Short Form

Short Form Versions

200 words:

Japan… It is a country I have often dreamed about going to since I was a child. However in this land there are citizens who stay locked in their homes even rooms for weeks…often time months at a time. They are known as Hikiomori and while once thought of as a teenager problem it has now crossed through multiple generations and have become a crisis for Japan.  With how it is portrayed it can be easily assumed that the Hikikomori are just painfully shy but that isn’t the case. It can be a mentally torturous cycle of depression and anxiety for many. The cause of this appears to stem from societal pressures in Japan….not just to succeed but to be the best. For example while tutoring maybe common place in America, in Japan there is cram school which can last up to 8hrs a day and students are not allowed to leave until they finish their coursework. The years of pint of stress causes the individual to withdrawn from society and hence the start of a Hikikomori. To help their recluses Japan has created programs/forms of treatment but only time will tell what will become of Japan’s modern day hermits. 

100 words:

The word hermit may bring up the image of someone living in a cave or perhaps in a log cabin miles away from society. However in Japan there are citizen who lock themselves away from society in highly populated areas…right in their own rooms. They are known as Hikikomori and they have become a crisis for Japan. While at first being sweep under the rug due to being a teenager problem…these teenager have since grown up and are not entering the workforce. The pressure of being perfect has caught up and it now time for Japan to help the Hikikomori break free.

50 Words:

The idea of staying indoors for days let along weeks at a time can drive someone stir crazy but this is the life the hikikomori. While being often time being thought of as being lazy or painfully shy this isn’t the case. They long to be a part of society again…to be free.