popular. The hating/dissing for Re:Zero rose back in arc three, where people convinced themselves that the Main Character was somehow irredeemable, despite all of the cool things he did in previous arcs. It's like once Subaru showed off that he wasn't perfect, nobody liked him anymore. It rose again back in the Rem rejection scene. Everyone's gotten over that now. With that said, calling them _"jobless incels who still live with their parents and probably never earn their own money"_ is really not the way to go. And out of the three shows you listed, only One Piece could be considered a shounen.
As a Japanese, I feel like this is more of a “big city problem” rather than the country as a whole. Alot of the things you mentioned here is something that many rural Japanese people will experience and find out for the first time when they move to the cities. Unlike what many foreigners think, not all of Japan is urban life. Edit: I should of mentioned that when I meant “urban life”, Im talking about megacities like Tokyo where tons of people from the countryside are moving in. Yes, you could say that majority of the people in Japan are living in “urban areas”, but not quite from a Japanese standard. Alot of the smaller sized cities in Japan still retains the close knit community mentality, so people generally dont feel lonely because you get the feeling of being part of a community. Whats interesting is that the Tokyo natives(the ones born and raised in Tokyo) dont experience much of the problems discussed on this video. They have their family members and childhood friends around and were exposed to this city life since birth. The ones who do face problems are usually the people from the rural areas that moved into the city. Believe it or not, Tokyo tends to get a bad rep from the rest of Japan. Tokyo is often described as a “cold” place for people to live. There are still areas in Tokyo like the traditional “Shitamachi” areas with close knit communities and distinct local cultures, but its starting to disappear due to gentrification. Personally, I think Tokyo is like a urban dystopia where capitalism has gone too far. Its a very convenient place with easy access to everything, but it can also appear extremely fake and materialistic if you’re not born into this environment. I guess the city life isnt for everyone 🤷♂️
@@Spider-Too-Too I grew up in the countryside (town with 1000 people surrounded with farms and fields), and spent my 20s in a large city. I dread moving back into a large city due to necessity. I would never do it voluntarily. Rural and countryside life is THE life.
Agreed. It's no different in big cities in the US. People pick on Japan for issues, because you guys are actually smart enough to talk about and discuss it.
@@tirse6206 That depends on how wide your definition of "city" is. You could say the same thing about the US, but that wouldn't explain the statistic differences. The high loneliness rates come from BIG Urban clusters, like Tokyo, Kyoto, Los Angeles, New York, London, etc. Most of the issues in Japan are overblown by detractors and propoganda (except for the high work/school expectations, but that's up to personal opinion if that's bad or not). And I'm not just speaking out of my backside here. I have many friends in Japan that I talk to about these issues regularly, including my fiance.
@@Phatnaru0002 the argument over what one means by city is pretty dumb, so lets put it like this "if your lively hood depends on you commuting to and from a city". its even addressed in the vid itself. small towns where in a decline due to the younger gens looking towards the cities as their future for stability, otherwise there wouldnt be a decline in rural towns. japan is used as an example because of how rigid the social structure is.
I don't know about other parts of Asia, but a 6 day school week is the norm in most schools in India. (Work weeks for adults are also 6 days in private companies.) And by the time we're 13 or 14, many of us start attending separate private tuitions to improve on what we learn in school, which run 3-4 hours every day of the week, including Sundays. I believe this is a rising trend in the Global South, where competition is increasing, and wages and living conditions (including the lack of a social safety net) are worse than the Global North.
6 day school weeks can be pretty nice if you have 4-5 hours of lessons per day and little homework, it was like that when I was a student (elementary to high school, European country). I had a lot of free time compared to a 9-5
@@nazsherif5514 sorta grew up with it? Graduated HS @ 2008 with a 7am-5pm school day, 5 days a week. Had about 30 mins-1h after school for either clubs or piano lessons.
As a Japanese person, I've encountered a lot of people like this here in Japan and I try to make lots of friends to help people. I like how foreigners like Japan but it should not be thought of as a perfect country like many people oversees may think. I hope going forward the country could change for the better, I don't want my kids having the risk of being this lonely to this extreme.
Hopefully more and more citizens and company execs catch wind of this and follow your example because these heinous expectations and protocols that the society is forcing upon it's people is a satanic practice and isolating people like a disease is another way of killing off good people
First you guys need to overtrow the LPD and it´s governemnt. I am not saying to turn communist or something, but to change the economic system to a social democracy in which the governemnt would focus in the people and social programs. The current governement desn´t care about this. You guys need also to change mentalities and reform the educational system. The standards for people are so high the they are literally consuming people. Young people in Japan are too unintrested in politics and this of course will still give space to the far right the only wants to mantain the system bc it bennefits them. And open relations with your neighbor countries. Japanese love to pandering to the west, I see that as glorifying the west. You guys should look at your neighbours and develop relatitions and look for them. It´s so fucking stupid how loyal Japan is to the US and europe despite knowing how the west fucked Japan (forcing them to open their borders in the edo period, Refusal to reconize the Japanese as equal consequentianly forcing Japan to join the Axis powers, Atomic Bombs, Plaza Accord, which is one of the MAIN reasons for the lost 30 years that still affect Japan. Japan also need to promote feminism and accepting the horrible imperialistic past. You need to learn from history to not commit the errors of the past. Currently Japan is failing at this and this results in the growing far right which already his preety big and rules Japan. They only want to maintain the system which is bad for the japanese. But japanese don´t know bc how brainwashed they are. Sorry if I was being too agressive by the way but you guys need to acknowleg this problems to advance to a better society. If noting happends and LPD continues to rule Trust me, your country will fucking colapse and turn to a US military base, if it isn´t already...
One piece is the highest selling manga in Japan, a series about freedom, abandoning it all to chase one's dreams, and finding new places to explore. I was confused for the longest time as to why the series is so popular, but seeing this video made me finally realize why.
Realizing the same thing with Demon Slayer and how it starts with the main character being the breadwinner of his family; therefore, due to his taxing job, he isn't at home when they're all murdered by demons, and he has to join together with peers and chase his own goals to cure his sister of her fantasy health condition. It's one of the few manga that have threatened One Piece's reign at the top
I see, that makes sense. It's popular just like how Rick and Morty is popular here. Nihilism sells. I hate any show that doesn't handle nihilism the way Rick and Morty does; with comedic effect. Other shows go overboard with the edginess and without a message which makes it just terrible.
Sad but true. With the few exceptions like Kyoto Animation, most studios work their employees like machines and the average wage is really pitiful. You can't even call it a salary since they can barely afford their own bills, let alone live on their own or have a family. It's unfortunate that because of this many leave the industry within 5 years. I really wanted to live in Japan for a few years until reality started trickling in and I really started learning more and more about Japanese culture outside of samurai, WWII and anime. I still like it but living there is definitely not for everyone.
I'm Japanese. I'm just 20 minutes in but year...it's like someone is looking directly into my forcefully opened mouth and pointing at all the rotten or tilted teeth I know very well and despise, in public. Like...oh my god this is hard to watch. It physically hurts
I would LOVE to hear more of your feelings about the topics brought up. I just don't see why connecting emotionally, being open about them and living your life of everyone else's expectations are this impossible there. Is it because elderly has all the power and money? Because I could imagine that young people in Japan are dying inside for a change for freedom, but as stated, Japan's demographic statistics shows us that 50% of the population are elderly, and since less and less babies are born, it gets even worse, especially with very high life expectancy. Isn't there a political party you could vote for, who echoes the voice of young people's dreams there?
Listen man the lifestyle Japan has is not healthy try to focus on finding peace not some religious bs but to find the beauty in the world Do what you like find yourself
When I worked at Tokyo Disney Sea I lost a coworker to "death by overwork"... Ne****-san was a nice, gentleman with a pained smile who'd chuckle at my childish questions ("Ne, Ne****-san, what'd you eat for breakfast today? What's your favorite food?")... one winter night he had a heart attack on his way home from the train station, and they found him in the morning. I had seen my employers yelling at him and treating him poorly, so the next time I caught them treating one of my coworkers badly I got in my manager's face and told them off. Oh boy, seeing some grey-haired upper-management types (all American or non-Japanese) turn red in the face after being shouted at by a 26-year-old artist (i.e. "the talent") who earned their pay for them...one of the best moments in my life. But I will always remember N*****-san, who didn't deserve to go out like that. :(
Japanese people consider it honorable to die in line of duty even in civilian roles. Death is considered a privilege. This mindset needs to change if they want to live more meaningful lives rather than organic machines. What use is prosperity when it can't be enjoyed?
For us car guys - The cost of Mitsubishi, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda stopping the production of nearly most of their successful performance cars, For your average FWD Corolla
Japan has always seemed to be on the leading edge of social-media technology and capitalism-induced social isolation. I definitely see a lot of echos of hikikomori in western incel culture, only with the anger and sadness turned more outward in the western version. Also, I see the huge explosion of vanlife and tiny-home popularity as capitalizing on people's desire for escapism to create perfectly mobile, perfectly alienated labor. A boss's dream: Loneliness on wheels.
I will say I’ve become very interested in tiny home living but my desire is predominantly focused on minimizing the sheer amount of stuff I find toting around from place to place. I also love the idea of owning a small self-sufficient farm. While I do see a lot of people who capitalize on the trend by documenting their experience/travels online and end up suffering from burn out in that regard or remotely working, the impression I’ve gotten from people pursuing it is a desire to escape the confines of an office job and capitalism. But of course, it takes escaping that overwhelming need to produce some sort of labor through work, for travel bloggers it’s especially hard to separate work from private life.
@@Iamjustherek I honestly see the appeal, late capitalist life makes the yeoman farmer life especially attractive in contrast (even if capitalism has also made it impossible through having to compete with subsidized corporate megafarms). But I also honestly see the whole of the #vanlife influencer as a stochastic ad campaign for a future where fewer and fewer workers can afford traditional living spaces. After all, the actual largest group of people living in vans and campers are living in the parking lot of where they work outside a walmart or an Amazon warehouse.
To put hikikomori and incels is disrespectful I think. Incels are misogynistic assholes but most people in self imposed isolation is due to mental health reasons and being shunned by society not because girls won’t sleep with you
@@mistermistyeye9218 This video spends half it's runtime talking about withdrawing form relations, and avoiding to mention soshoku danshi at all... Incels by definition are involuntary celibates... you are here calling someone a "misogynistic asshole" because no women want to fuck with him (as if it is a crime to be unwanted?). There is many reasons why this guys are being rejected as suitable partners, and about 80% of those have to do with society, with stereotypes, with expectations... there is women that also have problems for this same reasons, but at least they have a whole positivity group of people telling them that they are perfect the way they are and it is everybody else that is wrong... but guys don't have that, you can't just tell them they they are OK and women are wrong... that is where you come with your "misogynistic asshole" tag... why a woman should be questioned on her standards for partner?
As a Japanese, it’s safe to say that he truly understands how the Japanese society works. A lot of western media say we live in a collective society, but like he says, we have little to no time to develop integral skills such as making friends and talking about ongoing problems, since we’re expected to learn like hell at school. Parents also expect their children to be perfect and put huge pressure on them. Japanese parents can be oftentimes very cruel, because they’re mentally immature. My parents, for instance, seem not to be able to control what they say even though they realize how bad it is. In the Western Society, at least students have some kind of freedom to hang out so that they can express their feelings and realize what they’re going through. However, current Japanese society doesn’t give us time to halt and think deeply. That’s why I immigrated to have a better life. I know this is not a beautiful story, but this had to be said.
i am a korean girl and i feel the same.. im incredibly lonely.. school, work, i was expected to be good at music (play long hours at piano) its hard.. koreans are so closed off.. even hugging someone is taboo...
@@yoleeisbored Hey, I’m half Korean so I kinda get what you feel... my dad’s Korean and he’s so strict😂 Maybe moving out will help you out a bit speaking from experience and I’m sure you’ll have an amazing life in the future cuz you’re amazing!!
can we be friends? :( immigrant chinese here but i’ve acquired my italian citizenship. I struggled a lot with my asian parents.. they are so harsh for no reaason
After I fainted from overwork, I realized how much your workplace doesn't care about you. They didn't start hiring people until after I quit. They didn't want to pay the ambulance I was in. I called them for 8 months until they paid. They kept sending me to another person over and over again. I am very explicit on when I need to take my breaks and lunch because we all have a limit. Please take care of yourselves. Eat healthy and be happy with the little things that you have. Appreciate life because it can end in a second.
it is definitely a major difference between the US and Japan. Over in Japan i see a much greater respect, admiration, and dedication to a company whereas in the US you'll usually be told by people to not sacrifice yourself for any company. In essence, the US has a culture where the worker should be and is prioritized to maximize worker output, and in Japan the company is the focus not the worker. Of course not all companies are like these ways, and the social aspect of Japanese culture also affects the lives of people. Compared to the US Japanese people are very reserved and see closeness as going to far into someone's personal life whereas in the US we advocate a more open and direct form of interaction. Both have their extremes but i'm seeing that in Japan their form of extreme, i.e. following a stricter form of communication limits the emotional experience. A very different environment and one i hope the Japanese can find a better system of existing with their fellow man. It's sad to think that a country so technologically advance has issues with people on people interaction.
True. I used to just work work. I am surprised that I didn't collapse. I go to work, school, an do lots of hw. I work at the school's publishing warehouse in the office, but when they have Cyber Monday they ask me to help pick the books in the warehouse. They want us to stay until 5:00 pm When we start at 7:30 am. This year I only stayed until my normal work time. I said I was taking my 20 min break and they jokingly said that we have lots of work. I just said "it's the law" and went on my break. Many of my co-workers didn't take their break all wk. Sorry, not sorry. I have hw to do when I get home, and being on my feet all day is very tiring.
LOL, I’m lucky. My Japanese employers are afraid of me. But they know that I’m a bad guy, or at least I used to be once upon a time. They associate me with Narcos or Breaking Bad for some dumb reason, even though I’m nice to everyone. That’s what I heard though. I’m really more like Leon un Curb Your Enthusiasm, though.
@@j.ericsandoval566 To be fair, being a foreigner is enough for Japanese to treat you like you are Pablo Escobar or something. The way people flee from you is pretty funny actually.
This comment made me sad for two reasons. One, I agree with you that the concept of having to rent a family is sad. Two, “who’s cutting onions” is something only someone who was there would get-
As a Japanese, I think this also relates to the fact that most of us are hardly interested in politics. Rather than changing reality, we feel it’s easier to escape one. That’s why we have a bunch of world-class creators (of music, manga, literature, etc.) but the worst politicians.
Dude if you think you have the worst politicians then just look at your neighbor the Philippines lol, but I do hope the situation in Japan gets better though
@@beandiesel974 Yup, being born and grown up here in the Philippines I do find it hard to live cause of corrupt Politicians (not all of them just look at Vico Sotto and Isko Moreno) and Hypocritical Christian Parents Boomers forcing their beliefs into your throat, and Brain Drain cause of this. I better hope both Japan, Philippines and all SoutEast Asian Countries become better.
Aren't the exact same politicians which you say are "the worst" taking action against the toxic work culture? They issued laws to limit the maximum amount of overtime work, to encourage people to take more days off and obligated companies to pay managers not for the amount of hours worked but for their performance (which implicitly will reduce the working time of employees, as they leave only then, when their superiors left) and a new minister for loneliness was appointed a few weeks ago. The prevalance of overtime in Japanese work culture seems to be vastly exaggerated, since the Japanese work fewer hours (1644 per year) on total than the OECD average (1726 hours per year). Google "Average annual hours actually worked per worker". The suicide rate in 2019 was the lowest since the beginning of the records which began about 4 decades ago or so. 2016 the rate was about 18,5 and 2019 it was about 16, making the governments goal to reduce it to 13 by 2025 seem realistic (though I don't know how long-lasting the impact of the pandemic is going to be). This places Japan just above Finland in the ranking of countries by suicide rate. Finland, which the author of the video makes to seem to be the Promised Land translated into reality, has a suicide rate of 15,9. By the way, other "socialist" scandinavian countries are generally not performing much better in this regard. Sweden has a suicide rate of 14,8 and Iceland has a rate of 14. The fact that the country, which supposedly is the happiest one in the world, has the same suicide rate as the country, which is supposedly one of the unhappiest amongst the developed nations, makes one doubt the usefulness of the Global Happiness Report and some other sociological happiness metrics, especially if you take into account that in Japan talking about mental health is stigmatized to a high degree, contrary to Finland. How does the happiest society make as many people kill themselves as one of the unhappiest countries? Reality is indeed changing in Japan albeit the political apathy of its people. Not only is it coming from the "bad" government it's coming from the "exploitative" companies themselves as well (for example Toyota limited overtime on its own and actively urges employees to leave earlier to get some rest). I ended up writing more than I intended and more than what was necessary. I hope you will read the comment anyway.
@@renox7044 Damn many people in Japan overwork themselves to death and give little or no time for themselves and for their families. I think japan need to change their work culture first of all, especially the one that teach employees to wait for their boss and their coworkers to leave even if you have already finish your work. Then the rampant gender inequality in the country. I think men especially need to radically change their way of thinking. I think fathers must take care of their children not just the mother.Have a general consensus that being a stay at home father is okay or even given praise by the general public. I dunno how to solve the declining birth rate but having immigrants might be helpful. But I dont really care about the population crisis since it is inevitable since if countries develop, birth rate steadily declines. But what I do care is that people are living happy and satisfying lives, not overburden by work, have time for genuine friends and family, hikkimoris are being given substantial help to get back to society and make loneliness become nonexistent(i hope). And no ¥1.12 quadrillion amount of debt of course
Gaijin Goombah! Thanks so much for watching, man! This video was definitely a labour of love, loneliness has always been severely overlooked, and I think word needs to be spread about how destructive it can truly be. It was a lot of effort to research and make this one, but it was worth it.
It doesn't have more views because the video spends half the time discussing the topic of interest (loneliness in japan) and half the time pushing the creator's personal politics in an irrational manner. So much promise wasted, what a shame...
As a Japanese watching this video, it was kinda ironic to see that most of the mid roll ads presented to me were ads were those of dating apps in Japan.
The most accurate behind the scenes of Japan IMO. I’m Japanese, living in Japan and this video is spot on. What you could have added to the video was the Japanese collective culture, where being different is considered as bad. I always found it BS and was suffering from it because of my autism. That’s why I always had self-hatred, but by studying abroad in Canada and experiencing the western culture, I discovered that it was okay to be me. So those who are planning on moving to Japan, don't get offended by this ugly aspect of Japanese culture. Everyone deserves acceptance. You always deserve to be yourself and loved.
I get where you're coming from but "collectivism vs. individualism" has been the drooling-on-the-carpet-level explanation for everything that happens in Japan among English-speakers online for the last 30 years. It's time to grow brains
Ascribing all the problem of Japan when it comes to loneliness to "Capitalism" is pretty off the mark though. Collectivism vs individualism is off too, since there's myriad of example of "collectivist" cultures around the world that doesn't have similar level of issue with loneliness. (and same can be said with individualism...)
I agree, blaming capitalism on the situation is grossly oversimplifying the blame, my analysis on the situation has been that industrialization itself simply isn't healthily compatible with certain aspects of Japanese culture. Its just happens that Japan industrialized under a capitalist system rather than a socialist one, thus getting blame for the issue, but I garentee that if Japan industrialized in a socialist system like The Soviet Union and China did, that likely the situation for Japanese workers on an individual level wouldn't be any better or different than what it is now.
I’m a Japanese high school student. I agree that Japan is a messed up country in terms of the poor awareness of mental health. When I was in junior high school I was bullied for being mixed and strange so I started to feel depression and as time went on, It got bigger and bigger but my mother didn’t care about my mental health even though I told her what I had to face in school so I was REALLY mentally unstable at that time. And I still haven’t got any proper help for it. Now I feel better not being bullied but I’m not yet over it.
It's good you're doing better, and it's OK not to be OK. Nobody really is totally OK. They're all struggling behind the scenes one way or another; the difference is you're strong enough to admit it to yourself. Give yourself credit for going through what you've been through and know you can keep getting better, and lastly always know that you're worthwhile.
@@diogogarcia9199 Yeah that's pretty much it. We're social creatures and for that reason I don't think it's possible to be both lonely and happy. You get used to it to the point where it becomes increasingly more difficult to break out of.
