I am sure that, in some point in our lives, loneliness has been a close friend to each of us. Yup, with the world going online, and becoming more politically polarized than ever, loneliness is, sadly, a normal part of life. But what do we say about those who are chronically, and debilitatingly lonely? Not those who spend a few days, or a week, on their own; but several months, or longer, confined to their home, or even a single room, with enormous detrimental impacts to their health? Well, in Japan, they call this ‘hikikomori’, which translates to ‘pulling inward, being confined’, which has become a quiet epidemic that impacts more than 1.5 million Japanese people. Hikikomori is a silent army of those who have hidden themselves away; those who deeply desire to go outside, to make friends, and live a life of happiness, but feel unable to do so. Experts on hikikomori, are quick to inform the public that such people are *not* lazy; but unwell, dealing with immense social pressure, in a world where failure is not tolerated. And it’s happening everywhere, all across the world. Millions of people, particularly young men, giving up on life, love, and work, and resigning themselves to one of isolation. In the UK we have a similar problem with “NEETs”, an acronym for ‘not in education, employment, or training’ that describes a growing generation of disaffected youths, who have simply checked out of life, and young men are over represented here too. So what is behind this hidden generation, who confine themselves to their homes, and the chronic loneliness that comes with it? How do we reach out and bring them back? What do you think? ~ Photography by Maika Elan

2026-03-11