[takagi shoichi]
WELCOME TO THE JAPAN SHUT-IN ASSOCIATION
Crossover with NHK ni Youkoso!
by kotomine
"The organization first began four years ago when Nakahara Misaki was still seventeen years old. Mr. Sato Tatsuhiro, the Vice-President of NHK back then had dropped out of college and has stayed in the same room for almost three years. He was a NEET and a shut in who relied on his parents' monthly allowance to sustain himself. He then realized the futility of his actions and decided to battle his misery.
"After a few more months, with the help of Nakahara Misaki who took Sato under her wing, he was able to finally overcome his social fears and was able to live a normal adult life.
"Nakahara Misaki is a graduate of ___ University and specializes in the study of abnormal Japanese social phenomenon including Freeters, Hikikomori, otaku and NEET. She is currently the President of the Organization.
"To learn more about the organization, log-in to http://ww2.nhk.co.jp/"
Welcome to the Japan Shut-In Association's web portal. This site is a member of the Japanese Public Welfare Association. Please click on the language you wish to view the site.
You have chosen the language Japanese. Welcome of the Japan Shut-in Association. To begin, please answer the following questions.
You have answered the questionnaire. Based on the results, it is advised that you contact our organization as soon as you can.
Do not reply to this mail. This is a computer generate message.
----
Article 2
Occasionally, when Hikaru would come out of his room, he would secretly peek through pages of the Mainichi Shinbun hoping to find something to do other than surfing the internet. Newspapers were delivered to the area at around six am. He would eventually stop sifting through the pages randomly and return to his room as soon as he would hear anyone rise at six thirty in the morning. His feet were used to slipping away from household eyes. The low humming of his computer was an indication if he were awake or not, but it was often inaccurate.
Article 4
Fujisaki Akari used to visit once in a while. She and Hikaru remained friends although she then decided to spend more time with girls she can relate to as she grew older. Later on, it was said that they no longer attended the same classes and they drifted apart, thus eliminating any regular contact with Hikaru. Fujisaki Akari was known to be Hikaru's longest friend. It may certainly be a cause; but it is questionable as Hikaru had other prominent friendships afterwards, all of which proved that he wasn't incompetent socially. More on his friendships will be discussed during the article on the correspondent.
Article 7
Pertaining to the previous record of Shindou Hikaru: his father is a Japanese salesman and his mother is a housewife. Shindou Masao has admitted to being estranged to his son since being promoted at the same time Hikaru was in fourth grade. It was said that his father paid an undisclosed sum to various periodicals, including Weekly Go, to save face. It is noted that Shindou Masao never discouraged the playing of Go; however, both parents assumed that Go was merely a past time like "reading manga, listening to bad boy band music or violent video games."
Article 8
Also, the Japanese Go Institute released no statements about Shindou Hikaru. They assured the media, however, that Go is an ancient sport that encourages camaraderie and social interaction, and that these are vital in the careers of Go beginners and professionals alike.
Article 10
The correspondent refused to allow his identity to be revealed. For documentation purposes, he shall be referred to as Nakano.
Nakano claims to be a concerned associate of Hikaru and sought the help of the organization after tirelessly pursuing him for months. He even said that he visited the Shindou residence for about a week but never came close to entering the house. He states not to know Hikaru on a personal level, however they both share a sort of connection, so to speak, with him through a common goal.
With these facts in mind, it is has been agreed upon by the committee that close contact with Shindou Hikaru will be necessary in order to assess which method would best suit him.
----
A light discussion about Shindou Hikaru's condition piqued Vice President Sato's interest during the weekly board meeting. Therefore it has been settled that a representative of the organization will be sent beforehand to talk to the parent/s or guardian. A formal letter will then be given to the household, along with a schedule to meet the boy. Ms. Nakahara has appointed herself to handle Shindou Hikaru's case. Please see the manual for further instructions.
Attached herein are guidelines and tips for contact with the patients:
Excerpt from page 5.
Number One: Introduce yourself.