@@Sevren_ nah bro, the more we believe that, the more the situation solidifies. A person must be the change he wants to see. In other words, "If you're not going to do it, who will?"
Well that is true, that's usually the case in Shounen anime. There are countless Seinen anime which feature complicated and depressed characters. Best example is this Sato from Welcome to the N.H.K. And also Naruto can be classified as lonely (since his parents are dead and he lives alone) and there are scenes where he's depressed, but he has learned how to smile and be happy because of his determination to become a Hokage.
Not exactly " happy ". Goku and luffy might fit into this description but Naruto certainly don't, he had both of his parents killed, village treats him like shit but he still don't give up on his dream to become a hokage even if it means he'll suffer way more and won't have any time to help his own family. Most of my favorite main characters are not the happy go lucky people, Guts is one of my favorite main character because he in a way can be described as realistic. He learned to forgive and accept even though at first his hate is what drives him, this hate becomes a demon at times causing him to slowly lose his humanity and becoming one of the monsters that he hate so much. The other is Giorno, his life never really gone his way, his dad never cared for him, his mom is a whore, his adoptive dad is abusive, he is bullied in his school and the only friends he made in his entire life died. Despite all of this he never lose sight of his real objective. He doesn't need character development because he's already a good character from the start. Either way, as far as what most of the popular main characters tell me, it's not that you have to be happy, it's that you never lose sight of what you want. If capitalism can drive you to pressure people until they die or monopolize the consumers then as far as I can tell, you are a monster because you lost your humanity. " Trying to survive " is not an excuse to hurt others and ease yourself.
I'd say they're more resilient, driven and unwavering. I'd also bear in mind that these characters were made before the 21st century. Deku from Hero aca was shown on the verge of a mental breakdown before the plot found him, Mob from Mob Psycho had an entire episode of the second season dedicated to a what-if scenario where he'd eventually lose his cool from being constantly rejected and go ballistic... they're just a few examples since I'm not that much into shonen anymore so I don't know, you may find more examples for your cause... As mentioned in the other comment, seinen tends to be more grim and somber and hence just a bit more accurate in the mental state of it's mcs relating to the readers since there's no more need to portray the world in a necessarily positive light for the kiddos...
I realize that some Japanese may not want to have children because they don't want their children to grow up just to suffer in society and eventually... give up. That's terrible.
Not just in Japan, all countries face that (even third world ones), the fact that we have access to more information these days makes us aware of previously unknown problems and the future doesnt look too bright: overpopulation, pollution, lack of jobs, increase incost of living, high property prices, high education prices, etc.
@@emmanuelinfantegonzalez4316 one critece, overpopulation in general is a myth as we as a species produce way too much for our needs yet there are those without
I'm middle-class American and I never had kids for this very reason. Nobody asks to be born and yet they're saddled with the burden of existing. Seems cruel.
Work hours should be 6 hours a day. Imagine living your life just to work. Wake up, commute to work, work, commute to home, sleep and repeat again tommorow.
The less work hours is one thing I miss after becoming a full time worker. I pretty much LIVE at work, and it's ridiculous. Sure I was broker back then, but at least I had more time to myself.
@@tiajoseph7309 The purpose of work is to earn money. The purpose of money is to further your pursuit of happiness. So if work makes you miserable, what’s the bloody point?!
@@combativeThinker If you have the capacity to delay gratification you can invest your money so you don't need to work as much in the future, but most people are too lazy or stupid to ever increase their income.
The saddest part is the fact that their culture frowns upon being so open with affection. A simple hug is looked at as a crime against humanity if done so in public.
If affection were to be the solution of the problems, depression wouldn't exist here in Brazil (here people are very close, and very affectionate to each other). Getting along well with others doesn't seem to be the way. Getting along well with YOURSELF and your LIFE does.
@@GustavoHenrique-dp7so é, mas ajuda pra caralho, o problema aqui não é afeto ,é como no mundo inteiro, se chama 'late stage captalism'. Então, sim a cultura brasileira de afetividade ajuda a estancar o problema, fora o calor/sol enfim...
@@SayOye11 Discordo. Penso que o excesso de "calor humano" faz o efeito contrário, isto é, com que os brasileiros direcionem o foco nas relações interpessoais, enquanto que suas relações consigo mesmo e com suas próprias vidas recebe menos importância.
Além disso, quase toda sociedade do mundo tem sua competição por validação social, ainda que com critérios diferentes. É análogo ao padrão de beleza: ele existe em todas as sociedades (mesmo que com diferentes valores), e em todas elas há uma relação de competição em relação a ele.
I had a neighbor who once went on a small rant about kids being aimless and having no direction / discipline (one of those people), and he specifically said "We could learn from places like Japan!". I have no filter and pretty much immediately replied with "yeah...except they also have an extremely high rate of suicide and social shut-ins." He genuinely had no idea. Some people just look at Japan as this highly functional society, where everyone works really hard while still enjoying fun pop culture, but aren't familiar with Japan's sociology enough to realize it's far from being some kind of utopia. EXCELLENT video overall, had me hooked deep just with the opening segment! A lot of very poignant callouts to issues that affect a lot of modern industrial countries -
Yup. The inventions that are released in Japan recently for men who who want partners ( flirting with an anime character virtually, marrying an anime character, and a whole lot) makes it look like women don't exist in Japan. These men are so lonely. It's pathetic
You replied with a lie then. Japan's suicide rate is NOT that high. Not so different from US. Funny how others like Russia, South Korea and Lithuania have much higher rate and yet nobody talks about them. Same goes for the birth rate. Some people keep pretending that Japan is exceptionally low while It's untrue. It's surprising and ridiculous how people can repeat utter misinformation without any research, thinking they know better.
@@ajpristine4809 Those "weird Japan" videos and articles are racist click bait. Things you mentioned are weird or funny to Japanese people too, or simply nobody knows. Sorry it's you who are pathetic, for easily eating up what poor-quality click baits say.
@@lucashell2619 You make a very good point by pointing out that Japan's suicide rate isn't the highest nor is it that different from the US. Actually if you pause the video at 33:26 you can see that S. Korea is shockingly higher. That being said, I strongly disagree with your statement that the suicide rate is "not that high". It undeniably is. Not just in Japan but in most highly industrialised countries. I think the reason why people focus so much on Japan is partly because Japan and it's culture are much more familiar to the people in the West (for better or worse) than say Lithuania or even even S. Korea. It may also be because of how dramatically Japan's economy crashed and how the aftermath is exposing the failures of its system. And as you quite rightly mentioned, Western depictions of Japan have been extremely racist for a long time (the academic term is techno orientalism btw) and created a dehumanized image of the Japanese
Yes Japan is dealing with a lot of repression, despite being a post industrial state. The anime and cosplay (nothing really wrong with it) culture is really just a visual representation of this problem. It is not really their culture that is the problem, it is that they were not allowed to adjust their culture when they wanted to. nowtoronto.com/news/japan-not-an-election-a-revolution
As a Japanese person, many of the cultural facts were very accurate, thank you to everyone for being so interested in my people and culture, I hope you stay safe and well!
It is just that Japan takes the issue differently, so yeah you are somewhat correct. I mean they do have a Suicide Forest ffs, it's way worse over there guy.
@@ferchango6359 If we are comparing by suicide rates, japan is at 18.5 per 100k and its at 14th place currently, many countries are around that level (top 60 range from 11-32). I wouldn't say they have it much worse, I'd say the problem is global.
@@meppeorga Also consider that Japan suicide rates is sinking, while suicide rates in the west are either stagnating or on the rise. In 2019 Japan had a suicide rate of around 16, which is the same as Finland in 2016 (I couldn't find the data for 2019), which is presented by the author of the video as utopia.
Agreed, it's easy to forget that issues about mental health/illness and suicides are a global thing that is going to vary over time and place! Another part of the problem with addressing mental health is that the science behind it is going to be an ever-changing science where new things about how the human brain works are still being learned, and it's easy for misinformation to spread/stick around while people are still learning about what mental health/illness exactly is (especially when it takes a lot of extra work finding credible sources on the Internet and, very quickly, could end up being proven to be false as time goes on). For example, the progenitors of modern psychology (Freud, Jung, and so forth) are no longer considered reliable sources for psychology, and Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment is no longer considered reliable information recently (though it's still being taught in most psychology tests/classes as factual). Who knows if we'll discover new information in the future regarding mental health/illness?
@@ferchango6359 only reason we don't have suicide forests in the US is cause we trampled all over any history of the areas we took, and as a population are obsessed with avoiding thoughts about death. a thing such as a suicide forest could never exist in the united states, no matter how many happen to kill themselves inside a large cluster of trees spanning several miles
@@tsrmmercy836 we all experience that ever since in the late 90s. Group of kids starts picking on them calling out their names. As if this kid wanted to commit suicide because they have lack of social skills. I don't mind having Japanese friend, all they need is companionship.
this puts the emphasis on friendship and "nakama" in shounen anime in a new light for me. It must fill so much wish fulfillment, like it did for me as a lonely preteen :(
This also made a lot of their animes make sense now. High schoolers living on their own, dealing with adult shit. Melancholic animes talking about how lonely they are and when they do find that special someone, it meant the whole world to them. Turns out it wasn't all just edge and angst, it was a very real problem
Yes this, and the power fantasy. In Japan, a single person is nothing compared to the collective. That is why the power of a single protagonist to dominate the many is also a prominent fantasy in anime.
This really made me realize that no country is perfect. Might seem like a stupid realazation but as someone who lives in a 3rd world country(in africa) and a country where imigration is very popular, this is really eye opening. Alot of people (especially here) look at these big countries like America, The UK and Japan and think "Everything is so perfect there" only to move there and, while yes live a better lifestyle, are also affected by these problems. Like how one of my closest friends who is now in America is thought to be a neanderthall and incapable of normal human behaviors. He is living a better lifestyle yes, but these norms are affecting him on an emotional level. Or how lonely people might move to Japan and then struggle to find a significant other. But, taking all these problems into consideration, I dont feel like this video was made to stop foreigners from moving to Japan, but rather, warn them about what the media might not tell them and help them make the right descicion based on what they think will be best or their lifestyle. As someone who wishes to move to Japan myself, I don't feel discouraged to move there, but rather informed on very real problems that I feel people should know. (i hope this comment was atleast cohesive, since I tend to ramble quite alot)
This was a good comment I think your message came across really clear. I understood it pretty well. I'm a point of my life where I don't want to be lonely anymore and try new things but in the same time I kinda enjoy my solitude. So sometimes I want a woman I can enjoy her company and sometimes I just want a one night stand. It's very conflicting and that's just one situation
To all my fellow weebs, anime is the fantasies of a Japanese person animated. The extroverted, honest and expressive characters are what they wish they could be.
I mean sure but you probably shouldn’t completely paint everything with a broad brush. Maybe some creators are happy? It’s important to recognize trends but that doesn’t have to paint the way you see a completely diverse media.
I have been watching and reading anime and manga for 30+ years as many of my friends who eventually went and lived in Japan. You don't know what the country and the people are like until you actually have a first hand, long term experience. Let's stop pretending we understand something because we read comics, please.
Yay unfortunately the hikikomori/incel phantonym is idisuve of the very poor treament of autisic people in both online and the education system which the japanesse and american anime communities because 1:the high amount of autisic people you like anime in general 2: Alota of societies heavy emphasise on being"nomal" American more subtle japan explicitly which highend online and finally 3: because all this all as the fact parents seem to have been centent with leeting media raise kids for them since the 50's so many people autisic neerdy people especially get so consumed have there social live's cripaled form the start and because(don't how play's in japanesse otaku curcle's if anyone what's to tell please do) you all these self hating hikikomori/incel's online teasing young bright autisic otaku for be ither a good deal more imbarising then them or having the same opinions on what ever show they might share a special instert in as this put autistic people online into a position you etheir stay a small medium sized creator and don't show your face or if you do and again some sorta opinion or way of acting that the just as autisic as you incel's don't like the'll bully untill your filmed having a melt down then naively or Maliciously ableist neurotypical's joining in on the situation and said autisic nerdy kid ethier becomes an incel him self or gets booted of the internet rinse and repeat it's so sad the american and japansesse helfcare and education sytems and internet culture need to change well and fast or else this hikikomori/incel phantonym gonna get better hope dose one day though:)
Jesus Christ man. That was kinda a wake up call for me. I didn’t even realize that loneliness was such big problem. Thx for this video bro and educating me on this a bit. I will definitely take a look around see if anyone I know feels lonely or sad lately so that I can support them. Still awesome video, keep up the work man
@@eduardochavacano can't agree more . People think it's not ok to be alone and you need someone's company ,they don't realise that the one person who is always near you is yourself .As someone who had suscidal thoughts in the past , was betrayed by the only people who call as friends . I had to pick myself up on my own and embrace myself . Now I'm doing way better by being alone than by being in pain . I got good friends now though but that time taught me a good lesson and my perspective of friends changed .I'm not alone and the one person who is always with me is myself , I should take good care of myself and those who love me.
They are always around you . If really want to help someone just hear what that person has to say but don't be half assed about it , it will do the person more harm .
@@praveenmurugesh147 Loneliness and being alone are not the same, it's ok to be alone but being lonely is often times unnecessarily painful. But I'm glad to hear you're doing better now and have good friends, and I'm happy that you're ok with yourself, that's really important.
@@praveenmurugesh147 @cibershadow2 is right, loneliness and being alone are two very different things. I am also very happy that you have found self love and left toxic relationships behind you. But one can be still be lonely and surround by people who fundamentally care about them. people who mean no harm. People who are pleasant and kind, and mean so well can still never really see your vail of loneliness. I enjoy my solitude too, but for someone to know my love language, is not read at all.
Really it isn't, stop jumping on the bandwagon. There are plenty of countries that are absolute shitholes. In contrast, life in Japan is comfortable, abundant and peaceful. It has it's own problems but there are billions of people who would give an arm and a leg to be able to live like the Japanese. Personally, I would not live in Japan cause I grew up in a completely different mentality (Eastern Europe), but most people in Japan seemed to be perfectly happy with the way they do things. What Japan really needs is a do away with isolationism, let in new worldviews and become innovative again. They did it many times already so I am not too worried.
As a person living in Europe, I can relate to this video. This is a global issue. Not something exsclusive to a certain country in the "far lands of the East".
@@jjrhwy3376 I'm from Europe too. And I feel completely astounded by how much I can relate to that video. I've been trying to get better for so long, I even have two friends. Yet I still can't fully connect to anyone and I use escapism on a daily basis. I hope I'll find a way to battle this otherwise I might as well book a trip to the suicide forest...
@@xuxu3703 From Europe as well and can relate, I have some friends but I also don't feel that much connected, I don't know how to explain it. I use things like ASMR and other stuff to distract myself from the situation I'm in... I've been trying to get away from this loop but nothing I've tried has helped me to get out of this for a long time, I've seen a psychologist and taken help from meds and had some good 3 months but just ended up relapsing to the way I were. Socializing just sometimes feels like a waste of my time because it goes nowhere, it's difficult to get friends and even more someone you can spend your life with but I wouldn't go as far as taking my life for it, I still believe there's a way to fight this.
from Africa, not necessarily loneliness but depression. Many suffer from it. It's alarming that we have not yet realized that an individual's mental health matters as much as physical health
thats a racist stereotype joke. its not meant to be taken seriously. stop thinking that asia is all study study depression cry sleep study. no its not like that
@@matthewkim812 I've seen too many Asian "tiger parents" to know it's true Yes, Family Guy is just a comedy. The stereotype is extended into caricature like all humour. But many a truth is said in jest.
I'm not Japanese, but I find myself lonely surrounded by screens alot especially during the pandemic. My self esteem has been dropping due to being stuck with my family 24/7. I can't handle how I'm treated anymore and I'm starting to get angrier then before. I don't have people to play or hangout with, and I'm never invited to anything. I get ignored and neglected a lot but I learned to deal with it. I'm always getting stressed by something, and nobody really helps me. The thought of spending the rest of my life alone often comes to haunt me, due to all my self doubt. Videogames and Anime are usually something used for pleasure, but for a lot of people like myself, it is an escape. Its a way to enter new worlds that aren't like the one you live on that torments you. Some games make you *feel* like you *are* the character.. and with every character interaction and bond you create with what is just fiction, it makes you fill the gap of emptiness that makes you lonely. Once what you are playing or watching is concluded however, it could soon become a cycle. But within the Japan, I feel this problem is much more worse then the feelings I have adopted. The program where you have a mother, sibling, friend(s), or family to rent.. just seems really depressing. While you can have fun and enjoy yourself, it eventually all just ends. The joy goes away. It makes you realize that the experience wasn't all real to where you truely *love* the people you had spent time with. Most people in Japan.. It upsets me, and I'm sure a lot of other people, how they spend nearly their entire time on earth alone. Nobody should put work over their feelings and health.. It will give you a horrible mindset and will make ripples between your desires, and freetime. In conclusion, I wish that people in Japan can become happy with somebody they wish to be with. We don't want them to die alone, or suffer. We're all longing for something in our lives, but we won't achieve it unless we make a change. A Change for the better.
cant blame them tbh cuz how should they know? everywhere on the world people wish to be somewhere else. its humen to always assume others have it better
Yeah, And Im not weeb, I'm an asian mixed mexican. I'm very disappointed, i tried tell them dont being so far, that's bad choose, they still ignored me, like I'm so lonely, Lonely sucks as hella
I hate the fact that I partially understand him. This story doesn't make me laugh, it makes me sorrowful. I'm a 17yo girl and I struggle to fully connect to people, I use escapism a lot. It's something I'm SO VERY ashamed of. And I'm scared that one day I might become like this dude. This poor lonely guy, who got so caught up in the lonliness... I get the mindset that he's in. And I'm scared that life will play out similarly for me.
"I came here because nothing good ever happened in my life. Don't look for me." Jesus. That broke my heart to see. I mean, I know I'm obviously too late and on the other side of the planet but I really want to give whoever wrote that a hug.
the anime industry is another grueling example of everything bad about Japan. Majority of animator earn like $2USD per sheet of art and most of them are employed as independent contract workers (so no salary and no employment insurance). The only one that stands out is Kyoto Animation, who paid animators with salary. It's scary to see how little they get paid and it does not matter how much revenue the show or the movie makes, animators get none of it. It hits especially different since Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) movie was a HUGE success in recent years
@@akou12 I think he meant the anime community as it would be ironic if he really meant that because the Anime Industry in Japan are suffering on the problem.
There is a new anime out called “By the Grace of the Gods” where the main character is a Japanese office worker that basically worked himself to death and died from sneezing in his sleep. He gets reincarnated into a new world, and the three Gods of that world give him a new chance at leading a fulfilling life. I think this Japanese work culture is what is influencing the high amount of Isekai anime coming out recently. The youth culture wants it to change, they just can’t just make that happen overnight. I think things will eventually change, the whole world is changing now, so we might see some beneficial cultural shifts happen.
oh my, it's an anime now! I've been reading it for a while and had no idea! Thanks for the new watch :D. edit: and yes, lots of isekai with the premise of someone dying due to being overworked, It's very troubling :(.
Well it needs to change if japan should have any way to not die rom the problem, if its not too late aleady. At least politics have to adress the youth directly, and listen. And make radical changes. To even have a shot of getting there and avoid being a sinking ship. And i hope that because japan seems lovely.
some japanese videos i've seen tell me that the older generation specifically in the workplace maintain a consistent culture of self isolation and unrelenting dedication to work. Perhaps when they pass on and the new generation becomes old things may be come less socially restrictive and more expressive.
I really like your comment! I've noted this observation lately too, since I read a ton of manga myself and have done so since highschool. The genre of isekai has been wildly popular lately and is being used to target both female (shoujo/josei) and male (shoounen) audiences. Just from reading shoujo and josei manga, I noted that the trope of an office worker woman or tired college student dying and passing into another world is so overused yet still maintains its popularity. It's just my personal opinion but I feel that many readers project their circumstances onto the protagonists of these stories and live vicariously through them, maybe also wishing they could escape from their own reality. I really hope that a cultural shift happens in the near future too...
