Hikikomori - the Project Prelude

Do you feel awkward eating alone in the canteen?

Will you pretend to look elsewhere when you see someone coming your way?

Do you take a different route to avoid bumping into your neighbour?

Are spaces like the elevator and corridors becoming more stressful?

Are you tired of forcing a smile and a "hi"?

Are you somewhat socially withdrawn?

I started my thesis on Hikikomori after being inspired by the Japanese show - Battle Royale. Kei told me that there is much more to Battle Royale than all the gore and killings... I wanted to find out.

Battle Royale led me to Ijime which led me to my disserations on institutions available in Japan for troubled children. In my search, the term Otaku popped out and further research finally led me to the most difficult topic to tackle - the Hikikomori.

I left for Tokyo.

Tokyo

Everything is in a flux. Every interaction is oppressive and transient. Only endless rows of vending machines is permanent. They give me what I want. They never question my choice.

Vending Machines

Automatic and indifference. A permenant quietness. Only the sound of the sound of the engine chunning in the background allows you to know that it is alive - and that is companionship enough for you. A man machine interaction. A higher level form of communication.

19th May, 4am - I stopped by to buy a drink. I recognised you at the end of the row with the strange greenish light of the vending machines on your face. I slot a coin in. I heard you do the same. I pressed a button and picked up my drink. Finished the can starting at the green glow because I do not know where to look. I know you left but I lingered. This is the 28th time you have kept me company. Urban Toys

With the internet, I can be connected. I am the founder of blogs and the forefather of expression...

With music in my ears, I can shut the whole world out...

I have my Sony Aibo. Even if I am alone, I am never lonely...

Technology has eliminated the need of human interaction. Machines are now more interactive than the indifferent man. Hikikomori is a generation living in this new reality, there is no place for them in the physical world. Technology has allowed people to stay at home - work, play, order for take out food - fortuitous for Hikikomori. Redefining Communication

To build and maintain a relationship can prove too demanding and straining. We just need to knwo enough of each other's lifestyle and habits so as not to impose and inconvienient one another. Please... no emotional or personal attachments...

Hikikomori

Hikikomori refers to a group of people loosely termed as "acute social withdrawal". It is a Japanese term to refer to the phenomenon of reclusive individuals who have chosen to withdraw from social life, often seeking extreme degrees of isolation and confinement due to various personal and social factors in their lives.

The Japanese Ministery of Health defines hikikomori as individuals who refuse to leave their parents' house, and isolate themselves from society in their homes for a period exceeding six months. Many hikikomori however have been hiding in their bedroom or kitchen for decades. In 2001, the year this project started, hikikomori numbered at one million in Japan.