Number Two: Ask permission to talk to him/her. Wait for acquiescence.
Number Three: Explain the purpose of your visit. (Note: Make sure you do not sound condescending but rather sincere to help).
Number Four: Establish good rapport with the patient at all times. Take note of common interests that you might share (Note: A thorough background check of the patient is important).
Sample conversation:
Good morning, I'm Nakahara Misaki, twenty-one years old. May I speak to you for a while, Suzuki-san?
I was informed that you've been inside that room for quite sometime now. The weather is pleasant outside and I heard the weather will be sunny for the entire week. Doesn't the breeze make this warm weather better? I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I do.
Remember, first impressions last. Please abide by the tested procedure. Failure to do so may result in worsening the patients' social reclusion.
----
He flailed a notebook in front of my eyes, "What makes you so sure I'm a shut in? I was doing my homework, wasn't I?"
"Which is why we find your case fascinating, Shindou-kun."
"…You make it sound like the whole thing is a science experiment when you say it like that," He grimaced. "And you can take off those glasses if you don't really need them." He added as an after thought.
"Of course I need them!" I insisted helplessly but otherwise placed them back in their leather case in my bag. I had hoped the glasses would make me look more experienced and mature. "Anyway, we shall find out if you are indeed a shut in or not by answering this questionnnaire. Don't worry, I'll check the boxes for you while reading the questions aloud. Question numbe--"
"I told you, I'm not a shut in."
"Question number one," I ignored his comment and proceeded with the Standard Operating Procedure for all patients. "Have you refused attending school?"
"I already told you, I finished school a few weeks ago. Its summer vacation and you interrupted me from my summer homework."
I ticked the box 'No'. "Do you feel that the pressures from society and the outside world are unbearable to the point of avoiding them by withdrawing in you room?"
"I bleach my hair. I don't care about that, obviously." His hair was indeed bleached, although about four centimeters of his original hair color were beginning to show. There was a box of untouched hair dye among his neat stack of books and manga.
"Are you angry? Have you physically and/or verbally attacked you parents in anger? Or have you resorted to self-mutilation out of anger?"
"Isn't it normal to answer back to you parents once in a while?" That meant a No. I have spoken to both parents already and they haven't noticed any traces of violence in the household. Still, I had to confirm from Hikaru himself if it was correct. True enough, his room showed no traces of things being broken. He wore plain yellow shirt and neon colored board shorts. He had skinned knees, a small scar on his elbow but no other traces of recent self-inflicted wounds as far as I can observe.
"Do you appear unhappy, avoid your friends, become insecure, shy, and talk less?"
"I'm not much of a talker. I mean I talk to my friends, just not all the time like girls, you know? I tend to say stuff before thinking first and it kinda happens a lot. I don't think I'm shy… do you?" He asked.
"I'm supposed to be asking the questions here, Shindou-kun." I told him sternly and proceeded with the questions. I guess this isn't the type of meeting I expected from Hikaru. This boy was exhibiting behaviour so normal of a Japanese teenager that I was beginning to doubt the validity of Nakano's statement. Still, I had to follow the designated S.O.P. to the T for the purpose of the report later on.
"I understand that it has been quite a while since you've talked to any of your friends or family members."
He grew silent for a while, as if contemplating on the right words to say. "Well, I did ask about home work to Asakura-san once…"
I tapped the 'Maybe' box with my pen and proceeded to ask more questions. "Is this Asakura a close friend of yours?" He wasn't in one of the list of friends Nakano gave me, but perhaps this Asakura was unintentionally overlooked.
His reply was noticeably indifferent. "He's the class representative. The teacher told him to give me some of the homework I missed out on when I had to absent myself from school."
I'm going beyond the procedure, I realized, but I was starting to delve deeper in the situation. "Why do you absent from school?"
"Oh I had to attend games and stuff." Hikaru replied with a grin, "I played go before."
---
I'm not familiar with the rules, I'm sorry Mr. Nakano. Of course I'm not, for crying out loud! I'm twenty-nine, not fifty-nine!