Culture is what makes the society and society is what makes the culture. You’re probably only cherrypicking certain elements of the culture without knowing the cause and the origins of it.
+@@knightlypoleaxe2501+ More like Japan's unrealistic attempts to implement capitalism; with their traditional work ethic twisted into something monstrous and probably compounded by things like Electric Lighting and Energy Drinks. Because in previous eras you had to go to sleep because it was either too dark out or were simply too tired to keep working.
@@kn2549 I don't think it's the culture itself it's more what was imposed on them after the end of WWII or maybe even the beginning of the Meiji period. Modern Japan is unable to choose the best of its old and new adopted western traditions and that could lead to its downfall.
I just want to say that there are a lot of documentaries like yours on Japan but I feel yours is different because you don't sensationalize these problems in Japan and mention that there are the same issues in other countries too. I feel that's very rare and is a sign of a great documentary. You should be proud :) Also, great job with the Japanese! I think it's fine if you couldn't pronounce everything perfectly, you put in a lot of effort and that shines through. I look forward to your future documentaries!
In hikkikomori documentary, it’s so weird that the Japanese treated hikkikomori as a disorder and sees it as a huge problem. I don’t understand why they can’t understand the real issue, which is depression and anxiety. These guys became hermits because they are depressed and have anxiety, not because of some hikkikomori disorder. Also, I don’t understand why parents don’t love their hikkikomori children. They admitted that they were *ashamed* of their kids. It’s almost like they see them as a disappointment for not being normal, never tried to understand them why they are hiding from the society. Their children are struggling with mental illness and their only solution is to shame them. It’s kinda like trying to heal a wound with a hydrofluoric acid and expect it to get better.
In Asia (I speak coming from India but I find that certain things exist across the continent), mental illness is viewed very negatively. If your child strays from societal norms in any significant way (not even as bad as mental illness, but like resenting elders or not wanting dowry), it reflects badly on THE PARENTS. Mental illness is seen not as something that happens due to random chance or environmental factors, but as AN ERROR BY PARENTS when raising children. The parents are ashamed to reveal their “mistakes” to society and thus may shun their hihikomori children. That societal belief, combined with a lack of understanding or diagnosis of mental illness (specifically in India), leads to the reduction of the hihikomori state to that of a mental illness. In fact, mentally ill people in a lot of places are generally ignored or treated poorly because of their deviation from the general population.
If you think about the kind of person who even becomes a parent, it's the people who are focused on their careers and managed to be so successful despite the constant struggles that they actually managed to have kids. People like that could never understand what it's like to be a career failure, and probably shun everyone who fails to have a successful career, not just their own kids.
@@Zadamanim Mmmm, it makes sense but i can't understand parents being ashamed of their children cuz they're hikikomori, my wish its to be in my house doing nothing but my parents encourage (cheer up me) and says that isn't this bad to "work" (im 16yo) and if someday i become dad, i would never be ashamed of my son/daughter being hikikomori or having some problems with socializing, i would try to help her the best i can, that's pretty logic and that's why i cannot understand a parent being ashamed of her own son, fucking strange.
@@satyathota9546 Honestly I feel like this isn't an "asia" only issue. We had those kind of things in Europe too back in my parent's time (afaik, I obviously wasn't there) we just progressed past it. One of the remaining mark of it for me is an inside joke we have in my family "It's always the mother's fault" which stems from the old (to us) belief that everything wrong with a child is from the mother (a train of thought that used to be actually common): genetic disease? Probably from the mother's DNA. Any kind of not DNA related issue? The mother probably did a bad job raising the kid... I just feel like most of the issues depicted there aren't only of cultural causes or because of capitalism or anything, it's just that Japan (and most of Asia) is a country that joined the economic race with western countries and is doing very well in it but at the cost of slowing down some social progress and cultural deconstruction.
>guy marries a virtual assistant because he is lonely >has a marriage ceremony attended by a whooping 39 friends How the hell does this work? I mean, seriosly.
The people who is suffering in loneliness is something you can't easily understand unless you already feel it. You know that there a people besides you, but the feeling of being the outcast or inferiority or other else, is still greater. I guess they suffer of being the one who is unique than anyone else.
The number of friends doesn't matter for loneliness. You can feel like an outcast, because maybe they're too different, maybe they're ignoring you, maybe they're abusive. Or maybe you feel it even if you have caring friends, and you can't know why. Maybe the loneliness come from somewhere else. Deeper in the past or from other relationships. Maybe you feel lonely in the romantic way but not in the platonic way. Maybe you feel lonely in the family way. I wonder if there's some peoples who don't feel lonely or rarely feel lonely
Me, but it's kinda different for me. It took 6 years for me to graduate from vocational school, and during that time I had a pretty big duel with depression. Worst part about that was the fact that it was my family pouring cold water on my neck.. Hell, it all started when I was in Junior high and my parents got a divorce, and then they had a nice all out war that lasted for a decade. Still all that is behind me now, and after graduating I did enter into workforce. It lasted for about 2 years until Covid just pissed on my morning cereal and well, Ive been a NEET ever since. It really feels a bit like a 'new game +' for me, since just like when I had my depession, I just spend all my time at home playing video games, watching anime or reading books, except now I get a lot more income, and I'm not mentally ill. I kinda miss working though, but I'm also a bit afraid of entering back into work force since I have rather low self confidence. Still I'd like to get back just for my own sake. It would be good to have interactions with other people outside of the internet after all, and I'm rather lazy person so I'm really out of shape (not fat, more like thin enough that if I were to stand behind a lamppost all you'd see of me is my ears). Working in a restaurant, one of the benefits was free and really healthy lunch, and the work was just hard enough I would stay in shape.
hikki here but with no healthcare and severe issues mental and physical and it'll eventually kill me and nobody can do anything about it lol. the united states ftw
This feels like a documentary about Japan made by a foreigner, which is exactly what it is. Japan's reason of loneliness is much deeper than just overwork and capitalism. You first need to dig deeper into their culture like: - Tatemae, Honne: Inability to express their opinions - Collectivist culture：Punished for being different - Which leads to a lot of bullying during school life and continues even as an adult - Which leads to shame or fear of seeking help - Suicide culture goes way back during samurai era with seppuku School days are actually one of the best days in their lives for most people. They can make a lot of friends and spend a lot of time having fun with club activities and such. Also, other factors to take into consideration. - Many domestic violence cases in Japan. - Which is connected to poor parenting. Husband barely meets his family due to work. - Also, kids when grow up barely or never meet their parents again after leaving home. - Also, many cases of kids and spouses running away from home. - Cheating rate in Japan is very very high And finally, Tokyo does not equal the whole Japan. Half of the things you are saying applies only to Tokyo specifically.
Thank you for mentioning this. I didn’t like it when he wanted to blame it all (or at least much of it) on capitalism. Capitalism isn’t perfect but the problems of Japan are much deeper than that.
You do realize not every Japanese person watches anime right? To be honest people are more into kpop/jpop than they are into anime. Only otakus and kids are really into anime. There are some anime that became popular but most of the public don't really get into anime like that, anime is hardly on public TV
I feel like most westerns have a very false image of Japan. I lived there for 2 years to teach English after college and I used to be very into anime before and hardly even had time for that while there. The young kids are now really into kpop/korean culture...kwave is very "hip" now and when it comes to Tv young adults are into dating shows or the common everyday variety shows
Yep. Anime is not Japan, but an idealization of it. When you live here, you'll realize what all this material shit that foreigners find fascinating is all about. All these 'colorful' industries like anime, games, manga, arcades, netcafes, idol groups, gravure books, love hotels, hostess bars, soaplands, etc. exist to keep the Japanese individual alive and sane. They're made to be happy, zany, and colorful because real Japanese life is NOT those things. Japanese life is gray, quiet, routine, stressed, and often lonely. There's an unspoken cultural expectation here to quietly get through life as smooth as possible and not bother anybody else in their life. It's not easy to make friendships and even harder to get a lending ear to talk things out.
"Jobs are kept artificially scarce..." Just had to respond to this throwaway comment because under late capitalism, the opposite is true. As many as one third of jobs are just time-wasting bullshit that doesn't even need to be done. The work week could easily be reduced to 15-20 hours if we just did away with the idea that people have to spend all this time working. Of course the threat of unemployment is there to coerce everyone into participating anyway. I highly recommend the book "Bullshit Jobs" by David Graeber (who sadly recently passed away). It expands on the ideas in this essay: www.strike.coop/bullshit-jobs/
and if we take away jobs that exist merely for profit (not just jobs where you don’t do a lot) then the number would be even higher... half the factories in china pumping out stuff we don’t need and doesn’t make us happy would close down
Absolutely, the amount of time people have to commit to work is absurd, to the point where it feels like being kept at work for 8-9 hours a day feels more like a punishment than a means to carry out labour. What I refer to with the "artificially scarce" line, is how even for the most menial of jobs that pay minimum wage, employers make fewer jobs available to ensure they get the most labour out of few people as possible, hence why when people go on the job hunt now, rather than just applying for 2-3 jobs and waiting for a call, they'll apply for literally hundreds of jobs and hope they hear anything. It also contributes to the idea that workers should commit to their jobs for as long as possible out of fear of returning to the job search, and of course potentially losing benefits. Of course, when it comes to labour across the world (such as manufacturing in China and Indonesia), they have revolving door policies with high employee turnover, but the cost of losing an employee vs training a new one is barely any different due to the nature of the work they perform.
@@Salari thanks for the reply! I agree that is the case in a lot of shit jobs like retail stores or fast food places. In those areas it makes sense to squeeze as much work out of each person as possible. Bullshit jobs tend to be better paid office jobs. These operate in a way that more resembles feudalism - the manager collects wealth and then distributes it in a way that will benefit his personal and political power. This explains things like a boss having 4 assistants because it makes him feel important, when he really only has enough tasks for one assistant. This would make no sense in terms of a capitalist maximizing profits, but makes total sense in the context of a feudal lord amassing lackeys so he can look important to his peers. (Credit : I got all these ideas from David Graeber by the way!)
I'm an anthropology student, and David Graeber is basically who I look(ed) up to the most in terms of modern anthropologists. It was a loss for us in the anthro community when we heard he passed away :( Highly recommend reading his stuff.
Yep. But don't worry, this is pretty much the inevitable result facing the US and the west too. You think those numbers are strong outliers? Nope, Japan is just the front runner. Welcome to the new age!
@@etaaramin9361 Yeah, every society right now is in the entrance phase, Japan is just speedrunning it. They are ahead, westerners will soon see this shit.
I once saw on 4chan, of all places, a person who described Japan along the lines of: "Visiting Japan is a dream, living in Japan is a nightmare". Always thought it was hyperbole but it really seems that Japan is not a very nice place to live. And the people who fetishize Japan are even more strange, they believe is some sort of utopia, a paradise where everyone is perfect and there are no problems whatsoever. Kind of reminds of people that saw the USA as a paradise, the land of opportunities. Such an idealized perception.
I agree completely with that. I lived in Japan for 3 years working for a well known national company. I would never recommend anyone live there, but I would absolutely recommend people visit. Living there with the rules and unnecessary social pressure is an absolute nightmare. People who only visit would never know of its existence. The only Westerners who thrive living in Japan are the ones who are escaping something. Most of them are escaping their families and other responsibilities from their home country. Japan is an easy place to disappear in and become another cog in the machine. It's night and day when I meet people who have only visited Japan vs those who have also lived there. Those who have visited have had an amazing experience. Anyone else who lived there, them and I have an immediate unspoken understanding of what we went through.
Last summer at my university I worked as an English language instructor for a program that hosted Japanese high school exchange students on our campus. The hours were intense and they literally flew from Japan to do this language immersion program. My working hours were 7AM-9PM and I barely slept more than 4 hours throughout that summer. On my first day, I was supervising classroom presentations and a student passed out in the middle of her presentation, and since I'm anemic I was very concerned. Literally nobody batted an eye and my boss was indifferent. I rushed to help but the school principal and teachers told me they would take care of it. My own boss said that this happens all the time and implied that this is how the system is for them and we can't tell the teachers or the students how to go about it, because we were only hired to be language instructors. I would come in my morning shifts and a lot of students were so tired each morning that they would fall asleep during class or nap right in front of me. I personally didn't mind them napping but I felt stressed having their local teachers there supervising us during OUR classes. The students quietly told me that after lessons ended at 9PM they had to do an evaluation with their teacher to talk about what they did WRONG that day. I realized that after my shift ended even though I would pack up my things, the students would still sit there, but WE had to leave. All the rest of the teachers came in at 9PM and I could hear one teacher, I learned later to be the headmaster, scream at the students. I didn't understand a word of Japanese but I was confused why they still stayed in the classroom after lessons were done for the day. Some of my coworkers told me that if a student cries or has a breakdown in front of me to not get emotional. I did my best to make the lessons as lowkey and easy for students to follow, but I honestly still wonder about my former students a year later. They were very kind and polite, but I cried so hard at the end of the program because I kept thinking how intense it must be from their perspective. I hope they felt comfortable around me enough to not worry so much about being perfect, and I really hope they're doing okay.
sounds like Japan's too rough to their own... if i ever go to japan and have a job and witness something like that, screw the bosses, i'd give the hurt person a hug
Going by my observations the reason is a simple incapability of trust. Most people seem to not know what actual trust and mutual respect are and can consequently not show it to others. As a result, it is very difficult to form friendships.
Living in the U.S., I haven't had any friends since I was a ten year old. I'm extremely lucky to have a large, close-knit family (9 siblings), but we're all over the states and it's so difficult to find good friends outside of that. My siblings have the same problem. Just an endless string of toxic, abusive friends and SOs. It's become so easy, so convenient to be alone.
That note in the Suicide Forest said "Nothing good happened in my life. Don't look for me..." That broke my heart! How can we as a society make anyone feel this lonely?
Its media, its lables, the general public. It's the ones we normally gravitate too that puts a blindspot. In their head, they think their words too the good people is unacceptable and informal and wrong for what they been through or how they feel. And this is what may of happen too them. It's that inadequatcey amongst society.
I try to take a different approach when thinking about all the bad things that happen in my life. I try to use the bad things to inspire me to work harder and do good things. We only live once. You gotta make it count.
I agree. I found the show premise replusing at the thought of renting another human being period but this makes a lot more sense. And it's really quite sad.
@@cosmicleon given the German "home Daycare teacher" equivalent is "day mum" it's much less strange to me... also I knew before I ever looked up anything about Japan, that prostitution is legal and anything people advertise of the more expensive services has that same mental health spin.
@@cosmicleon you found the idea of someone renting someone else repulsing? You know this is just the soft core version of prostitution. They are not allowed to even kiss mate? Have you never heard of prostitutes or why do you sound so shocked of that concept?😂
@@can7328 It’s dehumanizing and horrifying because it makes you wonder just how far gone someone is to resort to that... ...and if it could ever happen to you.
England is slowly becoming like this, work hours increased, jobs less stable, people are so distant. So many of the people in their 20s and 30s refuse to have kids or a family because they simply can't afford it. We have free services for mental health but the queues for it are ridiculous, it's become a dark joke to tell friends about just how suicidal you are. Even before the lockdown, people would hardly go out and chill online. I know a LOT of shut ins, I feel like I'm slowly becoming one myself with the lockdown giving me an excuse now. The part about anxiety spoke to me, a lot of people don't take it seriously but it feels like life or death leaving my house sometimes, ESPECIALLY in crowds.
i really really feel this and understand you i’ve 100% become so accustomed to this whole covid life style and i use it as an excuse to stay in because leaving the house is so difficult for me. i literally just tried to go out with my mom and sister and i had a panic attack😐 some things i just don’t know how i’m supposed to fix:/ i feel like people don’t get how difficult it really is to function with anxiety it just becomes so much easier to be a shut in T-T
I can relate to you... In my case I just got tired from people... From all their demands and expectations.... For me socialising became a stressful thing to do ... It drains me emotionally very fast and it takes time to recover... At work ( I work for a big company in UK) we have Mental Health First Aiders and company is trying it's best to promote awareness of mental health issues but what I noticed that most people ignore it, don't take it serious or are to shy to talk about it.... But I can see the light in the tunnel and videos like this is the proof that we are going the right way. I really don't want this to become a new normal for all of us..... P. S. Sorry for my English... Still celebrating New Year alone thanks to our saviour Boris. Cheers 🥃🥃🥃
@@jovana7702 i"m a more extorvert person but i"can relate with the part of using covid as exsuces to not social with people, it be exsusting to be around people sometimes.
@@jupixxl exactly the same for me! it’s really draining and hard to stay social and be around people but i’m glad your company has outlets like that i really hope things get easier for you and you find people you can become more comfortable around and happy new year to you as well!! :3
@@enlightthehermit yeah, even if you’re more extroverted, constantly being around people can still get pretty exhausting so i totally get that i hope it gets a little easier for you :)
This legit opened my eyes to whats below the surface of japan. I have a friend that wants to go to japan and make his own anime. Im definitely gonna send him this and see if he reconsiders his decision. He at least needs to give this some thought before doing something he regrets.
UPDATE: He said he’ll give it some more thought and do ALOT more research on japan before making his decision. He also said that the stories of ppl marrying machines creeped him out.
Ah the classic case of when you first start watching anime Here I was like your friend to but instead I wanted to go Japan and study in college there Then I found out about Japan work culture and I said no Still love anime tho
I'm from Australia and would probably classify as Hikikamori. I do go to uni, but I struggle to keep up with the speed required and every time I think about going back to work I get panic attacks. I struggle to make and keep friends and have spent the majority of my life in a small room (always the bedroom of wherever I lived. I've moved around a lot). I'm not lazy or stupid. I do suffer from mental illness though. I am not afraid of hard work, I just... can't. This topic hits really hard for me, and I'm sure many others as well. Thank you for covering this. It's very important. There are so many disenfranchised groups now, not just Hikikamori. We need to try to build a world that cares for and has room for everyone, not just one kind of person. The addition of the soundtrack from Ghost In the Shell was a nice touch considering that show was predominantly about what it means to be human.
i don't know if you would find this helpful or not but the book 'a new earth' by eckhart tolle helped me a lot with anxiety. good luck comrade you are not alone
Hey, I'm in Australia too and remember most of my uni days as panic attacks and crying spells (are they the same thing?). But when I changed careers and went back to uni to something that fit me better, I had no panic attacks. I know it's hard to work these things out, but maybe there is a better path for you? Hang in there, it can get better :)
Do you have attention-deficit disorder? Also known as ADHD-primarily inattentive type? You may have it and not even realize it if you do the WAIS IQ test and your Working Memory score, and perhaps your Processing Speed score too, is way below your Performance IQ score.
Hey, how are you doing now? I know living a "normal" life while struggling with mental health issues can be extremely difficult. If you need someone to talk to, please write me. I know how much it can help to talk about your struggles.
In some ways it is. It just doesn't show the full picture. It shows you the simple, happy, and bubbly side of something. Just like reality though, look beneath the surface and you'll usually find something obscure, unpleasant, or outright revolting disguised as "positives". This usually proves true for any country however and not just Japan.
I’m Japanese and I studied abroad in America for a year In America no one helped me unless I asked for a help In Japan people somehow believe that they aren’t allowed to ask for a help
@@yeet807 well... both countries have upsides and downsides. No matter where you live you would face hardships in your life and you have to cope with them on your own. There’s no country which magically solves all of your problems. Moving from Japan to America could possibly make you less lonely but you would face another problem there. So you have to compare those countries and decide which is good for YOU.
@@stylomojo it is about isolation, loneliness and the meaning of companionship. Both in story and gameplay. I'm 100% sure that Kojima is very concerned with current social climate of Japan.
Salri: "Loneliness is a growing problem around the world." Comments: "It's not just Japan!1!1 Everywhere is like that 1!1!1" Lol it's like people can't understand that "an example" is a sample being chosen from a bunch of examples.
Its mostly used when you desperately need to bring someone when you attend a certain event like a friends wedding for example. Not so much out of loneliness
To the two gentlemen above me: Unless we are talking about avant-garde cinema where it would make sense to come alone cuz it was hard to get another cinephile to come watch some French visual dissertation on pigeon poop, a regular blockbuster show is a _communal thing._ *It's a social event and you're showing up alone.* I fail to understand your confusion. Are you guys that unaware of the world around you when you leave your house?
