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[recording] "I wanna remember what... it 
was like to feel, and to love, and to laugh..."

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[ambient music]

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We live in a time where we are more connected 
than ever.

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Thanks to the internet we're able to communicate 
with people all across the world instantaneously 
for seemingly no cost.

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Social networks, direct messaging, video 
call apps and even email have ushered in 
a period of time where

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regardless of where we are, we have the tools 
to connect with others whenever we want.

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If you were alive in the 90's, these technologies 
felt almost like science fiction.

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The kind of things you'd only see in movies 
but... here it is now, and we barely notice 
that the future had arrived.

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As fantastical as these ideas seemed back 
then, it was exciting to think that, someday, 
this technology would be available to us,

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but with little to no [??]

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With the exception that you're giving away 
data to marketing companies, in exchange 
to use it.

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We would be able to live in a world were 
 not only could we see loved ones in their 
flesh but over a screen.

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Distance wouldn't be a problem anymore.

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However this isn't the world that we got, 
and for many,

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those methods of digital communication have 
become a bleak symbol of distance

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rather than a tool to complement one's life.

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The world has become a smaller place because 
of these advancements in technology.

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We have the ability to be connected to other 
via digital signals and hardware, but

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modern conditions have changed that technology 
from something that augments people's lives 
into a substitute.

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Consider that from when you're a child, you 
spend years within your family,

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go to school and create bonds with new people.

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You get to spend time with them on a daily 
basis, and grow alongside them.

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These bonds feel like they'll last forever 
but, eventually, you discover that most of 
them don't.

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We eventually leave school to enter the work 
force, everyone goes their separate ways,

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sometimes to different cities or even countries, 
leaving behind family

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and the bonds that we spend decades forming.

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Communication technology was supposed to 
help us maintain these bonds and, to some 
extent, to they do,

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but its value pales in comparison to the 
sense of community that you once had.

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Our bonds start fading and your day-to-day 
life is to blame.

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This isn't your fault though.

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Jobs are artificially scarce to protect the 
bottom-line of corporations, so we have to 
travel afar.

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We're expected to take on multiple roles 
in the workplace and often work far more 
than

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the assigned forty hours a week, because 
otherwise your paycheck will be too light 
or

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it will jeopardize your chances at a promotion.

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Over a third of your day is spent on the 
workplace.

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Longer if you take into account commute times.

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By the time you're home, you're exhausted, 
and all you want to do is eat, seat in front 
of the TV and

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maybe play a game to pass the time.

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Then, go to bed and get ready to do it all 
again tomorrow.

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when the weekend arrives you're too tired 
to do anything significant.

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You go out, maybe you make some new friends 
every now and then

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but you never truly become close to them.

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Or you end up staying at home, trying your 
best to de-stress from the week that you've 
had,

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scrolling through social media feeds, seeing 
the lives of those you were once closest 
to,

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how they've changed and grown, and a sadness 
sets in because you wish you were there to 
see it.

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You wish that they didn't have to leave. 
You wish that you didn't have to leave.

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You wish you weren't alone.

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[music]

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Loneliness is a growing problem around the 
world.

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Despite the fact that we have so many ways 
of communicating with each other, we've grown 
evermore

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alienated from  our own communities due to 
the unreasonnable demands of modern life.

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Younger generations who are currently in 
the work force have been hit particularly 
hard by this.

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Many have found that they need to support 
oneself financially before catering to their 
emotional needs,

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hence the notion of "self-care" has become 
so prominent. But that in itself

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is a task, transforming what was once a natural 
part of life

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into a form of labor.

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Various governments across the developed 
world have even started to take actions to 
combat loneliness,

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which has been described by former U.S surgeon 
general Vivek Murthy as a growing health 
epidemic,

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that's associated with the reduction in lifespan, 
similar to smoking fifteen cigarettes a day.

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In my homecountry of the UK,labour MP (Member 
of Parliament) Jo Cox, who represented my 
small hometown of Batley

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established the Commission on Loneliness, 
which investigated ways to reduce loneliness 
across people of all ages.

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In 2018, conservative MP Tracey Crouch was 
given the newly created title of Minister 
of Loneliness,

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but she resigned from her role one year after 
being given the title and is yet to be replaced.

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Although combating loneliness was one of 
Cox's top priorities in office, she was tragically 
murdered

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by a right-wing extremist in 2016, and the 
commission, like many other social programs

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under the conservative government, was no 
longer a priority.

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When discussing countries that have a problem 
with loneliness and isolation, there's one 
country

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that's often brought up : Japan, and for 
good reason. A growing number of people

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live alone in Japan. Among the thirty-six 
developed nations of the organization of

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economic cooperation and developement, or 
OECD, Japan is seventh in the world.