It does not matter. He's been avoiding any contact with anyone for about a year now.
Has he spoken to the school councilor about any sort of emotional problem? His parents? Friends?
I did. I tried confronting him but he ran away from me when I visited him in his school library. I've been meaning to meet him a number of times now, I even asked Fujisaki-that's the girl from their Go club- to give me his home address as well as his Grandfather's, but he absolutely refuses to show his face to me. I called him till his batteries died out and he refused to answer any of my calls. His mother wouldn't even let me in their house after the first time I visited. She insists that Hikaru is too busy with school to play. I came over a number of times over the past few months but they still wouldn't let me speak with him. I presume that they were embarrassed about having a Hikikomori in the house. Fujisaki told me that the last time she saw him out of the house was a month ago, while she bought something from the nearby convenience store at midnight.
Didn't you see him in school? Surely you couldn't miss him there; you told me he still attended classes.
We don't go to the same school.
What are you to him then? Are you a family member, or a friend? Or a stalker?
I'm a… well, I presume we were more than just acquaintances, Mr. Sato, even if we hardly see each other outside of Go. But we were something more than that…
A lover perhaps?
He was someone who must chase after me.
---
The first outside exposure had been a success after weeks of meeting with Shindou Hikaru. He agreed without much struggle and even set out a specific date for it. I prepared the itinerary based on the S.O.P. for Hikaru's day out but Tatsuhiro insisted on simply going with the flow this time. Hikaru insisted eating lunch on a Mc Donald's branch far from Ichigaya area which I agreed to. I learned later on that he wanted to avoid seeing his fellow insei who frequented that area during lunch time. He ordered that famous Megmac (it was an hour past noon) but they've run out so he got the regular burger with fries. I settled with an ebi fillet-o and a milk shake.
He usually talked animatedly; I've noticed this since the first meeting, nothing about himself. I presume that he missed having an actual conversation with someone. The subject of our conversation was too typical to take note of, although I remembered much of the emotions I felt while talking to him.
Before Hikaru and I parted ways in the subway, I asked him what he wanted to do once he graduated high school. He looked at me for a few seconds with a bit of doubt. "You might find it silly, I'm supposed to chase after a rival of mine" he finally confessed. "We both have the same significant dream in life. I might consider going to a University or even try to play go professionally, but there's something else I should've done which I can't take back anymore."
The most important thing is to stand up when you fall and always move forward no matter what, I told him.
"You think so?" he asked with a wistful smile. "I don't know. They're all ahead of me. And maybe, he found someone else stronger to go after. It might be too late for me." He stepped out of the train without looking back. I was surprised that he got out at a different stop but the train door closed before I can inquire any further.
----
It was the 5th of May when Misaki last saw his retreating back in the train station. He remained at his residence although went home sparingly, thus eliminating any contact with him. He surprised the entire household one day by asking his mother about Income Tax and opening his own bank account. Apparently he became a professional Go player last month.
There were missing pieces to the puzzle which I put together through my investigation and formal interviews with a few of his colleagues. One such piece was that of his internet usage. An online correspondent claimed that some of the techniques Hikaru discussed in the forums were similar to the games he played in his Pro exam. He kept himself updated with the Go news, which explained why he often snuck out of his room to read the newspaper. The Weekly Go magazine was able to release an article about Shindou Hikaru's long awaited come back, saying that it was fate that the final examination was scheduled a day before his 18th birthday.
The above mentioned article is attached, along with a copy of Shindou's kifu online for reference.
We regret to inform the board that Hikaru's reasons in becoming a shut in are still a mystery to us. We took his case because it was especially different from other shut in who suffer from some sort of mental or emotional disorder. What we do know is that being a Hikikomori is a phenomenon that may occur even to the most self-assured Japanese adolescent male.
Rest assured that we are pouring our best efforts to eliminate the conspiracy.