I think that there's a real disconnect among westerners between actual, on the ground, Japanese culture and culture that Japan projects outwards. People watch anime and play games and form their opinion of the nation based on these, disconnected, exeriences without realising that the actual culture that produced these artifacts resemble less of a dynamic creative utopia and more of an insane, late-capitalist dystopia. Perhaps Japanese culture is best experienced from a distance!
If you think about it there probably is a good reason why so much Japanese media tends to be "fantastical" and so "happy-go-lucky". It is a desperate attempt at escapism.
For childhood in japan it's a dream come true. Heck I would love to live in japan as a kid and smiles and happiness would be there. But for adults, it's a diffrent story. Interaction isnt easy, from what I'm seeing, and from my own expiernce of my self that can relate too the hikkomori people. Animes, school days are actually animators creating the world in which they went to school as they were kids themselfs, reliving that happiness. I just had a wonder actually on somthing, I remember me at collage someone I know from university being happy and an interactive place for what saw in them that's what I liked about them. If the work place was built like that to feel more enjoyable or project fo make for ideas. Idk maybe it wouldnt work for other factors. But I do want to see smiles and playful joy in people. So their hearts dont shrink and go into this stoicism.
This is fucking scary, and the scarier thing is that I'm kind of experiencing antipathic people half the time in my college! What's even scarier is that I sometimes DO feel lonely despite me checking with my relatives weekly. Lucky how I managed to find a couple of blokes I'm chatting almost daily about dumb shit and all that.
Because many of society's biggest problems are complex, multi faceted issues that are extremely hard to solve in a way that does not create more problems? That could be one.
Doesn't have to be people up top who benefit - plenty of people on the individual/citizen/lower class level benefit from and/or enjoy the misery of people as well. Such problems tend to trickle up, not down.
Of course, assuming that the same people that benefit from a situation are necessarily also the ones that artifically created said situation is a logical fallacy by itself. I remember there was a group of jolly Germans mid 20th century that built and entire worldview on this.
@@AnastasiaSaenz life is precious man. Especially other little fellas lifes like dogs, cats, hamsters, you name it. Worlds a cruel place but these little fellas definitely make it much more bearable
I'm japanese and almost 30. I have 0 friends, I don't talk to anyone outside of work, and even when working I only talk about what is actually relevant to work and nothing else. I haven't talked to anybody in my family for almost 10 years, and have no desire to either. That being said, while I do feel lonely, I rather be lonely than getting fucked over by people again, so I'll probably be lonely for the foreseeable future. It sucks but there really isn't anything I can do, because I really don't want people to bear the burden of helping people that are hopeless.
Just because you had some bad people in your life, that does not mean you're hopeless! What do you think should change in your country in order to make people less alone?
I understand where you're coming from. I'm there myself right now and I am thirty. People can be horrible. People can hurt you and leave you worse off. But I keep myself going by also knowing that people can also be kind. People can be selfless, despite their nature and people can surprise you in the best way. It's so hard to see that, especially when you're in a dark place and the light at the end of the tunnel looks more like a flickering flame, at least it provides some light. I don't know if this help or just sounds like silly nonsense but I hope it does. In some sense. I hope you only the best.
It's true that people are unpredictable and putting in effort to help them may not end up being appreciated or reciprocated. But please know that there are many people out there (both in real life and online) who are ultimately kind and worth trying to form a connection with. It's definitely hard and it's scary to risk being vulnerable, but maybe taking things step by step like joining an online group workshop or meet and greet, making a new penpal or joining a forum or discord for a a hobby you like (eg: a comic, a game, gardening, etc) would be good steps forward to feel more connected to the world. It's understandable and valid to feel no hope, but in the long run it's worth trying to form relationships (as in the general sense, not necessarily romantic). People are flawed of course, but there are people who are compatible with you out there and those who have good intentions; in the end life is about many things, not only to work and exist, but to live and be a part of humanity.
I'm almost 40, single childless live in USA, have no friends nor community, barely talk to my family, because my jobs is busy and I use my days off just for sleep and gaming. Even though I have social medias I feel they're fake friends because I never meet with them. So this loneliness not only happen in Japan but can be anywhere.
It is so weird that you turn systematic social failures into personal responsibility. Your situation is created by so many things you have no agency over and still you personalize the effects. This is not rational.
Though many people are aware of this problem in Japan, still many people don't go to vote. Political apathy is a serious problem here. Maybe they have little hope in politics.
It probably would help if Election Day was a holiday were people are increasingly encouraged to go to the polls and vote. And yet, it seems like no country wants to do that... unless there are countries that do that, then good on them.
@@JaniHorvat1 what makes Croatia politically apathetic/what changes really need to be made over there? Just wondering since I have never talked to anyone from thetr
No wonder when japanese come to Mexico they never want to leave. I have heard people tell me they loved mexico and tho they are not used to the culture of mexico. Mexico is used to being very loving and affectionate and outright show it.
@Mr Mistah ehh depends where you live, although if you get mugged it won't be by a Cartel member. And the economy is not the greatest true but we have a better access to medical facilities and proper food
@Mr Mistah that's not true, economy in Mexico is going great. There are things to improve but why are you writing that lie? Maybe Argentina or Venezuela, but I'm sure they will be ok soon. In the case of Mexico I hope that do not happen to us. But for the moment a lot of good things are happening here : D
@Mr Mistah and yes we have drug cartels, like USA and most of the countries. There is probability to get shot...in some specific zones/towns of some cities...And if you are in the middle of the night walking there for some reason. That happen a lot in USA, and lot of countries, not only in Mexico. I have to mentions that the weapons here are from USA, I suppose some people there is sending that shit to Mexico. At the end the drugs are mostly for them.
I have to say that the situation could be better, for example, in Japan you can go almost everywhere and no one is going to shoot you (that's better) also no one will steal your money or something like that
The hikikomori segment hit me harder than the suicide segment, if I'm being honest. Why? Because it made me realize how frighteningly close I am to being one. I'm a university student on the autistic spectrum with a history of struggling to maintain IRL relationships, escaping into fiction on a regular basis, and zero work experience due to focusing on trying to manage my energy levels and do schoolwork, and I have long periods, where I barely leave my home outside of buying groceries. I'm lonely and touch-starved, and realizing just how little it'd take for me to spiral into being a total shut-in set me right off into a crying fit. I don't want to live like that. It's why I'm trying to get a degree, so I have a shot at steady employment in a field I might actually be suited for. Ending up alone, worthless, and forgotten is my absolute worst nightmare. The image of the outline from where someone died a Lonely Death and wasn't found is pure nightmare fuel and heartbreaking as hell. I can't end up like that. I won't. But God, is it tempting to shut myself off and just give up the fight sometimes. I get why people do it, as much as I get why they hate themselves for getting stuck in the lifestyle, once they're in it. Life is too much to handle, and it never fucking ends, but you also don't want to be a burden, so you're stuck between needing to care for yourself and being a functional member of society, with zero ground between the two to find a balance on. It's a recipe for emotional exhaustion and depression mixed in with either self-loathing or total apathy. Awful hole to fall into, in my experience.
@@certainlynot6273 Thank you. I'm glad you managed to get back up. It's a Herculean task, and I respect the effort it must've taken. I hope you never fall back in. Keep moving forward, right? 🖖
Honestly I might just be a hairs width away from that classification, and just short of being a NEET too. The only reason Im just short of being a full blown NEET is that I work from home and yet, I spend almost 90% of my time in one room or the other with the occasional outing for a movie or other social setting. I know if I did not stay close at hand with my aging parents and dog I probably would be content living my entire life in a single room. Heck I don’t even need to speculate, I went on an internship/study cohort in London and Brazil and almost exclusively limited my time exclusively to a cramped one person room only leaving for work or being a tourist. I don’t know if it’s due to what the system has diagnosed me with on the spectrum or if my environment bred behavior that is ill fit to the environmental norms but, I know I could end up exactly like a hikikomori if I were to not be vigilant and get complacent.
Also for me the part where I don't want to be a burden for anyone is really hard to cope with. On the other hand having a family who would be devastated about my passing. This conflict drains so much energy from me. I'm a NEET now because my mental health was getting worse and I need to heal. It's not that easy when you just don't allow yourself to be happy, because you think of yourself as a lazy piece of trash. That hopefully can be fixed in therapy. But I Iive in Germany and the therapy offers aren't enough.
You should watch Lost in Translation, that was in 2003 and that by the west was ridiculed by mainstream media critics. It's something that is very profound that where our society was going.
The worst thing in life is not being alone, it is being with people that make you feel alone. - Robin Williams
That is the way i feel when i try to make friends.
@@untappedpotentialmindset right.. sometimes friends don’t feel like friends, they just act like you’re a fake friend.
Kinda like my family. What's worse I can't move out since I live in a country where family always sticks together, even though I don't want to be with them and I'm not an adult yet.
For sure
Yup. Living that dream right now.
No wonder the power of friendship is so powerful in anime. Japanese people don't feel it as much as us.
They got the power of God and Anime instead bro.
*America loads shotgun with malicious intent*
True animes actually make me cry when i find that one where it's a bond that goes on for so long that you start to feel it and then boom just death
@@pxrfxct some recommendations?
who's us?
When people say "I wish i was born in japan" without knowing how is it really like to live in japan...
Weeboos for example
Anime is the biggest lie of Japan
@@theguywhobirds5898 and it's so funny how anime made people forget japan past
I'm guilty of this because anime is popular in my country and my country is a 3rd world too.
@@ult7511 same
I don't remember paying for TH-cam premium.
@Rupesh Varma you don't get it :(
@Rupesh Varma in short, he meant that the video is amazing and very detailed
Sorry i read your name as Armpit
@Rupesh Varma The video is so well made that he thinks he should be paying for it.
@@ugIybastard lmao you man of culture
The only thing worse than being lonely is living in a system that monetizes it.
Especially when you think about the fact that that system has even more reason to try to isolate and alienate you.
being advertised at takes you out of it I bet
I frankly speaking can't decide what's worse...
I am concerned that the products that rise to occupy the social interaction space will eventually denaturalize human interactions in such a degree that it'll be impossible for the 'customer' to recover from it on their own, maybe ever. How can a real woman compete with a computer that gives all the positives but none of the negatives? It has no downtime, never gets sad or angry at you, it literally lives to serve you, no wonder these people don't want relationships. I know I'm not doing a good job of explaining myself but what I mean is that the imperfect nature of humans means that when compared materialistically (not 'objectively', because that's not the word for this) the human always has a catch or a downside, the product does not, by design, so it will always outcompete the person. I don't like where this is going.
The whole pandemic is a perfect way to breed new systems of wealth around isolation. A dark new age - we look at dollars, but not the other costs of those dollars.
The 'renting family' thing honestly hurts me inside. People shouldn't be that lonely.
It's also due to conventions... when you're "supposed to bring your family", implying if you don't have one, you need to bring one anyway. Not meaning it's not sad, but it's the mindset behind it, not breaking rules.
@@-DistantHorizons- That is some bs. Don't blame a political system for it, it's the people's choices that lead to their downfall. The fact that the system has created markets to at least combat the problems of loneliness shows that it care for the people than their own government.
They are more than welcome to mine. Please.
@@pullbackracer5223 Yeah but why are they making those choices? The need wages to buy shelter and food so they go to the cities where the jobs are. The jobs are super competitive so they have to work harder to support city living. Harder work means less time for personal stuff. You can totally blame capitalism. This lack of promotion or ridiculous hours is directly from hyper-capitalism. Every other problem snowballs from that.
The USA needs this, I would happily rent friends and family, or go to a maid cafe or hostess bar.
I always remember this one student in my college, he was born and raised in Japan and only been in this country a year, I never knew him by name and we never interacted with each other either, but obviously he stood out in comparison to everyone else, he was part of a mental support group I also was a part of due to my mild autism, it wasn't much, one of many tutors would just bring you to their desk, providing a snack or two and just asked you to talk about yourself, how you're feeling and what's made you feel this way, be it good or bad and this would be nearly every day during lunch, just talk about things for 10-20 minutes and other students would be not so much in earshot but you would stil lsee them easily.
I remember always being visibly uncomfortable when I showed up at the same time he did, mainly because I knew he would mostly end his session crying, no idea why they happened or the cause of it and I didn't attempt to find out why as they weren't my issues and they could have been personal.
He was only here a year and was gone the next and I was still in the support group doing the same thing, eventually after talking with one of the tutors who used to talk to him frequently, I haphazardly asked what was his reason, and for the most part he kept breaking down because he wasn't used to people caring about his issues and just felt overwhelmed that people were willing to listen to him.
Damn...
Wow
That’s really sad.. like very sad
Well shit...
it's so good that he found that feeling, that he knew that people care about him
"sitting in your room all day with technology and no friends.." oh yeah thats me
Me lol
❤
Hell is other people.
Take a look at the bright side, you can always *trust* solitude. When you aren’t driven by a desire to be with others it never divides you.
@Zep this is bullshit, the human brain begins to break down in unavoidable ways if left isolated for too long, periods of deliberate isolation can be healthy but there's a fine line between that and abandonment
I finally understand why Japanese anime mostly talk about " the power of friendship " & wants to teach about the "value of friendship".
and then some jobless incels who still live with their parents and probably never earn their own money, dared to call those anime as " $hitty " or " boring a$$ shonen "
I mean, everyone has opinions, but there is a clear difference between voicing opinions and being annoying/snobbish.
@@HonestFarmerLigue1Fan that's not being snobbish it just means it's not their taste, chill
@@HonestFarmerLigue1Fan yeah chill man everyone had different tastes
@@salmaabdullahgb
When someone diss some anime/manga/LN such as Re:Zero, Madoka or One Piece, I looked at their MAL account and saw their taste isn't really sophisticated in any way. I missed 2011-2014 when we could like what we like.
@@HonestFarmerLigue1Fan Who disses Re:Zero anymore, after Discount Jesus praised it in a video? Almost nobody.
Most of the people who did that was back in 2016, when hating on Subaru was popular.
The hating/dissing for Re:Zero rose back in arc three, where people convinced themselves that the Main Character was somehow irredeemable, despite all of the cool things he did in previous arcs. It's like once Subaru showed off that he wasn't perfect, nobody liked him anymore. It rose again back in the Rem rejection scene. Everyone's gotten over that now.
With that said, calling them _"jobless incels who still live with their parents and probably never earn their own money"_ is really not the way to go. And out of the three shows you listed, only One Piece could be considered a shounen.
I've never wanted to hug an entire country before.
th-cam.com/video/NAj26rVWK14/w-d-xo.html
I just want to throw a whole party for Japan where everyone can make friends so their not lonely.
I think you people need to watch some Halloween Osaka videos
They aren’t as lonely as people make it sound
@@famicomchannel3681 really dude
Really? XD
@@wafflesthearttoad6916 友達ってなんのことだったけ
As a Japanese, I feel like this is more of a “big city problem” rather than the country as a whole. Alot of the things you mentioned here is something that many rural Japanese people will experience and find out for the first time when they move to the cities. Unlike what many foreigners think, not all of Japan is urban life.
Edit: I should of mentioned that when I meant “urban life”, Im talking about megacities like Tokyo where tons of people from the countryside are moving in. Yes, you could say that majority of the people in Japan are living in “urban areas”, but not quite from a Japanese standard. Alot of the smaller sized cities in Japan still retains the close knit community mentality, so people generally dont feel lonely because you get the feeling of being part of a community. Whats interesting is that the Tokyo natives(the ones born and raised in Tokyo) dont experience much of the problems discussed on this video. They have their family members and childhood friends around and were exposed to this city life since birth. The ones who do face problems are usually the people from the rural areas that moved into the city.
Believe it or not, Tokyo tends to get a bad rep from the rest of Japan. Tokyo is often described as a “cold” place for people to live. There are still areas in Tokyo like the traditional “Shitamachi” areas with close knit communities and distinct local cultures, but its starting to disappear due to gentrification. Personally, I think Tokyo is like a urban dystopia where capitalism has gone too far. Its a very convenient place with easy access to everything, but it can also appear extremely fake and materialistic if you’re not born into this environment. I guess the city life isnt for everyone 🤷♂️
Awesome.
Do people in rural area feel more satisfied with their life? Comparing to ppl in city?
@@Spider-Too-Too I grew up in the countryside (town with 1000 people surrounded with farms and fields), and spent my 20s in a large city. I dread moving back into a large city due to necessity. I would never do it voluntarily. Rural and countryside life is THE life.
Agreed. It's no different in big cities in the US.
People pick on Japan for issues, because you guys are actually smart enough to talk about and discuss it.
@@tirse6206
That depends on how wide your definition of "city" is. You could say the same thing about the US, but that wouldn't explain the statistic differences.
The high loneliness rates come from BIG Urban clusters, like Tokyo, Kyoto, Los Angeles, New York, London, etc.
Most of the issues in Japan are overblown by detractors and propoganda (except for the high work/school expectations, but that's up to personal opinion if that's bad or not).
And I'm not just speaking out of my backside here. I have many friends in Japan that I talk to about these issues regularly, including my fiance.
@@Phatnaru0002 the argument over what one means by city is pretty dumb, so lets put it like this "if your lively hood depends on you commuting to and from a city". its even addressed in the vid itself. small towns where in a decline due to the younger gens looking towards the cities as their future for stability, otherwise there wouldnt be a decline in rural towns. japan is used as an example because of how rigid the social structure is.
The 6 day school week thing should honestly be considered a violation of child labor rights.
I don't know about other parts of Asia, but a 6 day school week is the norm in most schools in India. (Work weeks for adults are also 6 days in private companies.) And by the time we're 13 or 14, many of us start attending separate private tuitions to improve on what we learn in school, which run 3-4 hours every day of the week, including Sundays.
I believe this is a rising trend in the Global South, where competition is increasing, and wages and living conditions (including the lack of a social safety net) are worse than the Global North.
6 day school weeks can be pretty nice if you have 4-5 hours of lessons per day and little homework, it was like that when I was a student (elementary to high school, European country). I had a lot of free time compared to a 9-5
@@nazsherif5514 yeah that sucks, no time for hobbies, sports or friends
Ya its normal
@@nazsherif5514 sorta grew up with it? Graduated HS @ 2008 with a 7am-5pm school day, 5 days a week. Had about 30 mins-1h after school for either clubs or piano lessons.
"There are so many wonderful things in this world why are you still depressed?"
"There is so much air in this world John but you still got asthma."
Is that a line from Sherlock Holmes?
Dude...
as an asthmatic no, it's different then that
@@marshallschaefer9632 as a metaphor, yes.
@@qb4097 oh well in that case yeah
As a Japanese person, I've encountered a lot of people like this here in Japan and I try to make lots of friends to help people. I like how foreigners like Japan but it should not be thought of as a perfect country like many people oversees may think. I hope going forward the country could change for the better, I don't want my kids having the risk of being this lonely to this extreme.
You're doing God's work by making at least one person feel less lonely.
Good to Hear at least one person wants to do something about it.. you have a lot of courage to face this
Hopefully more and more citizens and company execs catch wind of this and follow your example because these heinous expectations and protocols that the society is forcing upon it's people is a satanic practice and isolating people like a disease is another way of killing off good people
First you guys need to overtrow the LPD and it´s governemnt. I am not saying to turn communist or something, but to change the economic system to a social democracy in which the governemnt would focus in the people and social programs. The current governement desn´t care about this. You guys need also to change mentalities and reform the educational system. The standards for people are so high the they are literally consuming people. Young people in Japan are too unintrested in politics and this of course will still give space to the far right the only wants to mantain the system bc it bennefits them. And open relations with your neighbor countries. Japanese love to pandering to the west, I see that as glorifying the west. You guys should look at your neighbours and develop relatitions and look for them. It´s so fucking stupid how loyal Japan is to the US and europe despite knowing how the west fucked Japan (forcing them to open their borders in the edo period, Refusal to reconize the Japanese as equal consequentianly forcing Japan to join the Axis powers, Atomic Bombs, Plaza Accord, which is one of the MAIN reasons for the lost 30 years that still affect Japan. Japan also need to promote feminism and accepting the horrible imperialistic past. You need to learn from history to not commit the errors of the past. Currently Japan is failing at this and this results in the growing far right which already his preety big and rules Japan. They only want to maintain the system which is bad for the japanese. But japanese don´t know bc how brainwashed they are. Sorry if I was being too agressive by the way but you guys need to acknowleg this problems to advance to a better society. If noting happends and LPD continues to rule Trust me, your country will fucking colapse and turn to a US military base, if it isn´t already...