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Germany, Norway, Denmark, Austria, France 
and the Netherlands are all ahead of Japan

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in this respect, but it's worth taking into 
consideration that all of these countries 
rank high

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on the United Nations Happiness index, whereas 
Japan is one of the lowest on among developed 
countries,

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with highest standards of Human Rights, at 
rank 62.

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In this video, we will explore the various 
factors that have contributed to

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the social and financial issues plagued in 
Japan;

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how in the absence of human connexion and 
intimacy, markets have manifested

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to fill this gap in ways so personal that 
it is hard to imagine,

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how the burden of endless productivity has 
overtaken every aspect of people's lives,

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and the history of economic failures which 
left many workers without social mobility 
or financial stability.

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Later on we will look at the people whose 
lives have been potentially irreparably damaged

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by the demands of late stage capitalism and 
the growing amount of lives tragically lost

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due to stress, hardships, and solitude.

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Let us look at why the people of Japan have 
foundthemselves under neon loneliness.

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From an early age, people in Japan are thought 
that dedicating oneself to work and education 
is extremely important.

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Schools operate for around six and a half 
hours a day for five mandatory days a week.

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However, most schools are open on saturday 
for optional classes, which students are 
encouraged to attend

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and the majority do. The japanese governement 
is even pushing to make the six days school 
week a standard,

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despite being lowered to five days a week 
back in 2002.

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Thankfully, schools in Japan recognize  many 
national holidays and summer vacation lasts 
around 40 days,

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but the time taken up by school takes away 
vast amounts of time from the formative years 
of children and teenagers.

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Student are also encouraged to join afterschool 
clubs, which can be beneficial to socialization,

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but homework is assigned to them as early 
as the first grade,

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taking even more time away from their personal 
life.

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It's also worth taking into consideration 
that it's common for many students to have 
long commute times

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to and from school, taking even more time 
out of their day.

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All of these factors can make it harder to 
form friendships and even relationships

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among all the students.

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Japan has a more formal approach to communication 
compared to most countries.

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Openness about one's emotions isn't necessarily 
discouraged but avoided.

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The time to develop friendships in general 
also takes longer than it does in a counrty 
like america.

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Outside of school, many elementary students 
spend the vast majority of their time with 
their parents,

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most often their mother, and there is little 
importance given to playtime,

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especially with peers the same age as them.

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Japan has a notoriously grueling work culture.

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Eversince the aftermath of World War 2, the 
country has had an intense focus

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on strengthening the economy, and later on 
it developed a focus on personal growth

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within one's career, so they can attain financial 
stability, in hopes of someday getting married

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and making a family.

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As time has progressed thought, much like 
the west, the demand of the japanese workplace 
have increased

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to the point of endangering the lives of 
workers.

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In many workplaces, it is expected that employees 
only live once the boss leaves

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and is impolite to leave before any of your 
colleagues do.

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Convenience stores even sell clean shirts 
for those who haven't had the chance to go 
home.

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Over a fifth of japanese workers work over 
heighty hours of overtime a month,

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usually unpaid.

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One in ten workers clock in over one hundred 
hours, and on average japanese workers

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use only fifty percent of their annual entitled 
leave,

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averaging to only eight point eight days.

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Many people in Japan are literally working 
themselves to death.

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There's even a word for it: "Karōshi", which 
one hundred and ninety one people

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died from in 2016.

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The majority of them died most commonly from 
heart attacks, strokes and even starvation.

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On July twentyfifth two thousand thirteen, 
thirty-one year old NHK journalist Miwa Sado

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died from congestive heart failure after 
working one hundred and fifty-nine hours

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and thirty seven minutes of overtime.

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Sado's death was not made public until four 
years after she passed.

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According to NHK, this was at the request 
of her parents.

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A month prior to her death, Sado emailed 
her father saying :

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[see text above]

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She died alone. She collapsed in her bed, 
in her apartment, with her mobile phone still 
clutched in her hand.

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[See text above]

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Japan has a great emphasis on productivity 
throughout a person's life

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and work is considered one of the pillars 
of leading a fulfilling life.

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It is part of what's called "ikigai", a concept 
with no direct english translation, but means 
"a reason for being",

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"iki" meaning "life" and "gai" meaning "value" 
or "worth".

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It contains four principles, all of which 
overlap each other like a Venn diagram.

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It includes what you're good at, what you 
love, what the world needs and what you can 
be paid for.

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But what is notworthy here is that all of 
theses principles are related once again

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to productivity and work.