Signed,
Tatsuhiro Sato
Vice-President and Co-founder
Nippon Hikikomori Kyoukai (Japan Shut-In Association)
Crossover with NHK ni Youkoso!
by kotomine
"The organization first began four years ago when Nakahara Misaki was still seventeen years old. Mr. Sato Tatsuhiro, the Vice-President of NHK back then had dropped out of college and has stayed in the same room for almost three years. He was a NEET and a shut in who relied on his parents' monthly allowance to sustain himself. He then realized the futility of his actions and decided to battle his misery.
"After a few more months, with the help of Nakahara Misaki who took Sato under her wing, he was able to finally overcome his social fears and was able to live a normal adult life.
"Nakahara Misaki is a graduate of ___ University and specializes in the study of abnormal Japanese social phenomenon including Freeters, Hikikomori, otaku and NEET. She is currently the President of the Organization.
"To learn more about the organization, log-in to http://ww2.nhk.co.jp/"
Welcome to the Japan Shut-In Association's web portal. This site is a member of the Japanese Public Welfare Association. Please click on the language you wish to view the site.
You have chosen the language Japanese. Welcome of the Japan Shut-in Association. To begin, please answer the following questions.
You have answered the questionnaire. Based on the results, it is advised that you contact our organization as soon as you can.
Do not reply to this mail. This is a computer generate message.
----
Article 2
Occasionally, when Hikaru would come out of his room, he would secretly peek through pages of the Mainichi Shinbun hoping to find something to do other than surfing the internet. Newspapers were delivered to the area at around six am. He would eventually stop sifting through the pages randomly and return to his room as soon as he would hear anyone rise at six thirty in the morning. His feet were used to slipping away from household eyes. The low humming of his computer was an indication if he were awake or not, but it was often inaccurate.
Article 4
Fujisaki Akari used to visit once in a while. She and Hikaru remained friends although she then decided to spend more time with girls she can relate to as she grew older. Later on, it was said that they no longer attended the same classes and they drifted apart, thus eliminating any regular contact with Hikaru. Fujisaki Akari was known to be Hikaru's longest friend. It may certainly be a cause; but it is questionable as Hikaru had other prominent friendships afterwards, all of which proved that he wasn't incompetent socially. More on his friendships will be discussed during the article on the correspondent.
Article 7
Pertaining to the previous record of Shindou Hikaru: his father is a Japanese salesman and his mother is a housewife. Shindou Masao has admitted to being estranged to his son since being promoted at the same time Hikaru was in fourth grade. It was said that his father paid an undisclosed sum to various periodicals, including Weekly Go, to save face. It is noted that Shindou Masao never discouraged the playing of Go; however, both parents assumed that Go was merely a past time like "reading manga, listening to bad boy band music or violent video games."
Article 8
Also, the Japanese Go Institute released no statements about Shindou Hikaru. They assured the media, however, that Go is an ancient sport that encourages camaraderie and social interaction, and that these are vital in the careers of Go beginners and professionals alike.
Article 10
The correspondent refused to allow his identity to be revealed. For documentation purposes, he shall be referred to as Nakano.
Nakano claims to be a concerned associate of Hikaru and sought the help of the organization after tirelessly pursuing him for months. He even said that he visited the Shindou residence for about a week but never came close to entering the house. He states not to know Hikaru on a personal level, however they both share a sort of connection, so to speak, with him through a common goal.
With these facts in mind, it is has been agreed upon by the committee that close contact with Shindou Hikaru will be necessary in order to assess which method would best suit him.
----
A light discussion about Shindou Hikaru's condition piqued Vice President Sato's interest during the weekly board meeting. Therefore it has been settled that a representative of the organization will be sent beforehand to talk to the parent/s or guardian. A formal letter will then be given to the household, along with a schedule to meet the boy. Ms. Nakahara has appointed herself to handle Shindou Hikaru's case. Please see the manual for further instructions.
Attached herein are guidelines and tips for contact with the patients:
Excerpt from page 5.
Number One: Introduce yourself.
Number Two: Ask permission to talk to him/her. Wait for acquiescence.
