Why Thousands of Japanese Choose to Disappear: The “Johatsu”

Comments · 1.2K

• TH

  @TheLouisZhao · 1 year ago (edited) · pinned

  Note: The story at the beginning of the video is not a report of a real event. It is a fictional account adapted and taken from Draiocht Sound Studio&apos;s essay “Japan&apos;s Disappeared: The Johatsu Enigma” (check it out here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x9VR5wS5UE">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x9VR5wS5UE</a> ). The characters and events in the story are entirely fictional and should not be taken as a depiction of any specific individual or occurrence.

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• KO

  @kosmosXcannon · 1 year ago

  Probably why isekai is a popular genre. Would be nice having a redo of your life remembering your mistakes and hopefully not falling for them again.

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• A.

  @a.d.5952 · 1 year ago

  I had a friend who became a JOHATSU. &nbsp;For years I cried. &nbsp;I thought she was dead. &nbsp;A week ago, after a 20-year disappearance she contacted me. I screamed. She said she still loved me. &nbsp;Her country code &quot;20&quot; revealed to me she was in Egypt. &nbsp;She said, &quot;You&apos;ll never hear from me again. &nbsp;But I wanted you to know I love you.&quot;. (We have a platonic relationship). &nbsp;I am sad but happy for her. I told her not to go down for another 20 years. &nbsp;Then she quietly hung up. &nbsp;And I cried.

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• PA

  @Papada00 · 1 year ago

  Johatsu in English means = Going to buy some milk

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• MY

  @MyMagicalPeanut · 1 year ago

  I don’t know what’s more disheartening; having lived with the social imperative that you DO matter, and suffer the fear of letting others down; or that you really DON’T matter to others and your departure (from work or social scenes) is met with a sense of…meh.

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• MA

  @ManFromThePits · 1 year ago

  This struck a deeply personal note for me. &nbsp;I&apos;ve often wished I could just disappear without a trace, and leave everything behind. &nbsp;You get to a point where it just feels like you can&apos;t do anything right, and everything you touch just turns to dust.<br><br>I&apos;m American.

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• SW

  @swift71 · 1 year ago

  Most of the johatsu suru hito don’t actually disappear and hide. &nbsp;It’s more like they just abandon their families. They’re still in Japan and still findable. My wife’s father johatsu shita, but he just moved out and left her mom with debt and refused to take responsibility for his FOUR! daughters. He’s still around Tokyo, but it’s still considered johatsu. Great video!

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• MA

  @Mallowolf · 1 year ago

  I think this, like the hikikomori phenomenon, is something that happens around the world but Japan has named it. And it heavily involves untreated ongoing mental anguish that &nbsp;leads people to get trapped in a distorted thinking pattern.<br><br>Anyone who thinks people who do these kinds of things are just being selfish or inconsiderate is missing the forest for the trees. Think about what it would take for you to take this extreme an action. <br>I imagine to them, it feels like unburdening others of their existence, a favor in a twisted way. And I feel a lot of compassion for them and their families. I wish mental health was much more of a priority that it currently is.

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• AN

  @AnglBunny · 1 year ago

  The more i watch this channel the more i realize how ingrained asian intergenerational trauma is despite only being half. The bit about erasing your existence to not burden others is literally the most relatable sentiment ever and i dont even know how to dismantle that framework that has ruled my entire life.

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• HE

  @Headhunter_212 · 1 year ago

  &quot;What other people think of me is none of my business&quot;. &nbsp; I found that incredibly liberating.

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• MA

  @MaryFromAlabama · 1 year ago

  What you said in the personal message reminded me of something I read years ago,which has helped me at times. &nbsp; I dont remember where I read it, but it was &quot;The thing that is your worst embarrassment is no more than everyone else&apos;s passing interest&quot;. &nbsp;In other words, when I felt really embarrassed in public or with people I knew, it was just something that everyone else only thought about for a moment, if they thought about it at all,and then they forgot about it.

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• BE

  @Beyondtheglamourandmagic · 1 year ago

  …a society that shamed people from being themselves…then is shocked when they choose to disappear without notice…<br><br><br>Make it make sense. <br><br><br>It’s like walking out into the rain, then being shocked and wondering why you’re all wet…you did this…what do you mean?

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