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And therein lies the flaw with this concept, 
because of with many people in Japan

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and even across the world, what you get paid 
for isn't always fulfilling but a means to 
an end.

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According to a 2019 study by Randstat Workmonitor, 
among the thirty-four countries surveyed

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Japan had the lowest job satisfaction in 
the world, with thirty percent of workers

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claiming to not be satisfied or neutral and 
twenty-one percent claiming to be dissatisfied.

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This isn't all too surprising, given the 
many amount of hours that people dedicate 
to work.

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But there are other factors to be considered 
here other than the lack of free time.

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Like many other developed capitalist countries, 
wages have been seeing a steady decline

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compared to the cost of living.

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Many companies have been making efforts to 
curve the excessive amount of work

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people have been doing the past few decades, 
but due to the drop in productivity,

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this has resulted in stagnating wages.

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Alongside this, permanent employment, or 
"seishain" (正社員), has become increasingly 
uncommon

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and moving towards temporary or "non-seishain" 
work, leading people to feel

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that there isn't enough stability in their 
work for them to consider meeting a significant 
other,

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settling down or even starting a family.

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Unsurprisingly, when a human need remains 
unfulfilled, a gap in the market is created.

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And companies in Japan, both big and small 
have leapt at the opportunity to take advantage 
of this.

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It's well known that host and hostess bars 
are a popular fixture in japanese nightlife.

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Originally there was just hostess bars where 
young women would spend time with men in 
there downtime,

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talking and flirting, refilling their drinks, 
lighting cigarettes and singing karaoke.

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It could be said thought that hostesses are 
like a modern version of geishas.

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Physical contact and  sexual discussions 
aren't allowed in most clubs

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but redlight district versions of these clubs 
do exist, known as "sepu kyabakura".

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Host clubs, the male counterpart of hostess 
clubs, operate in a similar fashion.

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The hosts tend to flirt more with their clients 
than  female hosts do,

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and often more entertainment, such as performing 
magic tricks, dancing

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or even comedy skits.

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These clubs have existed for a long time 
though, as early as the sixties,

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and Japan's culture of hosting gests existed 
long before these with the aforementioned 
geishas.

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In the past few years, maid cafes have also 
become a popular fixture in japan.

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They operate in a similar way to hostess 
bars but are designed to appeal to more

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younger clientele, especially otaku, an often 
pejorative term given to people

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usually young males, who consume large amounts 
of media related to anime and manga.

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Unlike hostess bars, maid cafes operate much 
like regular cafes,

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albeit with a more fantasy-like aesthetic.

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Maids are usually very young cute women who 
dress up in french maid outfits,

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and cater to their clients needs from serving 
food, offering over-the-cloth massages,

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entertainment and even spoonfeeding them.

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We also refer to their clients as "master" 
or "mistress".

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There's strictly no touching and photography 
is often forbidden in most maid cafes.

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The maids themselves will usually adopt a 
personality trait that you will find in an 
anime or manga,

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of which there are many types, but the majority 
of these are ironically two-dimensional.

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Many otaku however are drawn to these well-defined 
personality-types, since they're familiar 
and predictable.

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But that familiarity could potentially have 
its drawbacks.

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People are emotionally complex, and when 
you're trying to develop a relationship with 
another person,

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it's unfair to assume that they fit into 
a niche like fictional characters do.

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In japanese culture, friendships and relationships 
generally take a longer time to foster when 
compared

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to western countries, largely due to formalities 
and expectations people are expected to abide 
by there.

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When it comes to situations where they find 
themselves in large groups such as school

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or workplace or even social events such as 
weddings, formalities and rituals are in 
place

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which don't allow for much interaction with 
strangers, taking away the pressure

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of making small talk with strangers or people 
you barely know.

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Outside of this though, many people prefer 
hanging out in groups rather than a coupling.

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This alleviates the potential for more personal 
discussions and

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offers security so they don't have to worry 
about what people outside of their group 
think of them,

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especially if they're involved in an activity.

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Group activities are obviously extremely 
popular in Japan, given the famously lively 
nightlife

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available in major cities there, what with 
the abundance of clubs and bars and obviously 
karaoke.

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This kind of socializing in and off itself 
is great, since it allows one to express 
themselves

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among a group of people that they're familiar 
with, but it doesn't offer much space

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for far more personal interactions.

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Certain actions within relationships carry 
far more gravitas in Japan when compared 
with other countries.

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For example, an invitation to your house 
 isn't something that is taken lightly.

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There's a sense of obligation to it, and 
it's not something that's commonly offered

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to someone that you're not too familiar with.

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