The Hikikomori Life (A Holiday Message from the Otaku Author)
Last year, I wrote what I thought would be a humorous comparison between the holiday season and the hikikomori lifestyle. Little did I know that I would be living the lifestyle for three-quarters of 2020!
What a year!
I don’t think I should shoulder any of the blame for my hikikomori trail turning into a full-blown lifestyle, although it certainly is a pretty big coincidence. However, if you did listen to what I said last year, maybe it prepared you a little for what was to come. Maybe not. Who could have been prepared for 2020?
Anyhow, this season things are going to be a little bit more strained than normal. I know there have been guidelines around the world relaxing the restrictions on the amount of interaction you can have for the holiday period. If I’m being completely honest, this is ludicrous. This is the time when you should be limiting restrictions and not placing friends and family members in danger.
If anything, we should all be doubling down on the hikikomori lifestyle. Stay at home, play games, watch anime, eat, drink, talk on video chats. It’s the season of goodwill to all (why can’t it be like that all year round?) and I don’t see how anyone can be promoting that message by willingly taking a chance with their loved ones’ lives. With anyone’s life!
The Hikikomori Trial Continues…
So, just like last year, let’s focus on having fun from the safety of our own homes. Read that book you’ve been putting off, play that video game to completion, binge that series you’ve been meaning to watch. We live in a time where there is too much entertainment for us to possibly consume. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to try!
It sucks that we can’t all go home and hang out with family, but I’d much rather stay safe now so that there will be future opportunities to do just that. As happy as I am in my basement working on my stories and watching loads of anime, I don’t want to live in a world where there is no alternative. I don’t want to have to wear a mask every time I go somewhere, but I will until it’s no longer needed.
One day, everything may return to normal and I’ll have to come up with reasons to stay in my basement, so until then, I’m going to enjoy it guilt-free. Hopefully, you will all join me in staying safe this holiday season.
Thanks for stopping by for this holiday message from the Otaku Author. Now, get back to eating, drinking, and having a good time. Enjoy being a Hikikomori even if only for a couple of days more months (I don’t know, it could be years)! Thanks again.
Other posts in the series
| Year | Title |
| 2019 | The Hikikomori Trial |
| 2020 | The Hikikomori Life |
| 2021 | The Hikikomori Endurance |
| 2022 | The Hikikomori Emergence |
| 2023 | The Hikikomori Reflection |
| 2024 | The Hikikomori Extraction |
Merry Christmas to you Lynn! This year is a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity that can’t be missed at all. Been well-adjusted to staying at home ever since quarantine restrictions came and it is a challenge in itself even with the loads of free time. And I don’t mind it most of the time. It is best to use it to the fullest.
Thanks, you too. This year has been a weird one that’s for sure. I wish I could sit down and binge a show, but the fam is keeping me way too busy. Christmas is like a seasonal part-time job on top of everything else.
I can count the number of in person interactions I’ve had since March other than with my wife or a guinea pig on the fingers (but not the thumb) of one hand. Yeah, it’s stressful… But it’s also the way things have to be.
We’re the same. It’s a really surreal time, but agreed, it’s the way it has to be. I just wish more people spent less time arguing about it. All that wasted energy and it just makes you look like a selfish ass!