You draw a name from the hat, choosing your secret santa for the season.
Who IS this person you chose? You know nothing about them except that you don’t see them much. You think they have a job, working somewhere, doing something. You believe they exist, as occasionally you see a message posted under one of their million aliases on some forum in the vast interwebs.
You have to get a gift for the recluse: the hikikomori.
Don’t worry, I’m here to help you out!
Great gifts for the hikikomori;
*something comfortable to wear (they may be wearing it a lot), in an unoffensive color (living in the dark has caused the eyes of the hikikomori to become sensitive); this warm winter kimono looks so pleasantly puffy. (I kinda just want to hug this kimono. It looks so cozy.)
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*Higashi no Eden, involving terrorism, a naked savior, and one of the most noble hikikomori in all of anime history. This is definitely a series to boost the morale of the hikikomori you know, and perhaps help them come out of their shell a bit. (Maybe, no promises with that!)
*Being a hikikomori can be hard on one’s health. There’s often not a lot of incentive to stay fit. (This does NOT count the survivalist hikikomori.) Help them to eat healthier, as well save money with a microwave potato chip maker.
*Drowning out the outside world is important to the hikikomori. Help them out with some One Piece Headphones by gourmandise of japan.
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The stereotypical hikikomori is an avid fan of electronics and spends plenty enough time on the computer for their activities to be detrimental…to their wrists. One of the doctor recommended therapies for carpal tunnel syndrome (as well to prevent it) is to move one’s wrists in the motion of that of milking a cow’s udder. This Kiriko Hattori mousepad should help with that AND it will elevate the wrist while clicking at a mouse, which also is known to aid in carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms.
*when not experiencing the sun rise and set, the days and nights can fly right on by. A calendar is a bit iffy, as I can imagine a hikikomori may wish to not observe time, or may even believe it to be a construct of man and therefor non-existant. All the same, whether a hikikomori time-hater enjoys time or not, many people rely on it to instruct their days. If you are close to this hikikomori, perhaps write a few important (and silly!) dates in the calendar to help them remember there’s more than just what is in front of them. Some decent calendars include Persona 3 and Persona 4 Wall Style calendar and one featuring the ever-adorable Megumi Nakajima.
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*the current most popular hikiomori (and it’s up for debate if her is one, though I’m going to say he is) has got to be the fan-favorite L. Indeed, he’s awesome. Intelligent, snarky, very very dry humor. He makes a great champion for many, and to watch his tale should surely hearten many a hikikomori (and many others also).
Hope you’ve found something for the hikikomori in your life, whether you know them well or not.
If you are interested in how hikiomori’s get by, or the history of this subculture, check out “Shutting out the sun” by Michael Zielenziger
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The Shutting out the Sun is a good read… I second the recommendation!
Since I’m an otaku/hikikomori myself, this is very helpful. Welcome to NHK was definitely very relating to me.
Hanten or Dotera, how nostalgic! I used to wear that in Japan, with kotatsu, warming up my legs. I remember watching Doteraman, very cute anime from the 80s. The only regret about kotatsu, I never had any girl throwing a jab at my legs with her feet under kotatsu, the best flirtation, ecstatic skinship ever in Japan, especially during Xmas/New Year cold winter season.
Shutting Out The Sun sounds interesting. Definitely I’m post-bubble generation, sharing the zeitgeist, so I’m very intrigued to read his book. Thanks for the gift guide!
I just broke down into a fit of giggles watching the opening sequence to Doteraman. 😀 “Cute” is indeed the term!
Y’know, there is always time to have some fun under a kotatsu. (At least I’d like to believe.)