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Hikikomori – Update

A collection of recent items on unconventional hikikomori, : female, aging, and not necessarily from Japan.

From Japanese news site Mainichi: “‘Not alone’: Growing number of middle-aged female ‘hikikomori’ shut-ins in Japan.”
URL: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230815/p2a/00m/0na/003000c

From Japan News:”Older,Female, and Hikkikomori: Japan’s Newly Precarious Population.”
URL: https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/editorial/cultural-viewpoints/20230518-110226/

From Financial Express (Bangladesh): “Why thousands of Japanese stay isolated from the society?”
URL: https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/lifestyle/culture/why-thousands-of-japanese-stay-isolated-from-the-society

From BBC: “Hikikomori: Why S Korea is paying young recluses to leave home.” From the article:

“A growing number of young South Koreans are choosing to isolate themselves, withdrawing fully from a society that exacts a high price for failing to conform to expectations.

“These recluses are known as hikikomori, a term first coined in Japan in the 1990s to describe severe social withdrawal amongst adolescents and young adults.

“In South Korea, which is battling the world’s lowest fertility rate and declining productivity, this has become a serious concern. So much so that authorities are offering young recluses who meet a certain income threshold a monthly stipend to coax them out of their homes.”
URL: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-65554271

From Newsweek magazine: “The South Koreans Who Won’t Leave Their Rooms.”
URL: https://www.newsweek.com/south-korea-reclusive-youths-acute-social-withdrawal-isolation-1797787

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Solitude and Loneliness – recent essays

From the website of YES! magazine comes this reflective piece titled, “Murmurations: Loneliness As Fermentation.” The essay addresses the epidemic of loneliness that followed the Covid pandemic but especially affected the disabled. Here the author focuses interest on Julian (a)of Norwich, the 14th-century Engish anchorite, and how her deliberate isolation summoned a sense of spirituality into a bleek setting.

URL: https://www.yesmagazine.org/opinion/2023/09/28/murmurations-loneliness-fermentation

Three articles from Psychology Today:

“The Art of Loneliness,” with the byline “Striking the balance between solitude and isolation.” The article develops several themes: understanding the benefits of solitude, distinguishing isoltion from solitude, paying attention to the benefits of silence, and relieving stress.

URL: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/duty-to-self/202309/the-art-of-aloneness

“Lessons on Facing Loneliness From Philosophy,” with the byline “Wisdom traditions teach the value of solitude for clarity and peace.” The article develops several themes: solitude as opportunity for reflection and growth, that our moods carry formsof wisdom, and that loneliness, however painful, teaches us about ourselves.

URL: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mental-health-in-the-internet-age/202309/lessons-on-facing-loneliness-from-philosophy

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“Only Resident of Écréhous” – UK

Aeon presents a 1987 BBC video production from the series “Nationwide: Remote Britain.” The video is titled “The Only Resident of Écréhous.” Byline: “Why one man spent 15 years in ‘self-imposed’ island exile.” Here is a summary from Aeon“:

“Born on Jersey in the Channel Islands (part of the British Crown Dependency), Alphonse Le Gastelois (1914-2012) moved to the small, only seasonally inhabited Écréhous island chain roughly six miles away in 1961, after being wrongly suspected of a series of heinous sexual assaults. Relocating for his own safety and peace of mind, he remained there, living mostly in isolation, until 1975, even after he was proven innocent when the string of attacks continued in his absence and the real culprit was finally caught in 1971. First broadcast in 1978, this clip from the BBC series Nationwide: Remote Britain tells Le Gastelois’s incredible story of ‘self-imposed exile’, including his formal attempt to become ‘King of the Écréhous’ – a request that would ultimately go unfulfilled in law, if not in legend. Depicting the power of unfounded rumour and gossip to derail a life, his story is one that echoes with amplified intensity in the internet age.”

URL (Aeon): https://aeon.co/videos/why-one-man-spent-15-years-in-self-imposed-island-exile; (YouTube): https://youtu.be/5AFNq8G_K3Y?si=H22zlaY0oWjOP

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Hermit faces eviction from 50-year-old cave home

From the web site News.com.au, comes this item with the byline: “For over 50 years, a self-described hermit has carved out a cave home for himself by the sea, because he loves the sound of the ocean. But now authorities want him out.”

This blog has noted similar articles about the hermit : in 2013 and 2022. Search the category “Israel” for the entries.

URL: https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/hermit-faces-eviction-from-50yearold-cave-home/news-story/8043bf8f3d75636e4bd9eaeea5fea8a8

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Mauro Morandi – update

INews of the UK includes this update on Mauro Morandi, recently evicted from his island eremitism. Article title: ‘People can be overwhelming’: Hermit’s misery after he was kicked off Italian paradise isle”. Article byline: “Mauro Morandi, 84, says he misses the silence after 33 years as the sole occupant of an island off Sardinia.” First lines of the article:

“For 33 years, Mauro Morandi lived the life of a hermit on the Italian paradise island of Budelli, off the north coast of Sardinia popular for its pink coral beach.

“As the island’s caretaker, he lived alone in a ramshackle hut in the company of birds, and found it blissful. Three years ago, the marine park authorities of La Maddalena archipelago kicked him off the isle, with plans to build a museum.

“Morandi crashed back down to earth. He went from a life of freedom on the sand, surrounded by nature and the sea breeze, to sleeping in a small apartment on the nearby island of La Maddalena, a tourist hotspot with 15,000 residents.”

Check the category “Italy” for more entries on Morandi.

URL: https://inews.co.uk/news/world/people-overwhelming-hermit-kicked-off-italian-paradise-isle-2651700