Hikikomori in other country = Sotokomori

I did not know the word "Sotokomori" until I read the news magazine "SPA" yesterday. But I do know it is getting to be an issue.

I wrote about Hikikomori in my blog before; they withdraw themselves at home. Soto means "outside" in Japanese, then Sotokomori is 20s-30s people staying a long time in foreign countries where the general prices are much lower than Japan. They do part-time jobs in Japan, then after they make a certain amount of money, go to foreign countries. For what?  Maybe to escape from reality.

Usually tourists enjoy the tourist places or communication with the local people. But Sotokomori people just stay at cheap hotels and spend time as they want. Some buy game machines and enjoy playing all day, some play guitar, some draw, some sleep, some hung around with other Japanese, they don't see around the country to save the cost.

Meccas of Japanese Sotokomori are Bangkok in Thailand and Mumbai in India. Kahosan Traveler's Lodge in Thailand is a well known place for Sotokomori. A one night stay costs 360-700yen, food is 90- 300yen, big beer is 90yen with edamame. The cost of living is about 30,000yen for a month there. Near the lodge, there is a big manga cafe and the Internet cafe, so nothing is inconvenient for living. If a young man has 300,000yen, he will survive two month in Japan...maybe it will be possible if he will be in survival mode. But in Bangkok, he can live 10 months without any worry, without pressure of family, friend s , job, etc. Here is a live camera of the lodge, you will see some Japanese enjoy beer in the daytime.

Until the 90s, college graduate - white-collar working for a big company was the typical ideal life model for many. (graph : blue is college graduate, dark red is white collar) But after the bubble, many students could not find jobs, and also they saw the destruction of permanent employment. Then they lost their incentive to get a job in a big, good company. In a good way, they got greater choice for the future and type of job. So some made their own company, some choose to becraftsmen. Although in the 80s, these were rare cases, it is not rare anymore and they succeed in their new field, and people think they are cool.

On the other hand, many couldn't find their way, and there wasn't a model anymore. Sotokomori might be people who failed to find their way to adjust in society. They had the excuse of a depressed economy, difficulty of finding work before. (Hikikomori includes students, lower age s who can't go abroad by themselves.) But not anymore. I guess Hikikomori and Sotokomori think they have to to do something, but it is not today for them.

1/29 update Mainichi SPA : Sotokomori article

Comments

[korean fashion]

This is one of the most impressive post for me.I don't know if I'd actually *do* anything about it though...maybe I'd just sleep 'til noon each day then hang out in the Internet Cafe. ;o) I can see how that might be a "slippery slope."

[air yeezys]

That love, not time, heals all wounds?

[Supra skytop]

good article.like it very much,thank you~

[Air Jordan shoes]

If you doubt yourself, then indeed you stand on shaky ground.

[retro jordan 6]

Maybe some of these sotokomori just want time to discover themselves or to live in a peaceful way that is impossible in expensive economies. I know that if I were to live in

[Ran]

Interesting. I read an article last week highlighting
the pitfalls of moving abroad for the lower cost of living. The article talks about how a lot of Jananese men get involved with Philippino hostesses in Japan, follow them back to their country, and run out of money.

[Mari]

Hi there
yes, I may do the same activity as Sotokomori, if I have money. But at least my mentality would be different from Soto people. I need the future plan, I need the reason of relax time. I can be relax without working because I know it's "time for charging battery". Without it, I can't enjoy, I won't do the sotokomori.

[Claytonain]

And yet we still have the salaryman culture of studying to get to college, thus making my job as an English teacher harder for reasons that are to long to go into.

I stayed at Khaosan during Christmas. It really was cheap, but I didn't spot any Japanese people until I saw a tour group. Japanese tourists always seem to be in groups.

[John]

Hmmm, I can relate to Hikikomori. It's not the same as a gap year, because you know you will spend time holidaying, then come back and do whatever it is you have planned to do. It's not about losing a job either, because that's not about how you think about life.

It's more profound than either and hard to explain. It's similar to a mid-life crisis, but it's not about trying to find direction - more like waiting for direction to find you.

Many people are beginning to realise that life is not all about eat/sleep/work/die. What it is they don't know, thus Hikikomori.

You sum it up pretty well with the last sentence.

[Redruin]

A slippery slope indeed it could be. But when you think about how a large portion of history's most influential minds and literature came from the luxury class --people who didn't have to work for a living and could travel and think and spend their time as they pleased-- it's a pretty good argument for the possibility of spending one's time fruitfully, if one were so inclined.

[Jack]

Just had a thought - here in the UK there are a lot of people that do the same thing, going off travelling after university or in a "gap year" between school and university. However, it's seen as a positive life experience by most people, not like being a hikki. And I bet some of those spend months at a time just living in these cheap countries doing very little!

[Jack]

Ooh, you've given me some good ideas between all of you ;) Maybe I'll stop over in Thailand after I've finished the JET programme...

Oh, Mari, it's a white-collar worker, not a white color worker. That's from the shirts they wear, I assume.

[Esther]

Redruin has a good point about some of the sotokomori possibly being on a journey of self-discovery. If you actually did spend that free time pursuing art, literature, learning, etc., or just walking around and thinking about life, it would be a profound experience. If I had the time and money required to "drop out" gracefully, I'd like to learn to create something with my hands--some sort of artisan work. Maybe learn to thatch roofs or something. I don't know if I'd actually *do* anything about it though...maybe I'd just sleep 'til noon each day then hang out in the Internet Cafe. ;o) I can see how that might be a "slippery slope."

[Esther]

That shock of finding out there's no "permanent" employment hit me here in the US back in the 90s too. My father worked for 31 years in the steel mills in Pennsylvania. He retired before they went under. Fresh out of college, I got a job with the phone company and thought I was set for life. Then came "downsizing" and you know the rest of the story. Company loyalty is something you just can't afford emotionally anymore, though I still can't get it out of my system. I work at a university now, and I'll stay as long as the work holds out. I just have to remember that it probably won't last until I reach retirement age.

[Redruin]

I this is very interesting. I think these days in most powerful countries people live to work. Not that they want to, but their lives are centered around working and absorbed by it to the point that they can't think of any other way, though they may have dreams and desires that they think are impossible to fulfil. Maybe some of these sotokomori just want time to discover themselves or to live in a peaceful way that is impossible in expensive economies. I know that if I were to live in Thailand for a few months, I would be able to read and think more that I would living in Washington DC for 2 years... So I can definitely understand the attraction.