Number Three: Explain the purpose of your visit. (Note: Make sure you do not sound condescending but rather sincere to help).
Number Four: Establish good rapport with the patient at all times. Take note of common interests that you might share (Note: A thorough background check of the patient is important).
Sample conversation:
Good morning, I'm Nakahara Misaki, twenty-one years old. May I speak to you for a while, Suzuki-san?
I was informed that you've been inside that room for quite sometime now. The weather is pleasant outside and I heard the weather will be sunny for the entire week. Doesn't the breeze make this warm weather better? I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I do.
Remember, first impressions last. Please abide by the tested procedure. Failure to do so may result in worsening the patients' social reclusion.
----
He flailed a notebook in front of my eyes, "What makes you so sure I'm a shut in? I was doing my homework, wasn't I?"
"Which is why we find your case fascinating, Shindou-kun."
"…You make it sound like the whole thing is a science experiment when you say it like that," He grimaced. "And you can take off those glasses if you don't really need them." He added as an after thought.
"Of course I need them!" I insisted helplessly but otherwise placed them back in their leather case in my bag. I had hoped the glasses would make me look more experienced and mature. "Anyway, we shall find out if you are indeed a shut in or not by answering this questionnnaire. Don't worry, I'll check the boxes for you while reading the questions aloud. Question numbe--"
"I told you, I'm not a shut in."
"Question number one," I ignored his comment and proceeded with the Standard Operating Procedure for all patients. "Have you refused attending school?"
"I already told you, I finished school a few weeks ago. Its summer vacation and you interrupted me from my summer homework."
I ticked the box 'No'. "Do you feel that the pressures from society and the outside world are unbearable to the point of avoiding them by withdrawing in you room?"
"I bleach my hair. I don't care about that, obviously." His hair was indeed bleached, although about four centimeters of his original hair color were beginning to show. There was a box of untouched hair dye among his neat stack of books and manga.
"Are you angry? Have you physically and/or verbally attacked you parents in anger? Or have you resorted to self-mutilation out of anger?"
"Isn't it normal to answer back to you parents once in a while?" That meant a No. I have spoken to both parents already and they haven't noticed any traces of violence in the household. Still, I had to confirm from Hikaru himself if it was correct. True enough, his room showed no traces of things being broken. He wore plain yellow shirt and neon colored board shorts. He had skinned knees, a small scar on his elbow but no other traces of recent self-inflicted wounds as far as I can observe.
"Do you appear unhappy, avoid your friends, become insecure, shy, and talk less?"
"I'm not much of a talker. I mean I talk to my friends, just not all the time like girls, you know? I tend to say stuff before thinking first and it kinda happens a lot. I don't think I'm shy… do you?" He asked.
"I'm supposed to be asking the questions here, Shindou-kun." I told him sternly and proceeded with the questions. I guess this isn't the type of meeting I expected from Hikaru. This boy was exhibiting behaviour so normal of a Japanese teenager that I was beginning to doubt the validity of Nakano's statement. Still, I had to follow the designated S.O.P. to the T for the purpose of the report later on.
"I understand that it has been quite a while since you've talked to any of your friends or family members."
He grew silent for a while, as if contemplating on the right words to say. "Well, I did ask about home work to Asakura-san once…"
I tapped the 'Maybe' box with my pen and proceeded to ask more questions. "Is this Asakura a close friend of yours?" He wasn't in one of the list of friends Nakano gave me, but perhaps this Asakura was unintentionally overlooked.
His reply was noticeably indifferent. "He's the class representative. The teacher told him to give me some of the homework I missed out on when I had to absent myself from school."
I'm going beyond the procedure, I realized, but I was starting to delve deeper in the situation. "Why do you absent from school?"
"Oh I had to attend games and stuff." Hikaru replied with a grin, "I played go before."
---
I'm not familiar with the rules, I'm sorry Mr. Nakano. Of course I'm not, for crying out loud! I'm twenty-nine, not fifty-nine!