@@retro-ronin there is No God...everyone Is for themselves
One piece is the highest selling manga in Japan, a series about freedom, abandoning it all to chase one's dreams, and finding new places to explore. I was confused for the longest time as to why the series is so popular, but seeing this video made me finally realize why.
Isnt that series about to end? I wonder how they feel about that.
@@agidyne9676 Oh dang! I didn't know it was this close to the end. I remember looking up that question years ago and it said in around 10 years.
Realizing the same thing with Demon Slayer and how it starts with the main character being the breadwinner of his family; therefore, due to his taxing job, he isn't at home when they're all murdered by demons, and he has to join together with peers and chase his own goals to cure his sister of her fantasy health condition. It's one of the few manga that have threatened One Piece's reign at the top
I see, that makes sense. It's popular just like how Rick and Morty is popular here. Nihilism sells.
I hate any show that doesn't handle nihilism the way Rick and Morty does; with comedic effect. Other shows go overboard with the edginess and without a message which makes it just terrible.
@@daoyang223 I heard Bojack Horseman was good.
We also have to remind ourselves that behind those fun, colourful animes are people who are working their assess almost 24/7. Reality check.
A Turtle doesn't approve working 24/7
@@TurtleChad1 i agree with you, turtle
Mappa has joined the chat
Sad but true. With the few exceptions like Kyoto Animation, most studios work their employees like machines and the average wage is really pitiful. You can't even call it a salary since they can barely afford their own bills, let alone live on their own or have a family. It's unfortunate that because of this many leave the industry within 5 years.
I really wanted to live in Japan for a few years until reality started trickling in and I really started learning more and more about Japanese culture outside of samurai, WWII and anime. I still like it but living there is definitely not for everyone.
@@TurtleChad1 turtle
Thank you
im an american living in japan. I knew most of this already, but it helped me to better understand my relationship with my Japanese partner
Does your keyboard have a CAPS key 'Chester'? LOL
@Heath Lawrence Heath, what's the problem? In your reply it seemed like you were pretty worried. Hope you're having a good one :)
@@haitolawrence5986 this is the internet, not a school assignment
@@papasscooperiaworker3649 seems he's a hikikomori
@@haitolawrence5986 dude, you're able to choose which keyboard and language you want your phone/computer to be no matter where you are..
Minister of loneliness. Sounds like a death metal band.
Sounds like a sex after cigarettes song
Sounds more Doomy to me
More like an emo band.. Minister of Solitude sounds more like a metal band
*black metal
It sounds goth to me
I'm Japanese. I'm just 20 minutes in but year...it's like someone is looking directly into my forcefully opened mouth and pointing at all the rotten or tilted teeth I know very well and despise, in public. Like...oh my god this is hard to watch. It physically hurts
Be mai friend pweez. (I'm not a weeb, I swear.)
I would LOVE to hear more of your feelings about the topics brought up. I just don't see why connecting emotionally, being open about them and living your life of everyone else's expectations are this impossible there. Is it because elderly has all the power and money? Because I could imagine that young people in Japan are dying inside for a change for freedom, but as stated, Japan's demographic statistics shows us that 50% of the population are elderly, and since less and less babies are born, it gets even worse, especially with very high life expectancy. Isn't there a political party you could vote for, who echoes the voice of young people's dreams there?
Truth hurts many times
Listen man the lifestyle Japan has is not healthy try to focus on finding peace not some religious bs but to find the beauty in the world Do what you like find yourself
Get lost
When I worked at Tokyo Disney Sea I lost a coworker to "death by overwork"... Ne****-san was a nice, gentleman with a pained smile who'd chuckle at my childish questions ("Ne, Ne****-san, what'd you eat for breakfast today? What's your favorite food?")... one winter night he had a heart attack on his way home from the train station, and they found him in the morning. I had seen my employers yelling at him and treating him poorly, so the next time I caught them treating one of my coworkers badly I got in my manager's face and told them off. Oh boy, seeing some grey-haired upper-management types (all American or non-Japanese) turn red in the face after being shouted at by a 26-year-old artist (i.e. "the talent") who earned their pay for them...one of the best moments in my life. But I will always remember N*****-san, who didn't deserve to go out like that. :(
You're a good person! Thank you.
@SebastianSio good thing my bosses were all foreigners then
Poor Nemoto-san. May he R.I.P. :(
Japanese people consider it honorable to die in line of duty even in civilian roles. Death is considered a privilege. This mindset needs to change if they want to live more meaningful lives rather than organic machines.
What use is prosperity when it can't be enjoyed?
I bet they where also surprised to see it coming from you. Well surprise! lol
Japan: We are one of the most developed countries in the world!!
But at what cost..?
Their people
@@nortemark4454 Our lives
Everything...
For us car guys - The cost of Mitsubishi, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda stopping the production of nearly most of their successful performance cars,
For your average FWD Corolla
Making their workers depressed af
Japan has always seemed to be on the leading edge of social-media technology and capitalism-induced social isolation. I definitely see a lot of echos of hikikomori in western incel culture, only with the anger and sadness turned more outward in the western version.
Also, I see the huge explosion of vanlife and tiny-home popularity as capitalizing on people's desire for escapism to create perfectly mobile, perfectly alienated labor. A boss's dream: Loneliness on wheels.
I will say I’ve become very interested in tiny home living but my desire is predominantly focused on minimizing the sheer amount of stuff I find toting around from place to place. I also love the idea of owning a small self-sufficient farm.
While I do see a lot of people who capitalize on the trend by documenting their experience/travels online and end up suffering from burn out in that regard or remotely working, the impression I’ve gotten from people pursuing it is a desire to escape the confines of an office job and capitalism.
But of course, it takes escaping that overwhelming need to produce some sort of labor through work, for travel bloggers it’s especially hard to separate work from private life.
@@Iamjustherek I honestly see the appeal, late capitalist life makes the yeoman farmer life especially attractive in contrast (even if capitalism has also made it impossible through having to compete with subsidized corporate megafarms).
But I also honestly see the whole of the #vanlife influencer as a stochastic ad campaign for a future where fewer and fewer workers can afford traditional living spaces. After all, the actual largest group of people living in vans and campers are living in the parking lot of where they work outside a walmart or an Amazon warehouse.
To put hikikomori and incels is disrespectful I think. Incels are misogynistic assholes but most people in self imposed isolation is due to mental health reasons and being shunned by society not because girls won’t sleep with you
Imo the van thing could also be a reaction to the unrealistic American template of mortgaging a house that could house multiple families in theory.
@@mistermistyeye9218 This video spends half it's runtime talking about withdrawing form relations, and avoiding to mention soshoku danshi at all...
Incels by definition are involuntary celibates... you are here calling someone a "misogynistic asshole" because no women want to fuck with him (as if it is a crime to be unwanted?). There is many reasons why this guys are being rejected as suitable partners, and about 80% of those have to do with society, with stereotypes, with expectations... there is women that also have problems for this same reasons, but at least they have a whole positivity group of people telling them that they are perfect the way they are and it is everybody else that is wrong... but guys don't have that, you can't just tell them they they are OK and women are wrong... that is where you come with your "misogynistic asshole" tag... why a woman should be questioned on her standards for partner?
As a Japanese, it’s safe to say that he truly understands how the Japanese society works.
A lot of western media say we live in a collective society, but like he says, we have little to no time to develop integral skills such as making friends and talking about ongoing problems, since we’re expected to learn like hell at school.
Parents also expect their children to be perfect and put huge pressure on them. Japanese parents can be oftentimes very cruel, because they’re mentally immature. My parents, for instance, seem not to be able to control what they say even though they realize how bad it is.
In the Western Society, at least students have some kind of freedom to hang out so that they can express their feelings and realize what they’re going through. However, current Japanese society doesn’t give us time to halt and think deeply.
That’s why I immigrated to have a better life. I know this is not a beautiful story, but this had to be said.
i am a korean girl and i feel the same.. im incredibly lonely.. school, work, i was expected to be good at music (play long hours at piano) its hard.. koreans are so closed off.. even hugging someone is taboo...
@@yoleeisbored Hey, I’m half Korean so I kinda get what you feel... my dad’s Korean and he’s so strict😂
Maybe moving out will help you out a bit speaking from experience and I’m sure you’ll have an amazing life in the future cuz you’re amazing!!
@@yoleeisbored why are we always busy and forced to learn all day long??
@@yoleeisbored yeah why not here’s my insta: kimshiion
can we be friends? :( immigrant chinese here but i’ve acquired my italian citizenship. I struggled a lot with my asian parents.. they are so harsh for no reaason
After I fainted from overwork, I realized how much your workplace doesn't care about you. They didn't start hiring people until after I quit. They didn't want to pay the ambulance I was in. I called them for 8 months until they paid. They kept sending me to another person over and over again. I am very explicit on when I need to take my breaks and lunch because we all have a limit. Please take care of yourselves. Eat healthy and be happy with the little things that you have. Appreciate life because it can end in a second.
it is definitely a major difference between the US and Japan. Over in Japan i see a much greater respect, admiration, and dedication to a company whereas in the US you'll usually be told by people to not sacrifice yourself for any company. In essence, the US has a culture where the worker should be and is prioritized to maximize worker output, and in Japan the company is the focus not the worker. Of course not all companies are like these ways, and the social aspect of Japanese culture also affects the lives of people. Compared to the US Japanese people are very reserved and see closeness as going to far into someone's personal life whereas in the US we advocate a more open and direct form of interaction. Both have their extremes but i'm seeing that in Japan their form of extreme, i.e. following a stricter form of communication limits the emotional experience. A very different environment and one i hope the Japanese can find a better system of existing with their fellow man. It's sad to think that a country so technologically advance has issues with people on people interaction.
True. I used to just work work. I am surprised that I didn't collapse. I go to work, school, an do lots of hw. I work at the school's publishing warehouse in the office, but when they have Cyber Monday they ask me to help pick the books in the warehouse. They want us to stay until 5:00 pm When we start at 7:30 am. This year I only stayed until my normal work time. I said I was taking my 20 min break and they jokingly said that we have lots of work. I just said "it's the law" and went on my break. Many of my co-workers didn't take their break all wk. Sorry, not sorry. I have hw to do when I get home, and being on my feet all day is very tiring.
LOL, I’m lucky. My Japanese employers are afraid of me. But they know that I’m a bad guy, or at least I used to be once upon a time. They associate me with Narcos or Breaking Bad for some dumb reason, even though I’m nice to everyone. That’s what I heard though. I’m really more like Leon un Curb Your Enthusiasm, though.
@@j.ericsandoval566 To be fair, being a foreigner is enough for Japanese to treat you like you are Pablo Escobar or something. The way people flee from you is pretty funny actually.
A stroke ended my nursing career and able-bodied life as I knew it. Please appreciate the things you DO have in your life!
" Some companies... will even let you rent out an entire family, to enjoy a dinner or a conversation with" - who's cutting onions.
Oh that's right
Somehow, "Rent a Girlfriend" doesn't sound that bad anymore...
This comment made me sad for two reasons. One, I agree with you that the concept of having to rent a family is sad. Two, “who’s cutting onions” is something only someone who was there would get-
Thats sad truely
Honestly i'd rent a family and have a conversation on my last days. That shit hurts more than it should.
As a Japanese, I think this also relates to the fact that most of us are hardly interested in politics. Rather than changing reality, we feel it’s easier to escape one. That’s why we have a bunch of world-class creators (of music, manga, literature, etc.) but the worst politicians.
oh and I forgot to say, I think this is a masterpiece, the best video I’ve seen in years. Thanks for the experience!
Dude if you think you have the worst politicians then just look at your neighbor the Philippines lol, but I do hope the situation in Japan gets better though
@@beandiesel974 Yup, being born and grown up here in the Philippines I do find it hard to live cause of corrupt Politicians (not all of them just look at Vico Sotto and Isko Moreno) and Hypocritical Christian Parents Boomers forcing their beliefs into your throat, and Brain Drain cause of this. I better hope both Japan, Philippines and all SoutEast Asian Countries become better.
Aren't the exact same politicians which you say are "the worst" taking action against the toxic work culture? They issued laws to limit the maximum amount of overtime work, to encourage people to take more days off and obligated companies to pay managers not for the amount of hours worked but for their performance (which implicitly will reduce the working time of employees, as they leave only then, when their superiors left) and a new minister for loneliness was appointed a few weeks ago.
The prevalance of overtime in Japanese work culture seems to be vastly exaggerated, since the Japanese work fewer hours (1644 per year) on total than the OECD average (1726 hours per year). Google "Average annual hours actually worked per worker".
The suicide rate in 2019 was the lowest since the beginning of the records which began about 4 decades ago or so. 2016 the rate was about 18,5 and 2019 it was about 16, making the governments goal to reduce it to 13 by 2025 seem realistic (though I don't know how long-lasting the impact of the pandemic is going to be). This places Japan just above Finland in the ranking of countries by suicide rate. Finland, which the author of the video makes to seem to be the Promised Land translated into reality, has a suicide rate of 15,9. By the way, other "socialist" scandinavian countries are generally not performing much better in this regard. Sweden has a suicide rate of 14,8 and Iceland has a rate of 14.
The fact that the country, which supposedly is the happiest one in the world, has the same suicide rate as the country, which is supposedly one of the unhappiest amongst the developed nations, makes one doubt the usefulness of the Global Happiness Report and some other sociological happiness metrics, especially if you take into account that in Japan talking about mental health is stigmatized to a high degree, contrary to Finland. How does the happiest society make as many people kill themselves as one of the unhappiest countries?
Reality is indeed changing in Japan albeit the political apathy of its people. Not only is it coming from the "bad" government it's coming from the "exploitative" companies themselves as well (for example Toyota limited overtime on its own and actively urges employees to leave earlier to get some rest).
I ended up writing more than I intended and more than what was necessary. I hope you will read the comment anyway.
@@renox7044 Damn many people in Japan overwork themselves to death and give little or no time for themselves and for their families. I think japan need to change their work culture first of all, especially the one that teach employees to wait for their boss and their coworkers to leave even if you have already finish your work. Then the rampant gender inequality in the country. I think men especially need to radically change their way of thinking. I think fathers must take care of their children not just the mother.Have a general consensus that being a stay at home father is okay or even given praise by the general public. I dunno how to solve the declining birth rate but having immigrants might be helpful. But I dont really care about the population crisis since it is inevitable since if countries develop, birth rate steadily declines. But what I do care is that people are living happy and satisfying lives, not overburden by work, have time for genuine friends and family, hikkimoris are being given substantial help to get back to society and make loneliness become nonexistent(i hope). And no ¥1.12 quadrillion amount of debt of course
We are all heading towards the time of loneliness and depression, the Japanese are just ahead of time.
They have been a canary in the coal mine for modern societies for quite a while now
City life is designed to suck away your soul, reject city, embrace countryside.
😂
@@spinyslasher6586 countryside becomes city
@@zbbzbb4761 countryside becomes blade runner
Why doesn't this have more views?
Gaijin Goombah! Thanks so much for watching, man! This video was definitely a labour of love, loneliness has always been severely overlooked, and I think word needs to be spread about how destructive it can truly be. It was a lot of effort to research and make this one, but it was worth it.
I mean you're a relatively big youtuber, you should share it with your audience!
because the topic is depressing, so most avoid it.
It doesn't have more views because the video spends half the time discussing the topic of interest (loneliness in japan) and half the time pushing the creator's personal politics in an irrational manner. So much promise wasted, what a shame...
@@xx-xx3hi yeah really is ashame you have no brain scarecrow
"I guess I am something of a Japanese myself"
I'm thinking the same thing.
😂😂😩
-Said every internet user ever
I get that reference.
@@3km143 ×2
Maybe I’m japanse
the fact that most weebs fetishise this idea of japan being all cute and anime is just sad
yeah youre basically the only genius in a sea of morons, just like everyone else
And most people and Japan don't give 2 shits about anime
As a Japanese watching this video, it was kinda ironic to see that most of the mid roll ads presented to me were ads were those of dating apps in Japan.
Oof
Oof
Oof
Oof
Got to love them targeted ads, it would probably sting more if you were single to boot.
this makes me remember a manga about a guy renting out a little sister because his real sister died
😭
sorry, sauce?
@@irunasoft Iirc "That Time I Rented A Little Sister." cmiiw.
There's another like this but the opposite. I think it's rented older brother and it's really sad
There's one I heard of about renting a girlfriend.
@@tanjiroslostevilness7940 yep that's the right one
The most accurate behind the scenes of Japan IMO. I’m Japanese, living in Japan and this video is spot on. What you could have added to the video was the Japanese collective culture, where being different is considered as bad. I always found it BS and was suffering from it because of my autism. That’s why I always had self-hatred, but by studying abroad in Canada and experiencing the western culture, I discovered that it was okay to be me. So those who are planning on moving to Japan, don't get offended by this ugly aspect of Japanese culture. Everyone deserves acceptance. You always deserve to be yourself and loved.
👍
I get where you're coming from but "collectivism vs. individualism" has been the drooling-on-the-carpet-level explanation for everything that happens in Japan among English-speakers online for the last 30 years. It's time to grow brains
I mean,that's because it's true and nothing is being done about it
Ascribing all the problem of Japan when it comes to loneliness to "Capitalism" is pretty off the mark though. Collectivism vs individualism is off too, since there's myriad of example of "collectivist" cultures around the world that doesn't have similar level of issue with loneliness. (and same can be said with individualism...)
I agree, blaming capitalism on the situation is grossly oversimplifying the blame, my analysis on the situation has been that industrialization itself simply isn't healthily compatible with certain aspects of Japanese culture. Its just happens that Japan industrialized under a capitalist system rather than a socialist one, thus getting blame for the issue, but I garentee that if Japan industrialized in a socialist system like The Soviet Union and China did, that likely the situation for Japanese workers on an individual level wouldn't be any better or different than what it is now.
I’m a Japanese high school student.
I agree that Japan is a messed up country in terms of the poor awareness of mental health. When I was in junior high school I was bullied for being mixed and strange so I started to feel depression and as time went on, It got bigger and bigger but my mother didn’t care about my mental health even though I told her what I had to face in school so I was REALLY mentally unstable at that time. And I still haven’t got any proper help for it. Now I feel better not being bullied but I’m not yet over it.
Stay strong. Take care of yourself. Don't let them get to you.
It's good you're doing better, and it's OK not to be OK. Nobody really is totally OK. They're all struggling behind the scenes one way or another; the difference is you're strong enough to admit it to yourself.
Give yourself credit for going through what you've been through and know you can keep getting better, and lastly always know that you're worthwhile.
If you need to talk to someone, you can reach out. I'm here too.
Become an exchange student if you can
I advise you to learn a martial art, not only will you learn to defend yourself, but it will give you the confidence to deal with bullies.
That scariest part of being lonely is you'll get used to it and might even love it.
It's not that you start loving it you just give up and accept it
@@diogogarcia9199 Yeah that's pretty much it. We're social creatures and for that reason I don't think it's possible to be both lonely and happy. You get used to it to the point where it becomes increasingly more difficult to break out of.
Im an introvert
@@hatsunemikuwilson4787 i try not to be one but my ass is too shy and lazy to go look for friends
That’s called introversion and is common, and not really a bad thing
As a Japanese university student, this hit too hard.
Maybe try to be part of the change in your community? If you have the chance it might just be worth it. Just don't overdo it, bro
@@Umirua nah don’t do that. You gonna be the only person doing it and the it turns into cringe
@@Sevren_ I said don't overdo it, didn't I? Besides, it's an issue that needs to be addressed
@@Umirua "how do you not overdo something thats never been done" - unknown
@@Sevren_ nah bro, the more we believe that, the more the situation solidifies. A person must be the change he wants to see. In other words, "If you're not going to do it, who will?"
This is why some main characters in anime are usually
simple and happy people like Naruto, Goku, and Luffy.
