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Comment by huangc10 | Hacker News Reader

"There are more than half a million hikikomori in Japan — according to the latest government survey published in 2016 — defined as people who have stayed home for more than six months without going to school or work and interacting with no one other than family."

One question for the hikikomori. If they don't work, how do they get money? I'm sure they can live relatively inexpensive lives but how do they get money to pay for rent? Does he work remotely? Bitcoin investments? So many questions...

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Ikeida lives mainly on social benefits but also makes a little money by writing online articles from his room.

thanks, I missed that part from the article.

Many of them are staying at their parents still.

I actually think more or less similar developments are happening in the US and Europe. Instead of the specific term hikikomori, they call it an extended adolescence or something similar. Though, 'extended adolescents' do not necessarily shun society. They do live with their parents in most cases, from my own experience at least.

Having said that I may be completely off base here since I do not know Japanese culture well enough.

It happens in all societies where people are forced to conform and markets are closed to people without a license. Japan is economically the mono-ethnic version of what US/EU are moving towards: a society where you must fill in the boxes given by the system or f* off.

On hacker news since most people are in CS/IT, a field that is almost free (but not for long), it may look like we still live under goverments that are business friendly. But that's not the case at all in other sectors, and many people aten't allowed to find a place in the market.

People today can't get their feet wet when trying to find a place in the market, they must immediately do a full dive. No wonder more and more are drowning.

What an anti-social sentiment. It is not the responsibility for the market to find a "place" for you. It is your job to make that happen. What are you... unemployable? Spending too much time playing video games instead of learning multivariate calculus?

It's a little bit different. In most cases for US and Europe, it is because of the high cost of housing and rent. I know a lot of friends who saved up a lot of money by living with parents from the ages of 21-30. I believe most want to stay with parents and save up until marriage.

The issue with hikikimori is not living with their parent, but being a shut in. Completely. Literally leaving their room only late evening to grab some food at the local 7/11 or something.

NEETs, hikkimoris, basement dwelling neckbeards, every first world country probably has a term for it, and stereotypes associated

It's fairly normal for east asian adults to still live with their parents. What's not so normal is not working, studying, or leaving the house.

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