It does not matter. He's been avoiding any contact with anyone for about a year now.
Has he spoken to the school councilor about any sort of emotional problem? His parents? Friends?
I did. I tried confronting him but he ran away from me when I visited him in his school library. I've been meaning to meet him a number of times now, I even asked Fujisaki-that's the girl from their Go club- to give me his home address as well as his Grandfather's, but he absolutely refuses to show his face to me. I called him till his batteries died out and he refused to answer any of my calls. His mother wouldn't even let me in their house after the first time I visited. She insists that Hikaru is too busy with school to play. I came over a number of times over the past few months but they still wouldn't let me speak with him. I presume that they were embarrassed about having a Hikikomori in the house. Fujisaki told me that the last time she saw him out of the house was a month ago, while she bought something from the nearby convenience store at midnight.
Didn't you see him in school? Surely you couldn't miss him there; you told me he still attended classes.
We don't go to the same school.
What are you to him then? Are you a family member, or a friend? Or a stalker?
I'm a… well, I presume we were more than just acquaintances, Mr. Sato, even if we hardly see each other outside of Go. But we were something more than that…
A lover perhaps?
He was someone who must chase after me.
---
The first outside exposure had been a success after weeks of meeting with Shindou Hikaru. He agreed without much struggle and even set out a specific date for it. I prepared the itinerary based on the S.O.P. for Hikaru's day out but Tatsuhiro insisted on simply going with the flow this time. Hikaru insisted eating lunch on a Mc Donald's branch far from Ichigaya area which I agreed to. I learned later on that he wanted to avoid seeing his fellow insei who frequented that area during lunch time. He ordered that famous Megmac (it was an hour past noon) but they've run out so he got the regular burger with fries. I settled with an ebi fillet-o and a milk shake.
He usually talked animatedly; I've noticed this since the first meeting, nothing about himself. I presume that he missed having an actual conversation with someone. The subject of our conversation was too typical to take note of, although I remembered much of the emotions I felt while talking to him.
Before Hikaru and I parted ways in the subway, I asked him what he wanted to do once he graduated high school. He looked at me for a few seconds with a bit of doubt. "You might find it silly, I'm supposed to chase after a rival of mine" he finally confessed. "We both have the same significant dream in life. I might consider going to a University or even try to play go professionally, but there's something else I should've done which I can't take back anymore."
The most important thing is to stand up when you fall and always move forward no matter what, I told him.
"You think so?" he asked with a wistful smile. "I don't know. They're all ahead of me. And maybe, he found someone else stronger to go after. It might be too late for me." He stepped out of the train without looking back. I was surprised that he got out at a different stop but the train door closed before I can inquire any further.
----
It was the 5th of May when Misaki last saw his retreating back in the train station. He remained at his residence although went home sparingly, thus eliminating any contact with him. He surprised the entire household one day by asking his mother about Income Tax and opening his own bank account. Apparently he became a professional Go player last month.
There were missing pieces to the puzzle which I put together through my investigation and formal interviews with a few of his colleagues. One such piece was that of his internet usage. An online correspondent claimed that some of the techniques Hikaru discussed in the forums were similar to the games he played in his Pro exam. He kept himself updated with the Go news, which explained why he often snuck out of his room to read the newspaper. The Weekly Go magazine was able to release an article about Shindou Hikaru's long awaited come back, saying that it was fate that the final examination was scheduled a day before his 18th birthday.
The above mentioned article is attached, along with a copy of Shindou's kifu online for reference.
We regret to inform the board that Hikaru's reasons in becoming a shut in are still a mystery to us. We took his case because it was especially different from other shut in who suffer from some sort of mental or emotional disorder. What we do know is that being a Hikikomori is a phenomenon that may occur even to the most self-assured Japanese adolescent male.
Rest assured that we are pouring our best efforts to eliminate the conspiracy.
Signed,
Tatsuhiro Sato
Vice-President and Co-founder
Nippon Hikikomori Kyoukai (Japan Shut-In Association)