Well that is true, that's usually the case in Shounen anime. There are countless Seinen anime which feature complicated and depressed characters. Best example is this Sato from Welcome to the N.H.K. And also Naruto can be classified as lonely (since his parents are dead and he lives alone) and there are scenes where he's depressed, but he has learned how to smile and be happy because of his determination to become a Hokage.
Not exactly " happy ". Goku and luffy might fit into this description but Naruto certainly don't, he had both of his parents killed, village treats him like shit but he still don't give up on his dream to become a hokage even if it means he'll suffer way more and won't have any time to help his own family.
Most of my favorite main characters are not the happy go lucky people, Guts is one of my favorite main character because he in a way can be described as realistic. He learned to forgive and accept even though at first his hate is what drives him, this hate becomes a demon at times causing him to slowly lose his humanity and becoming one of the monsters that he hate so much.
The other is Giorno, his life never really gone his way, his dad never cared for him, his mom is a whore, his adoptive dad is abusive, he is bullied in his school and the only friends he made in his entire life died. Despite all of this he never lose sight of his real objective. He doesn't need character development because he's already a good character from the start.
Either way, as far as what most of the popular main characters tell me, it's not that you have to be happy, it's that you never lose sight of what you want. If capitalism can drive you to pressure people until they die or monopolize the consumers then as far as I can tell, you are a monster because you lost your humanity. " Trying to survive " is not an excuse to hurt others and ease yourself.
@@ttchme9816 Yeah, I do agree, some of them are..
I'd say they're more resilient, driven and unwavering.
I'd also bear in mind that these characters were made before the 21st century. Deku from Hero aca was shown on the verge of a mental breakdown before the plot found him, Mob from Mob Psycho had an entire episode of the second season dedicated to a what-if scenario where he'd eventually lose his cool from being constantly rejected and go ballistic... they're just a few examples since I'm not that much into shonen anymore so I don't know, you may find more examples for your cause...
As mentioned in the other comment, seinen tends to be more grim and somber and hence just a bit more accurate in the mental state of it's mcs relating to the readers since there's no more need to portray the world in a necessarily positive light for the kiddos...
This is why the stock shonen hero remains an archetype among Asian society.
I realize that some Japanese may not want to have children because they don't want their children to grow up just to suffer in society and eventually... give up. That's terrible.
Not just in Japan, all countries face that (even third world ones), the fact that we have access to more information these days makes us aware of previously unknown problems and the future doesnt look too bright: overpopulation, pollution, lack of jobs, increase incost of living, high property prices, high education prices, etc.
@@emmanuelinfantegonzalez4316 That's true. It's so sad the world looks at life with bleaker eyes nowadays.
@@emmanuelinfantegonzalez4316 one critece, overpopulation in general is a myth as we as a species produce way too much for our needs yet there are those without
Society, good people. You created an existential dread rather then happiness or love. Thank you society. May you rot of your intent.
I'm middle-class American and I never had kids for this very reason. Nobody asks to be born and yet they're saddled with the burden of existing. Seems cruel.
Work hours should be 6 hours a day. Imagine living your life just to work. Wake up, commute to work, work, commute to home, sleep and repeat again tommorow.
The less work hours is one thing I miss after becoming a full time worker. I pretty much LIVE at work, and it's ridiculous. Sure I was broker back then, but at least I had more time to myself.
@@tiajoseph7309
The purpose of work is to earn money.
The purpose of money is to further your pursuit of happiness.
So if work makes you miserable, what’s the bloody point?!
@@combativeThinker So that I won't be homeless.
@@combativeThinker If you have the capacity to delay gratification you can invest your money so you don't need to work as much in the future, but most people are too lazy or stupid to ever increase their income.
@@kirito3082 Point. But failure to increase income isn't only determined by laziness or stupidity
The saddest part is the fact that their culture frowns upon being so open with affection. A simple hug is looked at as a crime against humanity if done so in public.
If affection were to be the solution of the problems, depression wouldn't exist here in Brazil (here people are very close, and very affectionate to each other).
Getting along well with others doesn't seem to be the way. Getting along well with YOURSELF and your LIFE does.
This is a good point. Hugs help and can feel therapeutically even if it's from someone who isn't being super sincere
@@GustavoHenrique-dp7so é, mas ajuda pra caralho, o problema aqui não é afeto ,é como no mundo inteiro, se chama 'late stage captalism'. Então, sim a cultura brasileira de afetividade ajuda a estancar o problema, fora o calor/sol enfim...
@@SayOye11 Discordo. Penso que o excesso de "calor humano" faz o efeito contrário, isto é, com que os brasileiros direcionem o foco nas relações interpessoais, enquanto que suas relações consigo mesmo e com suas próprias vidas recebe menos importância.
Além disso, quase toda sociedade do mundo tem sua competição por validação social, ainda que com critérios diferentes. É análogo ao padrão de beleza: ele existe em todas as sociedades (mesmo que com diferentes valores), e em todas elas há uma relação de competição em relação a ele.
I had a neighbor who once went on a small rant about kids being aimless and having no direction / discipline (one of those people), and he specifically said "We could learn from places like Japan!". I have no filter and pretty much immediately replied with "yeah...except they also have an extremely high rate of suicide and social shut-ins." He genuinely had no idea. Some people just look at Japan as this highly functional society, where everyone works really hard while still enjoying fun pop culture, but aren't familiar with Japan's sociology enough to realize it's far from being some kind of utopia. EXCELLENT video overall, had me hooked deep just with the opening segment! A lot of very poignant callouts to issues that affect a lot of modern industrial countries -
Yup.
The inventions that are released in Japan recently for men who who want partners ( flirting with an anime character virtually, marrying an anime character, and a whole lot) makes it look like women don't exist in Japan.
These men are so lonely.
It's pathetic
You replied with a lie then. Japan's suicide rate is NOT that high. Not so different from US. Funny how others like Russia, South Korea and Lithuania have much higher rate and yet nobody talks about them. Same goes for the birth rate. Some people keep pretending that Japan is exceptionally low while It's untrue.
It's surprising and ridiculous how people can repeat utter misinformation without any research, thinking they know better.
@@ajpristine4809 Those "weird Japan" videos and articles are racist click bait. Things you mentioned are weird or funny to Japanese people too, or simply nobody knows.
Sorry it's you who are pathetic, for easily eating up what poor-quality click baits say.
@@lucashell2619 You make a very good point by pointing out that Japan's suicide rate isn't the highest nor is it that different from the US. Actually if you pause the video at 33:26 you can see that S. Korea is shockingly higher. That being said, I strongly disagree with your statement that the suicide rate is "not that high". It undeniably is. Not just in Japan but in most highly industrialised countries.
I think the reason why people focus so much on Japan is partly because Japan and it's culture are much more familiar to the people in the West (for better or worse) than say Lithuania or even even S. Korea. It may also be because of how dramatically Japan's economy crashed and how the aftermath is exposing the failures of its system. And as you quite rightly mentioned, Western depictions of Japan have been extremely racist for a long time (the academic term is techno orientalism btw) and created a dehumanized image of the Japanese
Yes Japan is dealing with a lot of repression, despite being a post industrial state. The anime and cosplay (nothing really wrong with it) culture is really just a visual representation of this problem. It is not really their culture that is the problem, it is that they were not allowed to adjust their culture when they wanted to. nowtoronto.com/news/japan-not-an-election-a-revolution
As a Japanese person, many of the cultural facts were very accurate, thank you to everyone for being so interested in my people and culture, I hope you stay safe and well!
You stay safe and most importantly, well
blessings to you Kage - same to you!
You to brother.
The coolest japanese friends i had as friends decided to move - they were sick on working themselves to death and feeling like dying everyday.
@@cr4yv3n yeah definitely, and it's a major problem for all people I'm sure, not just the Japanese.
Most of these problems really aren't exclusive to Japan at all, depending on the place they might be painted with slightly different colors.
It is just that Japan takes the issue differently, so yeah you are somewhat correct. I mean they do have a Suicide Forest ffs, it's way worse over there guy.
@@ferchango6359 If we are comparing by suicide rates,
japan is at 18.5 per 100k and its at 14th place currently,
many countries are around that level (top 60 range from 11-32).
I wouldn't say they have it much worse, I'd say the problem is global.
@@meppeorga Also consider that Japan suicide rates is sinking, while suicide rates in the west are either stagnating or on the rise. In 2019 Japan had a suicide rate of around 16, which is the same as Finland in 2016 (I couldn't find the data for 2019), which is presented by the author of the video as utopia.
Agreed, it's easy to forget that issues about mental health/illness and suicides are a global thing that is going to vary over time and place!
Another part of the problem with addressing mental health is that the science behind it is going to be an ever-changing science where new things about how the human brain works are still being learned, and it's easy for misinformation to spread/stick around while people are still learning about what mental health/illness exactly is (especially when it takes a lot of extra work finding credible sources on the Internet and, very quickly, could end up being proven to be false as time goes on).
For example, the progenitors of modern psychology (Freud, Jung, and so forth) are no longer considered reliable sources for psychology, and Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment is no longer considered reliable information recently (though it's still being taught in most psychology tests/classes as factual).
Who knows if we'll discover new information in the future regarding mental health/illness?
@@ferchango6359 only reason we don't have suicide forests in the US is cause we trampled all over any history of the areas we took, and as a population are obsessed with avoiding thoughts about death. a thing such as a suicide forest could never exist in the united states, no matter how many happen to kill themselves inside a large cluster of trees spanning several miles
the thing about this whole thing is that. they're treating the cut wounds instead of removing the knife that's hurting them
Yes! I was thinking of that. But maybe the one holding the knife is just to big to take down alone...
@@tsrmmercy836 Who’s holding the knife?
@@tadghspalding2765 society 😔👉👈
@@tsrmmercy836 we all experience that ever since in the late 90s. Group of kids starts picking on them calling out their names. As if this kid wanted to commit suicide because they have lack of social skills. I don't mind having Japanese friend, all they need is companionship.
I think you are not supposed to remove the knife when you are stabbed. but yea i get your point
this puts the emphasis on friendship and "nakama" in shounen anime in a new light for me. It must fill so much wish fulfillment, like it did for me as a lonely preteen :(
This also made a lot of their animes make sense now. High schoolers living on their own, dealing with adult shit. Melancholic animes talking about how lonely they are and when they do find that special someone, it meant the whole world to them. Turns out it wasn't all just edge and angst, it was a very real problem
Just be the light
This really does put the "power of friendship" joke in a new light
I guess this is also why sao and other isekai anime is so popular in japan
Yes this, and the power fantasy. In Japan, a single person is nothing compared to the collective. That is why the power of a single protagonist to dominate the many is also a prominent fantasy in anime.
This really made me realize that no country is perfect. Might seem like a stupid realazation but as someone who lives in a 3rd world country(in africa) and a country where imigration is very popular, this is really eye opening.
Alot of people (especially here) look at these big countries like America, The UK and Japan and think "Everything is so perfect there" only to move there and, while yes live a better lifestyle, are also affected by these problems.
Like how one of my closest friends who is now in America is thought to be a neanderthall and incapable of normal human behaviors. He is living a better lifestyle yes, but these norms are affecting him on an emotional level.
Or how lonely people might move to Japan and then struggle to find a significant other.
But, taking all these problems into consideration, I dont feel like this video was made to stop foreigners from moving to Japan, but rather, warn them about what the media might not tell them and help them make the right descicion based on what they think will be best or their lifestyle.
As someone who wishes to move to Japan myself, I don't feel discouraged to move there, but rather informed on very real problems that I feel people should know.
(i hope this comment was atleast cohesive, since I tend to ramble quite alot)
This was a good comment I think your message came across really clear. I understood it pretty well. I'm a point of my life where I don't want to be lonely anymore and try new things but in the same time I kinda enjoy my solitude. So sometimes I want a woman I can enjoy her company and sometimes I just want a one night stand. It's very conflicting and that's just one situation
lol blakoid
@@123495734 what does that mean?
@@user-rn5xy6gm9z im making fun of your skin colour (black)
@@user-rn5xy6gm9z Please ignore the asshole/troll.
Your comment was fine, BTW. I liked the insight on another country!
To all my fellow weebs, anime is the fantasies of a Japanese person animated. The extroverted, honest and expressive characters are what they wish they could be.
As a person who watched anime for 6 years I found out about these problem in the 2 years
Every weeb will know how Japan truly is eventually
I mean sure but you probably shouldn’t completely paint everything with a broad brush. Maybe some creators are happy? It’s important to recognize trends but that doesn’t have to paint the way you see a completely diverse media.
Damn that hit hard...
I have been watching and reading anime and manga for 30+ years as many of my friends who eventually went and lived in Japan. You don't know what the country and the people are like until you actually have a first hand, long term experience. Let's stop pretending we understand something because we read comics, please.
Yay unfortunately the hikikomori/incel phantonym is idisuve of the very poor treament of autisic people in both online and the education system which the japanesse and american anime communities because 1:the high amount of autisic people you like anime in general 2: Alota of societies heavy emphasise on being"nomal" American more subtle japan explicitly which highend online and finally 3: because all this all as the fact parents seem to have been centent with leeting media raise kids for them since the 50's so many people autisic neerdy people especially get so consumed have there social live's cripaled form the start and because(don't how play's in japanesse otaku curcle's if anyone what's to tell please do) you all these self hating hikikomori/incel's online teasing young bright autisic otaku for be ither a good deal more imbarising then them or having the same opinions on what ever show they might share a special instert in as this put autistic people online into a position you etheir stay a small medium sized creator and don't show your face or if you do and again some sorta opinion or way of acting that the just as autisic as you incel's don't like the'll bully untill your filmed having a melt down then naively or Maliciously ableist neurotypical's joining in on the situation and said autisic nerdy kid ethier becomes an incel him self or gets booted of the internet rinse and repeat it's so sad the american and japansesse helfcare and education sytems and internet culture need to change well and fast or else this hikikomori/incel phantonym gonna get better hope dose one day though:)
Jesus Christ man. That was kinda a wake up call for me. I didn’t even realize that loneliness was such big problem. Thx for this video bro and educating me on this a bit. I will definitely take a look around see if anyone I know feels lonely or sad lately so that I can support them.
Still awesome video, keep up the work man
loneliness is better than Fake Happiness.
@@eduardochavacano can't agree more . People think it's not ok to be alone and you need someone's company ,they don't realise that the one person who is always near you is yourself .As someone who had suscidal thoughts in the past , was betrayed by the only people who call as friends . I had to pick myself up on my own and embrace myself . Now I'm doing way better by being alone than by being in pain . I got good friends now though but that time taught me a good lesson and my perspective of friends changed .I'm not alone and the one person who is always with me is myself , I should take good care of myself and those who love me.
They are always around you . If really want to help someone just hear what that person has to say but don't be half assed about it , it will do the person more harm .
@@praveenmurugesh147 Loneliness and being alone are not the same, it's ok to be alone but being lonely is often times unnecessarily painful. But I'm glad to hear you're doing better now and have good friends, and I'm happy that you're ok with yourself, that's really important.
@@praveenmurugesh147 @cibershadow2 is right, loneliness and being alone are two very different things. I am also very happy that you have found self love and left toxic relationships behind you. But one can be still be lonely and surround by people who fundamentally care about them. people who mean no harm. People who are pleasant and kind, and mean so well can still never really see your vail of loneliness. I enjoy my solitude too, but for someone to know my love language, is not read at all.
It's really a depressing world, Japan is really the most extreme example around.
Have you been to any third world countries?! Japan is a great country, it is just a small consequence to the fast-paced lifestyle.
@@olivur_1459 for example?
Really it isn't, stop jumping on the bandwagon. There are plenty of countries that are absolute shitholes. In contrast, life in Japan is comfortable, abundant and peaceful. It has it's own problems but there are billions of people who would give an arm and a leg to be able to live like the Japanese. Personally, I would not live in Japan cause I grew up in a completely different mentality (Eastern Europe), but most people in Japan seemed to be perfectly happy with the way they do things. What Japan really needs is a do away with isolationism, let in new worldviews and become innovative again. They did it many times already so I am not too worried.
*cough* north korea *cough*
@@butter5144 is that even a country! I thought it as a prison
Its not just japan...let me tell you...the whole generation is suffering from loneliness everywhere..
As a person living in Europe, I can relate to this video. This is a global issue. Not something exsclusive to a certain country in the "far lands of the East".
@@jjrhwy3376 I'm from Europe too. And I feel completely astounded by how much I can relate to that video.
I've been trying to get better for so long, I even have two friends. Yet I still can't fully connect to anyone and I use escapism on a daily basis. I hope I'll find a way to battle this otherwise I might as well book a trip to the suicide forest...
@@xuxu3703 From Europe as well and can relate, I have some friends but I also don't feel that much connected, I don't know how to explain it. I use things like ASMR and other stuff to distract myself from the situation I'm in... I've been trying to get away from this loop but nothing I've tried has helped me to get out of this for a long time, I've seen a psychologist and taken help from meds and had some good 3 months but just ended up relapsing to the way I were.
Socializing just sometimes feels like a waste of my time because it goes nowhere, it's difficult to get friends and even more someone you can spend your life with but I wouldn't go as far as taking my life for it, I still believe there's a way to fight this.
from Africa, not necessarily loneliness but depression. Many suffer from it. It's alarming that we have not yet realized that an individual's mental health matters as much as physical health
lonely people are easier to trick.
"Are you doctor yet?"
"No Dad I am 12"
"Talk to me when you are a doctor"
the country
Yeah! Family Guy reference.
thats a racist stereotype joke. its not meant to be taken seriously. stop thinking that asia is all study study depression cry sleep study. no its not like that
@@matthewkim812 ehh, it kinda is...
r/wooosh, by the way
@@matthewkim812
I've seen too many Asian "tiger parents" to know it's true
Yes, Family Guy is just a comedy. The stereotype is extended into caricature like all humour. But many a truth is said in jest.
🤣🤣🤣
✌❤
I'm not Japanese, but I find myself lonely surrounded by screens alot especially during the pandemic. My self esteem has been dropping due to being stuck with my family 24/7. I can't handle how I'm treated anymore and I'm starting to get angrier then before. I don't have people to play or hangout with, and I'm never invited to anything. I get ignored and neglected a lot but I learned to deal with it. I'm always getting stressed by something, and nobody really helps me. The thought of spending the rest of my life alone often comes to haunt me, due to all my self doubt. Videogames and Anime are usually something used for pleasure, but for a lot of people like myself, it is an escape. Its a way to enter new worlds that aren't like the one you live on that torments you. Some games make you *feel* like you *are* the character.. and with every character interaction and bond you create with what is just fiction, it makes you fill the gap of emptiness that makes you lonely. Once what you are playing or watching is concluded however, it could soon become a cycle.
But within the Japan, I feel this problem is much more worse then the feelings I have adopted. The program where you have a mother, sibling, friend(s), or family to rent.. just seems really depressing. While you can have fun and enjoy yourself, it eventually all just ends. The joy goes away. It makes you realize that the experience wasn't all real to where you truely *love* the people you had spent time with. Most people in Japan.. It upsets me, and I'm sure a lot of other people, how they spend nearly their entire time on earth alone. Nobody should put work over their feelings and health.. It will give you a horrible mindset and will make ripples between your desires, and freetime. In conclusion, I wish that people in Japan can become happy with somebody they wish to be with. We don't want them to die alone, or suffer. We're all longing for something in our lives, but we won't achieve it unless we make a change. A Change for the better.
and for that we need a strong will and enough resources, which is very hard for people that are conditioned to behave
Ik exactly how you feel dude
I can relate very much to this
My experience in the past months is pretty similar to yours more or less. If anything I'd be more than happy to talk about your experience with you.
Same man same
West teen: OH MY GOOD I LOVE JAPAN SO MUCH I CAN'T WAIT TO MOVE THERE I BET IT'S LIKE IN ANIME
Meanwhile in Japan:
Well i like anime little bit but i don't see japan as that even tho this story make sense
cant blame them tbh cuz how should they know? everywhere on the world people wish to be somewhere else. its humen to always assume others have it better
half and half. anime portrays culture, not lifestyle
Well. "Welcome to the NHK" is actually quite realistic
Yeah, And Im not weeb, I'm an asian mixed mexican. I'm very disappointed, i tried tell them dont being so far, that's bad choose, they still ignored me, like I'm so lonely, Lonely sucks as hella
That guy marrying the doll is just bottom line sad..., but if he’s happy I ain’t gonna dim his shine.
