This was in the Japan Times today:
HEALING PILGRAMAGE
Former sufferers of the shut-in condition known as "hikikomori" make their way around Shikoku along an 88-temple route in Tokushima Prefecture as part of a rehabilitation program.
Hikikomori is a condition specific to Japan, where people, usually males refuse to leave their homes and often their rooms. It differs from agrophobia in that they are not afraid of open spces, but rather contact with other people. Apparently, parents are part of the problem by allowing their sons to withdraw from society and thinking that they'll grow out of it. There was a kid like this at one of the junior high schools I worked at, I never saw him until graduation day, he hadn't been to school in a couple of years, but he got to graduate with his class. I guess that's social promotion for you-school is mandatory until high school.
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