What were your memories? What did you think about it?
Probably some like these pictures...
And as tourists, that's what we usually see.
So many times we hear people say, "Oh Japan is so wonderful. So clean, polite, what a wonderful place to stay at."
And I always say, all these things are all marketing. Just the things tourists see.
So today, let's explore what most people DON'T see...
1. In Japan, hikikomori (Japanese: ひきこもり or 引きこもり, lit. "pulling inward, being confined", i.e., "acute social withdrawal") are reclusive adolescents or adults who withdraw from society and seek extreme degrees of isolation and confinement.
2. Net café refugees (ネットカフェ難民, netto kafe nanmin), also known as cyber-homeless (サイバーホームレス, saibā hōmuresu), are a class of homeless people in Japan who do not own or rent a residence (thus having no permanent address) and sleep in 24-hour Internet cafés or manga cafés.
I like going to Japan for holiday.
It's fun, expensive but still fun.
The culture, the food, the experience, the learning about other lifestyles.
But when I'm there, I do ask myself. Is this such a wonderful society to live in?
There is a necessity to conform. To keep a picture perfect appearance.
Appearance is important, face/pride is important.
If you're a female, you'll likely face a lot of sexism at work or from family members about your role in the family.
At work, it's common for staff to intentionally stay late to leave after the boss. Even though they have nothing to do. Cos they cannot be seen to be leaving before the boss.
Like I always say, when we go to a country, we go there for fun. Just 1 week or 2 weeks. We intentionally go there to see the nice things. Disney Land, Tokyo Tower, Akihabara, Shinjuku...
But what's behind all these?
How do the people live? Are they stressed? How do they handle the pressures of society and life?
I'm sure that the pressure society imposes on them is far more than many other countries.
Are you really sure that it's going to be a better place to live in?
Not saying it's a terrible country. Just like any developed country. There's pros and cons.
It's naive to think that the country is just all fun and roses.
For people living there, it's not a holiday to them.
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