Nothing can really replace a human skin though if he found a better significant other he would be happier probably.
Which dude?
@@kotarojujo6365 the 30 something year old marrying an anime character. But he vibin. I can’t disturb that.
I hate the fact that I partially understand him. This story doesn't make me laugh, it makes me sorrowful. I'm a 17yo girl and I struggle to fully connect to people, I use escapism a lot. It's something I'm SO VERY ashamed of. And I'm scared that one day I might become like this dude. This poor lonely guy, who got so caught up in the lonliness... I get the mindset that he's in. And I'm scared that life will play out similarly for me.
He is def not happy
"I came here because nothing good ever happened in my life. Don't look for me."
Jesus. That broke my heart to see. I mean, I know I'm obviously too late and on the other side of the planet but I really want to give whoever wrote that a hug.
That matters. Keep caring, Brother. Thank you for being you.
@Blackpilled Saint Yes. Without the gun. And then have a long chat with them while I curse the country for giving access to guns to a kid
@@yoel9396 Thank you
@@alicemartin3275 your welcome friend
Sadly, the person died like 12 years ago.
The whole anime industry: *Imma pretend I didn't see that*
the anime industry is another grueling example of everything bad about Japan. Majority of animator earn like $2USD per sheet of art and most of them are employed as independent contract workers (so no salary and no employment insurance). The only one that stands out is Kyoto Animation, who paid animators with salary.
It's scary to see how little they get paid and it does not matter how much revenue the show or the movie makes, animators get none of it. It hits especially different since Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) movie was a HUGE success in recent years
Is this why Hololive is popular?
@@Leonlion0305 Most of it doesn’t even go to ufotable but the whole Committee which fucking sucks
Didnt see what? The anime industry is definitely part of the problem dude. Its not immune or as pure as you think
@@akou12 I think he meant the anime community as it would be ironic if he really meant that because the Anime Industry in Japan are suffering on the problem.
There is a new anime out called “By the Grace of the Gods” where the main character is a Japanese office worker that basically worked himself to death and died from sneezing in his sleep. He gets reincarnated into a new world, and the three Gods of that world give him a new chance at leading a fulfilling life. I think this Japanese work culture is what is influencing the high amount of Isekai anime coming out recently. The youth culture wants it to change, they just can’t just make that happen overnight. I think things will eventually change, the whole world is changing now, so we might see some beneficial cultural shifts happen.
oh my, it's an anime now! I've been reading it for a while and had no idea! Thanks for the new watch :D.
edit: and yes, lots of isekai with the premise of someone dying due to being overworked, It's very troubling :(.
Well it needs to change if japan should have any way to not die rom the problem, if its not too late aleady. At least politics have to adress the youth directly, and listen. And make radical changes. To even have a shot of getting there and avoid being a sinking ship. And i hope that because japan seems lovely.
some japanese videos i've seen tell me that the older generation specifically in the workplace maintain a consistent culture of self isolation and unrelenting dedication to work. Perhaps when they pass on and the new generation becomes old things may be come less socially restrictive and more expressive.
I really like your comment! I've noted this observation lately too, since I read a ton of manga myself and have done so since highschool. The genre of isekai has been wildly popular lately and is being used to target both female (shoujo/josei) and male (shoounen) audiences. Just from reading shoujo and josei manga, I noted that the trope of an office worker woman or tired college student dying and passing into another world is so overused yet still maintains its popularity. It's just my personal opinion but I feel that many readers project their circumstances onto the protagonists of these stories and live vicariously through them, maybe also wishing they could escape from their own reality. I really hope that a cultural shift happens in the near future too...
The whole Isekai genre is "I had to die to escape Japan."
I can say from experience that loneliness is no joke.. Some days it's literally too much to bear.
i hope it get's beter
I hope it's get better
💗🍰💗
@@waterotter3625 Thanks for all the sweet replies folks! Maybe together we can be less alone!
@@waterotter3625 exactly
I like the culture in Japan but damn society is fucked up.
Culture is what makes the society and society is what makes the culture. You’re probably only cherrypicking certain elements of the culture without knowing the cause and the origins of it.
@@kn2549, well the bottom line is its pretty shit right now.
Ah yes, *DEBT* and *UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS OF CAPITALISM* sure does wonders for the human mind.
+@@knightlypoleaxe2501+ More like Japan's unrealistic attempts to implement capitalism; with their traditional work ethic twisted into something monstrous and probably compounded by things like Electric Lighting and Energy Drinks. Because in previous eras you had to go to sleep because it was either too dark out or were simply too tired to keep working.
@@kn2549 I don't think it's the culture itself it's more what was imposed on them after the end of WWII or maybe even the beginning of the Meiji period. Modern Japan is unable to choose the best of its old and new adopted western traditions and that could lead to its downfall.
I just want to say that there are a lot of documentaries like yours on Japan but I feel yours is different because you don't sensationalize these problems in Japan and mention that there are the same issues in other countries too. I feel that's very rare and is a sign of a great documentary. You should be proud :)
Also, great job with the Japanese! I think it's fine if you couldn't pronounce everything perfectly, you put in a lot of effort and that shines through.
I look forward to your future documentaries!
In hikkikomori documentary, it’s so weird that the Japanese treated hikkikomori as a disorder and sees it as a huge problem. I don’t understand why they can’t understand the real issue, which is depression and anxiety. These guys became hermits because they are depressed and have anxiety, not because of some hikkikomori disorder. Also, I don’t understand why parents don’t love their hikkikomori children. They admitted that they were *ashamed* of their kids. It’s almost like they see them as a disappointment for not being normal, never tried to understand them why they are hiding from the society. Their children are struggling with mental illness and their only solution is to shame them. It’s kinda like trying to heal a wound with a hydrofluoric acid and expect it to get better.
Right? Fucking shit morals tbh. I wont even use the "but It's a different culture" card here.
In Asia (I speak coming from India but I find that certain things exist across the continent), mental illness is viewed very negatively. If your child strays from societal norms in any significant way (not even as bad as mental illness, but like resenting elders or not wanting dowry), it reflects badly on THE PARENTS. Mental illness is seen not as something that happens due to random chance or environmental factors, but as AN ERROR BY PARENTS when raising children. The parents are ashamed to reveal their “mistakes” to society and thus may shun their hihikomori children. That societal belief, combined with a lack of understanding or diagnosis of mental illness (specifically in India), leads to the reduction of the hihikomori state to that of a mental illness. In fact, mentally ill people in a lot of places are generally ignored or treated poorly because of their deviation from the general population.
If you think about the kind of person who even becomes a parent, it's the people who are focused on their careers and managed to be so successful despite the constant struggles that they actually managed to have kids. People like that could never understand what it's like to be a career failure, and probably shun everyone who fails to have a successful career, not just their own kids.
@@Zadamanim Mmmm, it makes sense but i can't understand parents being ashamed of their children cuz they're hikikomori, my wish its to be in my house doing nothing but my parents encourage (cheer up me) and says that isn't this bad to "work" (im 16yo) and if someday i become dad, i would never be ashamed of my son/daughter being hikikomori or having some problems with socializing, i would try to help her the best i can, that's pretty logic and that's why i cannot understand a parent being ashamed of her own son, fucking strange.
@@satyathota9546 Honestly I feel like this isn't an "asia" only issue. We had those kind of things in Europe too back in my parent's time (afaik, I obviously wasn't there) we just progressed past it. One of the remaining mark of it for me is an inside joke we have in my family "It's always the mother's fault" which stems from the old (to us) belief that everything wrong with a child is from the mother (a train of thought that used to be actually common): genetic disease? Probably from the mother's DNA. Any kind of not DNA related issue? The mother probably did a bad job raising the kid...
I just feel like most of the issues depicted there aren't only of cultural causes or because of capitalism or anything, it's just that Japan (and most of Asia) is a country that joined the economic race with western countries and is doing very well in it but at the cost of slowing down some social progress and cultural deconstruction.
>guy marries a virtual assistant because he is lonely
>has a marriage ceremony attended by a whooping 39 friends
How the hell does this work? I mean, seriosly.
The people who is suffering in loneliness is something you can't easily understand unless you already feel it. You know that there a people besides you, but the feeling of being the outcast or inferiority or other else, is still greater. I guess they suffer of being the one who is unique than anyone else.
The number of friends doesn't matter for loneliness.
You can feel like an outcast, because maybe they're too different, maybe they're ignoring you, maybe they're abusive. Or maybe you feel it even if you have caring friends, and you can't know why.
Maybe the loneliness come from somewhere else.
Deeper in the past or from other relationships.
Maybe you feel lonely in the romantic way but not in the platonic way. Maybe you feel lonely in the family way.
I wonder if there's some peoples who don't feel lonely or rarely feel lonely
Hatsune Miku isn't just a virtual assistant actually, she's also (and mainly known for) being a virtual singer
Ah, probably free food! Doesn't matter if I haven't seen you since kindergarten if you invite me to an event with free food, I will be there!
Potential answer 20:38
Who here lives like a Hikkikomori outside of Japan?
one of us FeelsOkayMan
Me, but it's kinda different for me. It took 6 years for me to graduate from vocational school, and during that time I had a pretty big duel with depression. Worst part about that was the fact that it was my family pouring cold water on my neck.. Hell, it all started when I was in Junior high and my parents got a divorce, and then they had a nice all out war that lasted for a decade. Still all that is behind me now, and after graduating I did enter into workforce. It lasted for about 2 years until Covid just pissed on my morning cereal and well, Ive been a NEET ever since. It really feels a bit like a 'new game +' for me, since just like when I had my depession, I just spend all my time at home playing video games, watching anime or reading books, except now I get a lot more income, and I'm not mentally ill.
I kinda miss working though, but I'm also a bit afraid of entering back into work force since I have rather low self confidence. Still I'd like to get back just for my own sake. It would be good to have interactions with other people outside of the internet after all, and I'm rather lazy person so I'm really out of shape (not fat, more like thin enough that if I were to stand behind a lamppost all you'd see of me is my ears). Working in a restaurant, one of the benefits was free and really healthy lunch, and the work was just hard enough I would stay in shape.
@@1110jesse "new game +" dark souls lol
i do,
but the differ is i am happy about it.
hikki here but with no healthcare and severe issues mental and physical and it'll eventually kill me and nobody can do anything about it lol. the united states ftw
This feels like a documentary about Japan made by a foreigner, which is exactly what it is.
Japan's reason of loneliness is much deeper than just overwork and capitalism.
You first need to dig deeper into their culture like:
- Tatemae, Honne: Inability to express their opinions
- Collectivist culture：Punished for being different
- Which leads to a lot of bullying during school life and continues even as an adult
- Which leads to shame or fear of seeking help
- Suicide culture goes way back during samurai era with seppuku
School days are actually one of the best days in their lives for most people. They can make a lot of friends and spend a lot of time having fun with club activities and such.
Also, other factors to take into consideration.
- Many domestic violence cases in Japan.
- Which is connected to poor parenting. Husband barely meets his family due to work.
- Also, kids when grow up barely or never meet their parents again after leaving home.
- Also, many cases of kids and spouses running away from home.
- Cheating rate in Japan is very very high
And finally, Tokyo does not equal the whole Japan. Half of the things you are saying applies only to Tokyo specifically.
Holy b a s e batman!
You nailed it!
Cheating is pretty wrong, but I can see why they do it.
Thank you for mentioning this. I didn’t like it when he wanted to blame it all (or at least much of it) on capitalism. Capitalism isn’t perfect but the problems of Japan are much deeper than that.
He literally said people are dealing with the inability to speak out about opinions
such an underrated comment.
I feel like anime is how Japan escapes their reality and how they express what they wish they were
I think it's their way of coping with loneliness. It's kind of sad.
You do realize not every Japanese person watches anime right? To be honest people are more into kpop/jpop than they are into anime. Only otakus and kids are really into anime. There are some anime that became popular but most of the public don't really get into anime like that, anime is hardly on public TV
I feel like most westerns have a very false image of Japan. I lived there for 2 years to teach English after college and I used to be very into anime before and hardly even had time for that while there. The young kids are now really into kpop/korean culture...kwave is very "hip" now and when it comes to Tv young adults are into dating shows or the common everyday variety shows
Yep. Anime is not Japan, but an idealization of it. When you live here, you'll realize what all this material shit that foreigners find fascinating is all about. All these 'colorful' industries like anime, games, manga, arcades, netcafes, idol groups, gravure books, love hotels, hostess bars, soaplands, etc. exist to keep the Japanese individual alive and sane. They're made to be happy, zany, and colorful because real Japanese life is NOT those things. Japanese life is gray, quiet, routine, stressed, and often lonely. There's an unspoken cultural expectation here to quietly get through life as smooth as possible and not bother anybody else in their life. It's not easy to make friendships and even harder to get a lending ear to talk things out.
is that not the case for most if not all fictional media?
'Ministry of Loneliness' sounds like a kickass band-name
The band name is even better considering it's named after something people actually made unironicaly.
Maybe it could be a band, just need people to gather, and compose some mellow to core songs with meaning that reach the deep sentiments of people.
Minister of Loneliness is actually a b-side off of Sgt Peppers
That sounds like something straight out of "1984"
Sounds like a Radiohead song
Japan: the country of hard workers and extreme escapism
and the font of escapism from a lot of people outside japan comes from japan, including me uh
Nope land of extreme bully’s
this took isekai to a whole new level that I'm not comfortable with.
Found you through the Queer Eye video and I've got to say you're currently my favorite up and coming video essayist.
Just found him from the latest video and I just adore how informative and powerful these video essays are. He’s definitely my new favourite too :))
It got recommended to me
"Jobs are kept artificially scarce..." Just had to respond to this throwaway comment because under late capitalism, the opposite is true. As many as one third of jobs are just time-wasting bullshit that doesn't even need to be done. The work week could easily be reduced to 15-20 hours if we just did away with the idea that people have to spend all this time working. Of course the threat of unemployment is there to coerce everyone into participating anyway. I highly recommend the book "Bullshit Jobs" by David Graeber (who sadly recently passed away). It expands on the ideas in this essay:
www.strike.coop/bullshit-jobs/
and if we take away jobs that exist merely for profit (not just jobs where you don’t do a lot) then the number would be even higher... half the factories in china pumping out stuff we don’t need and doesn’t make us happy would close down
Absolutely, the amount of time people have to commit to work is absurd, to the point where it feels like being kept at work for 8-9 hours a day feels more like a punishment than a means to carry out labour. What I refer to with the "artificially scarce" line, is how even for the most menial of jobs that pay minimum wage, employers make fewer jobs available to ensure they get the most labour out of few people as possible, hence why when people go on the job hunt now, rather than just applying for 2-3 jobs and waiting for a call, they'll apply for literally hundreds of jobs and hope they hear anything. It also contributes to the idea that workers should commit to their jobs for as long as possible out of fear of returning to the job search, and of course potentially losing benefits.
Of course, when it comes to labour across the world (such as manufacturing in China and Indonesia), they have revolving door policies with high employee turnover, but the cost of losing an employee vs training a new one is barely any different due to the nature of the work they perform.
@@Salari thanks for the reply! I agree that is the case in a lot of shit jobs like retail stores or fast food places. In those areas it makes sense to squeeze as much work out of each person as possible. Bullshit jobs tend to be better paid office jobs. These operate in a way that more resembles feudalism - the manager collects wealth and then distributes it in a way that will benefit his personal and political power. This explains things like a boss having 4 assistants because it makes him feel important, when he really only has enough tasks for one assistant. This would make no sense in terms of a capitalist maximizing profits, but makes total sense in the context of a feudal lord amassing lackeys so he can look important to his peers. (Credit : I got all these ideas from David Graeber by the way!)
THIS!!!!
I'm an anthropology student, and David Graeber is basically who I look(ed) up to the most in terms of modern anthropologists. It was a loss for us in the anthro community when we heard he passed away :( Highly recommend reading his stuff.
Wait so rent-a-girlfriend is based off something irl?!
Yep. But don't worry, this is pretty much the inevitable result facing the US and the west too. You think those numbers are strong outliers? Nope, Japan is just the front runner. Welcome to the new age!
@@etaaramin9361 Yeah, every society right now is in the entrance phase, Japan is just speedrunning it. They are ahead, westerners will soon see this shit.
Dude, I tried to watch that but left it completely in disgust about halfway through the second episode.
@@nonvid4022 i didn't finish the 1st episode because how Mc is
The anime man has done a rent-a-mother for a day. It's not too far fetched that the same could be done for a "girlfriend"
I once saw on 4chan, of all places, a person who described Japan along the lines of:
"Visiting Japan is a dream, living in Japan is a nightmare".
Always thought it was hyperbole but it really seems that Japan is not a very nice place to live. And the people who fetishize Japan are even more strange, they believe is some sort of utopia, a paradise where everyone is perfect and there are no problems whatsoever. Kind of reminds of people that saw the USA as a paradise, the land of opportunities. Such an idealized perception.
My friend wanted to commit suicide because of this toxic culture. She is not even a japanese herself.
Yeah I can't stand weebs either
Not all true
I agree completely with that. I lived in Japan for 3 years working for a well known national company. I would never recommend anyone live there, but I would absolutely recommend people visit. Living there with the rules and unnecessary social pressure is an absolute nightmare. People who only visit would never know of its existence. The only Westerners who thrive living in Japan are the ones who are escaping something. Most of them are escaping their families and other responsibilities from their home country. Japan is an easy place to disappear in and become another cog in the machine.
It's night and day when I meet people who have only visited Japan vs those who have also lived there. Those who have visited have had an amazing experience. Anyone else who lived there, them and I have an immediate unspoken understanding of what we went through.
Last summer at my university I worked as an English language instructor for a program that hosted Japanese high school exchange students on our campus. The hours were intense and they literally flew from Japan to do this language immersion program. My working hours were 7AM-9PM and I barely slept more than 4 hours throughout that summer. On my first day, I was supervising classroom presentations and a student passed out in the middle of her presentation, and since I'm anemic I was very concerned. Literally nobody batted an eye and my boss was indifferent. I rushed to help but the school principal and teachers told me they would take care of it. My own boss said that this happens all the time and implied that this is how the system is for them and we can't tell the teachers or the students how to go about it, because we were only hired to be language instructors. I would come in my morning shifts and a lot of students were so tired each morning that they would fall asleep during class or nap right in front of me. I personally didn't mind them napping but I felt stressed having their local teachers there supervising us during OUR classes. The students quietly told me that after lessons ended at 9PM they had to do an evaluation with their teacher to talk about what they did WRONG that day. I realized that after my shift ended even though I would pack up my things, the students would still sit there, but WE had to leave. All the rest of the teachers came in at 9PM and I could hear one teacher, I learned later to be the headmaster, scream at the students. I didn't understand a word of Japanese but I was confused why they still stayed in the classroom after lessons were done for the day. Some of my coworkers told me that if a student cries or has a breakdown in front of me to not get emotional. I did my best to make the lessons as lowkey and easy for students to follow, but I honestly still wonder about my former students a year later. They were very kind and polite, but I cried so hard at the end of the program because I kept thinking how intense it must be from their perspective. I hope they felt comfortable around me enough to not worry so much about being perfect, and I really hope they're doing okay.
You are an amazing teacher
can you tell me the name of the high school?also IMHO your university also share the responsbility for that
sounds like Japan's too rough to their own...
if i ever go to japan and have a job and witness something like that, screw the bosses, i'd give the hurt person a hug
You, my friend, have a ticket to heaven. I wish there were more people like you.
Is that hell
Anyone who thinks Japan is a utopia needs to watch this video.
@teh one it's a different kind of miserable
But it's still different
@teh one 😂😂😂I love your stuborn consistency but I agree
I think its still better then were I live ( South Africa)
Depends. I am pretty sure most americans would go crazy if they had to live in Japan.
@teh one Are they not? They did pretty well ecomically, considering. I was referring more to dealing with a general way of life though.
It's not just japan. The truth is, it is just so hard to make friends nowadays. Either you can't find one or you just don't want one.
