Forum - View topic

NHK ni Youkoso! (Welcome to the NHK)

I'm not sure whether I should laugh or cry in shame that the game I logged 120 play days in over the course of ~400 real days was featured in a show like NHK (and hardly in a 'subtle' way. Everything was there, from the mithra to Tavnazia and Jeuno ). All I did was eat, sleep, go to class, play FFXI... Huh, this is sounding familiar.

Either way, the FFXI references had me cracking up. Eps 15 was a darn good one.

I'd love to read that

You asked for it. Here it is, but only the part about hikikomori.

One aspect of NHK that I don't like is the amount of blaming the victim it has in it. I find that Sato's gullibility is contrary to my findings about hikikomori

Now that we got that out of the way, I think it's a little convenient to blame Asperger's for the hikikomori phenomenon.

Also, contrary to their depiction in NHK, only 10% of hikikomori use the internet, concurrent with Japan's relatively low rate of computer literacy and broadband penetration.

One aspect of NHK that I don't like is the amount of blaming the victim it has in it. I find that Sato's gullibility is contrary to my findings about hikikomori, as they are often skeptical of what others say.

I got the impression that most people knew how to use computers.

I also agree that just calling it Asperger's seems a bit too tidy, though I'm sure there are cases where it does come into play.

But the fact that other countries have Aspergers and don't have quite the same phenomenon going suggests that there certainly is more going on behind the scenes.

Lastly, it should be noted that the hikikomori phenomenon is similar to the symptoms exhibited by people with Pervasive Developmental Disorders in western cultures. Japan has the highest incidence of Pervasive Developmental Disorders, a group of disorders including autism and Asperger’s syndrome, in the developed world. In Japan, PDDs are some 2.95 times more common than in western countries. Some 3.3% of Japanese males have PDD compared with approximately 1% in Europe and the US. This has led some western commentators to suggest that people with hikikomori are affected by PDDs or disorders that affect social competence, but that their disorders are altered from their typical western presentation by the social and cultural pressures unique to Japan.

Tamaki Saito, the foremost expert on hikikomori, was the one that gave the figure of 10%. You can find this in Shutting Out the Sun, page 56, 223.

The national curriculum exposes students to balanced, basic education, and compulsory schooling is known for its equal educational treatment of students and for its relatively equal distribution of financial resources among schools. However, the demands made by the uniform curricula and approach extracts a price in lack of flexibility, including expected conformity of behavior. Little effort is made to address children with special needs and interests. Much of the reform proposed in the late 1980s, particularly that part emphasizing greater flexibility, creativity, and opportunities for greater individual expression, was aimed at changing these approaches but has made little progress. Critical thinking is not a concept that is valued in the Japanese education system. Instead, students are generally instructed to memorize the text from which they will be tested, resulting in high test scores that do not require manipulatives nor reflect the students' actual ability.

The inherent problem with the concept of "hammering" the student who sticks out also manifests itself in the classroom. Because students are limited to grade specific courses, the needs of gifted students and others with learning disabilities are neglected. If, for example, a student is a native English speaker, she or he is automatically assigned to the English class corresponding to her or his year in school. The same is true of the third year junior high student who has not mastered first year math; she or he is enrolled into a course that is beyond her or his ability. There are no remedial or honors classes to meet the needs of the individual. In extreme cases, students who have developmental disabilities are mainstreamed into regular classes with teachers who lack any training necessary to properly instruct them.

It should be noted, however, that this can sometimes be the result of parents who refuse to admit that their child has a special need. As in the United States, most districts have specialized, skills-based schools for students with severe disabilities. In this case, each student is assigned a teacher or care person to assist them. While these schools offer a superior service for minors, adult services are gradually being phased out due to budget cuts.

As I said before, I believe that's because the Japanese just don't treat it and/or just refuse it exists.

The only question is, "How did I let this one slide by me for so long??"