According to the New York Times, thousands of Japanese kids, mostly boys, are shutting themselves in their rooms and refusing to come out for years at a time. They hang out on the internet, watch television, play video games, and refused to come out for school, work or even meals. Because of the downturn in the Japanese economy, more young people are unemployed and live at home with their parents well into their twenties, and Japan’s unique cultural style of nurturing creates an atmosphere where young people don’t become independent.
Huh. If I had tried that as a teenager, my parents would have dragged me out of my room by my feet and kicked me down to the school bus stop in my pajamas.