And the epidemic has amplified this way more.
no, yall are getting older,
Going by my observations the reason is a simple incapability of trust. Most people seem to not know what actual trust and mutual respect are and can consequently not show it to others. As a result, it is very difficult to form friendships.
Living in the U.S., I haven't had any friends since I was a ten year old. I'm extremely lucky to have a large, close-knit family (9 siblings), but we're all over the states and it's so difficult to find good friends outside of that. My siblings have the same problem. Just an endless string of toxic, abusive friends and SOs. It's become so easy, so convenient to be alone.
@@willackman6726 lowkey
That note in the Suicide Forest said "Nothing good happened in my life. Don't look for me..."
That broke my heart! How can we as a society make anyone feel this lonely?
i can relate. i feel like all the bad things that happened in my life, all the bad things i did, outweighs all of the good i did in my life.
@@itz_migzz4446 same
Its media, its lables, the general public. It's the ones we normally gravitate too that puts a blindspot. In their head, they think their words too the good people is unacceptable and informal and wrong for what they been through or how they feel. And this is what may of happen too them. It's that inadequatcey amongst society.
I try to take a different approach when thinking about all the bad things that happen in my life. I try to use the bad things to inspire me to work harder and do good things. We only live once. You gotta make it count.
@@freezingfire1800 i was in a bad mood last time i wrote that now i know that good and bad are in my life and thats okay
I have a totally different perspective on “Rent a Girlfriend” now after watching this video.
I agree. I found the show premise replusing at the thought of renting another human being period but this makes a lot more sense. And it's really quite sad.
@@cosmicleon given the German "home Daycare teacher" equivalent is "day mum" it's much less strange to me... also I knew before I ever looked up anything about Japan, that prostitution is legal and anything people advertise of the more expensive services has that same mental health spin.
@@cosmicleon you found the idea of someone renting someone else repulsing? You know this is just the soft core version of prostitution. They are not allowed to even kiss mate? Have you never heard of prostitutes or why do you sound so shocked of that concept?😂
@@can7328
It’s dehumanizing and horrifying because it makes you wonder just how far gone someone is to resort to that...
...and if it could ever happen to you.
Hikikomori is just suicide without death.
Its called passive suicide, many guys are doing it.
You cant get hurt but neighter feel happiness or real joy. So its basically suicide without the death
Death is the final stage of the hikkiomori plague, which can be avoided if they let the right ones in
A turtle hopes Hikikomoris get help
This is the most profound way I've heard it explained
England is slowly becoming like this, work hours increased, jobs less stable, people are so distant. So many of the people in their 20s and 30s refuse to have kids or a family because they simply can't afford it. We have free services for mental health but the queues for it are ridiculous, it's become a dark joke to tell friends about just how suicidal you are. Even before the lockdown, people would hardly go out and chill online. I know a LOT of shut ins, I feel like I'm slowly becoming one myself with the lockdown giving me an excuse now. The part about anxiety spoke to me, a lot of people don't take it seriously but it feels like life or death leaving my house sometimes, ESPECIALLY in crowds.
i really really feel this and understand you i’ve 100% become so accustomed to this whole covid life style and i use it as an excuse to stay in because leaving the house is so difficult for me. i literally just tried to go out with my mom and sister and i had a panic attack😐 some things i just don’t know how i’m supposed to fix:/ i feel like people don’t get how difficult it really is to function with anxiety it just becomes so much easier to be a shut in T-T
I can relate to you... In my case I just got tired from people... From all their demands and expectations.... For me socialising became a stressful thing to do ... It drains me emotionally very fast and it takes time to recover... At work ( I work for a big company in UK) we have Mental Health First Aiders and company is trying it's best to promote awareness of mental health issues but what I noticed that most people ignore it, don't take it serious or are to shy to talk about it.... But I can see the light in the tunnel and videos like this is the proof that we are going the right way. I really don't want this to become a new normal for all of us.....
P. S. Sorry for my English... Still celebrating New Year alone thanks to our saviour Boris. Cheers 🥃🥃🥃
@@jovana7702 i"m a more extorvert person but i"can relate with the part of using covid as exsuces to not social with people, it be exsusting to be around people sometimes.
@@jupixxl exactly the same for me! it’s really draining and hard to stay social and be around people but i’m glad your company has outlets like that i really hope things get easier for you and you find people you can become more comfortable around and happy new year to you as well!! :3
@@enlightthehermit yeah, even if you’re more extroverted, constantly being around people can still get pretty exhausting so i totally get that i hope it gets a little easier for you :)
This legit opened my eyes to whats below the surface of japan. I have a friend that wants to go to japan and make his own anime. Im definitely gonna send him this and see if he reconsiders his decision. He at least needs to give this some thought before doing something he regrets.
Let us know how he responds.
What did he say?
Anime artists are literally starving in Japan. Why the fuck would he want to do that??
UPDATE: He said he’ll give it some more thought and do ALOT more research on japan before making his decision. He also said that the stories of ppl marrying machines creeped him out.
Ah the classic case of when you first start watching anime
Here I was like your friend to but instead I wanted to go Japan and study in college there
Then I found out about Japan work culture and I said no
Still love anime tho
I'm from Australia and would probably classify as Hikikamori. I do go to uni, but I struggle to keep up with the speed required and every time I think about going back to work I get panic attacks. I struggle to make and keep friends and have spent the majority of my life in a small room (always the bedroom of wherever I lived. I've moved around a lot). I'm not lazy or stupid. I do suffer from mental illness though. I am not afraid of hard work, I just... can't. This topic hits really hard for me, and I'm sure many others as well. Thank you for covering this. It's very important. There are so many disenfranchised groups now, not just Hikikamori. We need to try to build a world that cares for and has room for everyone, not just one kind of person.
The addition of the soundtrack from Ghost In the Shell was a nice touch considering that show was predominantly about what it means to be human.
i don't know if you would find this helpful or not but the book 'a new earth' by eckhart tolle helped me a lot with anxiety. good luck comrade you are not alone
Honestly moving a lot sucks balls.
Hey, I'm in Australia too and remember most of my uni days as panic attacks and crying spells (are they the same thing?). But when I changed careers and went back to uni to something that fit me better, I had no panic attacks. I know it's hard to work these things out, but maybe there is a better path for you? Hang in there, it can get better :)
Do you have attention-deficit disorder? Also known as ADHD-primarily inattentive type? You may have it and not even realize it if you do the WAIS IQ test and your Working Memory score, and perhaps your Processing Speed score too, is way below your Performance IQ score.
Hey, how are you doing now? I know living a "normal" life while struggling with mental health issues can be extremely difficult. If you need someone to talk to, please write me. I know how much it can help to talk about your struggles.
To all lonely people out there, japanese or not, let's do a big internet hug.
* loneliness drops to 0%*
this actually made me happy lol
lol it's just the way they r! not world's fault no need to feel sympathy
Depression cured
Vincent u there??
U made me feel happy 😊
*When you find out that Japan isn't like Anime irl*
That reminded me of an old joke; The weeaboo came in Japan for the first time and asked: "Where are the subtitles?"
Unless you were watching Welcome to the N.H.K.
In some ways it is. It just doesn't show the full picture. It shows you the simple, happy, and bubbly side of something. Just like reality though, look beneath the surface and you'll usually find something obscure, unpleasant, or outright revolting disguised as "positives". This usually proves true for any country however and not just Japan.
Evangelion
I still can't believe people actually think that
Idc if you're japanese or not- if you're lonely, here's a free virtual hug. Take care
Thanks a lot
Thanks i feel a little better
I return the hug. You too, take care!
Watching this is so depressing. But the most scary thing is that I can relate.
For me it's something I'm afraid to find myself in
I’m Japanese and I studied abroad in America for a year
In America no one helped me unless I asked for a help
In Japan people somehow believe that they aren’t allowed to ask for a help
So which is better?
@@yeet807 well... both countries have upsides and downsides. No matter where you live you would face hardships in your life and you have to cope with them on your own. There’s no country which magically solves all of your problems. Moving from Japan to America could possibly make you less lonely but you would face another problem there. So you have to compare those countries and decide which is good for YOU.
If enough people _believe one shouldn't ask_ for help, is the effect any different from not being offered any help?
Like obvious signs sure you could help someone but if they act normal and seem okay you whould never know after all humans aren't mind readers
The inspiration behind Death Stranding could be much darker than we've imagined.
Why is it about collapse of government, The mass undisciplined youth or bleak future of overproud unscrupulous villager?
I haven't finished it yet but god the parallels to this entire situation are fucking insane
@@stylomojo it is about isolation, loneliness and the meaning of companionship. Both in story and gameplay. I'm 100% sure that Kojima is very concerned with current social climate of Japan.
@Meddlecat this guy gets it.
@Meddlecat
Lmao, fuck you for making me laugh at that.
I cried in the part that people actually hire an entire family, how are these people feeling? When they leave how does their brain adjust?
It's very ironic that the most successful country in Asia is the most depressed one.
@@teacoffee42, all the more reason to consider it as an irony; An irony that does not only apply in Japan, but in other countries as well :)
Humans need struggle
Monkeydude33 this mentality is the reason i want to give up.
EnergizingBane listen to Jordan Peterson
@@pitbossea Cringe. Peterson is a moron
Salri: "Loneliness is a growing problem around the world."
Comments: "It's not just Japan!1!1 Everywhere is like that 1!1!1"
Lol it's like people can't understand that "an example" is a sample being chosen from a bunch of examples.
Im pretty happy here in Australia
@@ifjkiydxd2814 freewestaustralia
@@topanlazuardi9251 The fuck does that have to do anything with the current conversation
@@Kaledrone that australia is shitty like the rest of the world.
Japan is the example of what our future might be
Wait I thought "Rent a girlfriend" was fictional, Japan really does that!?
I'm torn between amazement, confusion, and sadness at the state of affairs.
Pretty much all tropes have a little origin in reality.
I'd hire one if I could, back when cinemas were open. Really creepy going to see a movie alone (or begging male friends to come along)
Its mostly used when you desperately need to bring someone when you attend a certain event like a friends wedding for example. Not so much out of loneliness
@@Subhumanoid_ Yeah I got the same question as the guy above me , Why do you think going to a movie alone is creepy?
To the two gentlemen above me:
Unless we are talking about avant-garde cinema where it would make sense to come alone cuz it was hard to get another cinephile to come watch some French visual dissertation on pigeon poop, a regular blockbuster show is a _communal thing._ *It's a social event and you're showing up alone.*
I fail to understand your confusion. Are you guys that unaware of the world around you when you leave your house?
I think that there's a real disconnect among westerners between actual, on the ground, Japanese culture and culture that Japan projects outwards. People watch anime and play games and form their opinion of the nation based on these, disconnected, exeriences without realising that the actual culture that produced these artifacts resemble less of a dynamic creative utopia and more of an insane, late-capitalist dystopia. Perhaps Japanese culture is best experienced from a distance!
If you think about it there probably is a good reason why so much Japanese media tends to be "fantastical" and so "happy-go-lucky". It is a desperate attempt at escapism.
For childhood in japan it's a dream come true. Heck I would love to live in japan as a kid and smiles and happiness would be there. But for adults, it's a diffrent story. Interaction isnt easy, from what I'm seeing, and from my own expiernce of my self that can relate too the hikkomori people. Animes, school days are actually animators creating the world in which they went to school as they were kids themselfs, reliving that happiness.
I just had a wonder actually on somthing, I remember me at collage someone I know from university being happy and an interactive place for what saw in them that's what I liked about them. If the work place was built like that to feel more enjoyable or project fo make for ideas. Idk maybe it wouldnt work for other factors. But I do want to see smiles and playful joy in people. So their hearts dont shrink and go into this stoicism.
I'm removing my orignal comment and dropping my Instagram id: utkarsh_puniani to annoy you.
What most people in general want.
@@ericktellez7632 the japanese get those things less and less though
@@andersonrobotics5608 not really,
That's what I want as someone who is also very lonely.
@@louisfill849 did you watch the video or not?
This is fucking scary, and the scarier thing is that I'm kind of experiencing antipathic people half the time in my college!
What's even scarier is that I sometimes DO feel lonely despite me checking with my relatives weekly.
Lucky how I managed to find a couple of blokes I'm chatting almost daily about dumb shit and all that.
That's because their making the west like japan
How I envy you and your blokes.
Good for you
Glad you found a friends group bro.
When there's suffering there's someone taking advantage of it.
Do you wonder why certain things aren't changed in the big picture?
Because many of society's biggest problems are complex, multi faceted issues that are extremely hard to solve in a way that does not create more problems? That could be one.
Every problem, is an opportunity.
Doesn't have to be people up top who benefit - plenty of people on the individual/citizen/lower class level benefit from and/or enjoy the misery of people as well.
Such problems tend to trickle up, not down.
Of course, assuming that the same people that benefit from a situation are necessarily also the ones that artifically created said situation is a logical fallacy by itself. I remember there was a group of jolly Germans mid 20th century that built and entire worldview on this.
"Dogs dont betray people like humans"
Can relate. You can take away literal everything from me, except my dog.
I, too, can relate: But, I have a cat. Everything can be replaced - except my cat.
@@AnastasiaSaenz life is precious man. Especially other little fellas lifes like dogs, cats, hamsters, you name it. Worlds a cruel place but these little fellas definitely make it much more bearable
@@kenokai. Exactly.🙂
Don't forget hermit crabs. 😁😁Those little creatures need more love and care.
What are you talking about, of course they can and at the drop of a hat.
@@shawnboahene5231 sarcasm?
I'm japanese and almost 30. I have 0 friends, I don't talk to anyone outside of work, and even when working I only talk about what is actually relevant to work and nothing else. I haven't talked to anybody in my family for almost 10 years, and have no desire to either. That being said, while I do feel lonely, I rather be lonely than getting fucked over by people again, so I'll probably be lonely for the foreseeable future. It sucks but there really isn't anything I can do, because I really don't want people to bear the burden of helping people that are hopeless.
Just because you had some bad people in your life, that does not mean you're hopeless! What do you think should change in your country in order to make people less alone?
I understand where you're coming from. I'm there myself right now and I am thirty. People can be horrible. People can hurt you and leave you worse off. But I keep myself going by also knowing that people can also be kind. People can be selfless, despite their nature and people can surprise you in the best way. It's so hard to see that, especially when you're in a dark place and the light at the end of the tunnel looks more like a flickering flame, at least it provides some light.
I don't know if this help or just sounds like silly nonsense but I hope it does. In some sense.
I hope you only the best.
It's true that people are unpredictable and putting in effort to help them may not end up being appreciated or reciprocated. But please know that there are many people out there (both in real life and online) who are ultimately kind and worth trying to form a connection with. It's definitely hard and it's scary to risk being vulnerable, but maybe taking things step by step like joining an online group workshop or meet and greet, making a new penpal or joining a forum or discord for a a hobby you like (eg: a comic, a game, gardening, etc) would be good steps forward to feel more connected to the world. It's understandable and valid to feel no hope, but in the long run it's worth trying to form relationships (as in the general sense, not necessarily romantic). People are flawed of course, but there are people who are compatible with you out there and those who have good intentions; in the end life is about many things, not only to work and exist, but to live and be a part of humanity.
I'm almost 40, single childless live in USA, have no friends nor community, barely talk to my family, because my jobs is busy and I use my days off just for sleep and gaming. Even though I have social medias I feel they're fake friends because I never meet with them. So this loneliness not only happen in Japan but can be anywhere.
It is so weird that you turn systematic social failures into personal responsibility. Your situation is created by so many things you have no agency over and still you personalize the effects. This is not rational.
Though many people are aware of this problem in Japan, still many people don't go to vote. Political apathy is a serious problem here. Maybe they have little hope in politics.
And here I thought Croatia was the country with political apathy. Or apathy in general.
It can always get worse if not here, somewhere else.
It probably would help if Election Day was a holiday were people are increasingly encouraged to go to the polls and vote.
And yet, it seems like no country wants to do that... unless there are countries that do that, then good on them.
Well, when was the last time placing hopes in politicians done anything for you?
@@JaniHorvat1 what makes Croatia politically apathetic/what changes really need to be made over there?
Just wondering since I have never talked to anyone from thetr
America’s has political apathy too because at the end of the day we know the election is rigged.
No wonder when japanese come to Mexico they never want to leave. I have heard people tell me they loved mexico and tho they are not used to the culture of mexico. Mexico is used to being very loving and affectionate and outright show it.
Mexico is garbage👎
@Mr Mistah ehh depends where you live, although if you get mugged it won't be by a Cartel member. And the economy is not the greatest true but we have a better access to medical facilities and proper food
@Mr Mistah that's not true, economy in Mexico is going great. There are things to improve but why are you writing that lie? Maybe Argentina or Venezuela, but I'm sure they will be ok soon. In the case of Mexico I hope that do not happen to us. But for the moment a lot of good things are happening here : D
@Mr Mistah and yes we have drug cartels, like USA and most of the countries. There is probability to get shot...in some specific zones/towns of some cities...And if you are in the middle of the night walking there for some reason. That happen a lot in USA, and lot of countries, not only in Mexico. I have to mentions that the weapons here are from USA, I suppose some people there is sending that shit to Mexico. At the end the drugs are mostly for them.
I have to say that the situation could be better, for example, in Japan you can go almost everywhere and no one is going to shoot you (that's better) also no one will steal your money or something like that
The hikikomori segment hit me harder than the suicide segment, if I'm being honest. Why? Because it made me realize how frighteningly close I am to being one. I'm a university student on the autistic spectrum with a history of struggling to maintain IRL relationships, escaping into fiction on a regular basis, and zero work experience due to focusing on trying to manage my energy levels and do schoolwork, and I have long periods, where I barely leave my home outside of buying groceries. I'm lonely and touch-starved, and realizing just how little it'd take for me to spiral into being a total shut-in set me right off into a crying fit. I don't want to live like that. It's why I'm trying to get a degree, so I have a shot at steady employment in a field I might actually be suited for. Ending up alone, worthless, and forgotten is my absolute worst nightmare. The image of the outline from where someone died a Lonely Death and wasn't found is pure nightmare fuel and heartbreaking as hell. I can't end up like that. I won't. But God, is it tempting to shut myself off and just give up the fight sometimes. I get why people do it, as much as I get why they hate themselves for getting stuck in the lifestyle, once they're in it. Life is too much to handle, and it never fucking ends, but you also don't want to be a burden, so you're stuck between needing to care for yourself and being a functional member of society, with zero ground between the two to find a balance on. It's a recipe for emotional exhaustion and depression mixed in with either self-loathing or total apathy. Awful hole to fall into, in my experience.
that part was hard for me as well. lived that life. crawled out of this hole, but it left scars that may never heal.
keep fighting. you got this.
@@certainlynot6273 Thank you. I'm glad you managed to get back up. It's a Herculean task, and I respect the effort it must've taken.
I hope you never fall back in. Keep moving forward, right? 🖖
Stay strong, man!
Honestly I might just be a hairs width away from that classification, and just short of being a NEET too.
The only reason Im just short of being a full blown NEET is that I work from home and yet, I spend almost 90% of my time in one room or the other with the occasional outing for a movie or other social setting.
I know if I did not stay close at hand with my aging parents and dog I probably would be content living my entire life in a single room.
Heck I don’t even need to speculate, I went on an internship/study cohort in London and Brazil and almost exclusively limited my time exclusively to a cramped one person room only leaving for work or being a tourist.
I don’t know if it’s due to what the system has diagnosed me with on the spectrum or if my environment bred behavior that is ill fit to the environmental norms but, I know I could end up exactly like a hikikomori if I were to not be vigilant and get complacent.
Also for me the part where I don't want to be a burden for anyone is really hard to cope with. On the other hand having a family who would be devastated about my passing. This conflict drains so much energy from me. I'm a NEET now because my mental health was getting worse and I need to heal. It's not that easy when you just don't allow yourself to be happy, because you think of yourself as a lazy piece of trash. That hopefully can be fixed in therapy. But I Iive in Germany and the therapy offers aren't enough.
So the film “Her” is not about a dystopian world
Yea.. god that movie was so well done.
Where can I watch it
@@gloom9174 on Netflix
You should watch Lost in Translation, that was in 2003 and that by the west was ridiculed by mainstream media critics. It's something that is very profound that where our society was going.
@@BJ-zd2or I’ll definitely watch it!