Walking Together in the Father’s Heart

I have always struggled with communication.

Sometimes I don’t know how to explain myself, or my work. Words feel too small for the depth of what I see and feel.

One of my closest friends is a hikikomori. Without him, I don’t think the idea of a café that allocates resources for socially withdrawn people would ever have been born. God has used him in countless ways to shape this ministry—sometimes directly, sometimes quietly, in ways neither of us expected.

We circle the same truth, but speak in two different dialects of meaning.
Mine is shaped by a multicultural, public health–psychosocial lens.
His is rooted in a Japanese cultural and linguistic frame.

Our “gap” is not about values at all—it’s about framing.
When he hears “research,” he pictures cold data manipulation.
I can’t blame him. Once, I thought the same.

But for me, “research” isn’t pulling people apart into numbers. My research is my work—it’s the practice of deeply listening, noticing what is said and unsaid, and weaving those threads into a picture that helps people see themselves more clearly. It’s not separate from the human connection—it is the human connection, held up to the light through careful analysis.

Yes, I categorize keywords, patterns, and feelings. On the surface, it might look like turning people into numbers. But those numbers are only scaffolding—temporary frames that hold the pieces together while I see the whole story emerge. Each fragment keeps its meaning, and when joined, the picture appears: rich, human, and utterly unique.

He once helped me organize tape transcriptions. He didn’t see how that task could help my work. But to me, it was a deep kindness. By freeing me from hours of mechanical labor, he gave me the space and confidence to gather the subtle threads—to listen for the ma, the spaces between words where truth often hides. Precise transcripts make analysis possible, and analysis is my way of making the invisible visible.

Because in the end, my goal is never to take something away from people. It’s to give them back a clearer mirror—so they can see their own patterns, their own strengths, their own beauty.

---

The Bigger Picture

This is more than professional practice. It’s a calling.
Every conversation, every listening moment, every pattern recognized is part of the Father’s work of restoration. He listens to the words and silences of our lives, gathers the broken fragments, and gives us back a wholeness we couldn’t see on our own.

The café, the research, the careful listening—they are all streams flowing from the same source: the Father’s heart for the lost, the withdrawn, the unseen. In His Kingdom, no one is too hidden to be known, no story too fractured to be pieced together.

And so, I need you my friends. I want to welcome you to join me in this journey.
Different eyes, different words, but the same mission: to make the invisible visible, and to hold up a mirror that reflects the image the Father sees.

May the Lord calls you, bless you, and hold you. 

Things to do in Mar and Apr 2011

My trip to Seattle for RJC conference was fulfilling. The hikikomori workshop went well, and we managed to discuss quite a lot of things. However, it does seem that we still need more time to build a clear framework about how Christians could move in the light to serve better with the community. Please do continue to pray for this.

I am now back to Japan, and headed to Nara for a conference in this weekend. I am staying in Nara Evangelical Church from Mar 3 - 9. Please continue to pray for networking and relationship between me and the field workers (pastors & missionaries & Christians).

I will head back to Tokyo on Mar 9 evening, and then on Mar 11-12, we will have our own Tokyo Behavioral Medicine Conference. Please continue to pray for excellent relationship between me and my professor, lecturers and collegues. Relationship is the key to move things.

From Mar 13 - 20, my family and friend would come to Tokyo and visit me. Aside for planning for a week rest, I am engaging them into three missions: exploring culture and people, identify prayer needs, hikikomori intervention 3. Again, please pray for strengthening of relationship, and this team will gain strength, love, peace and comfort from God in the ministry of Heart4Japan.

The hikikomori study group went well for last 3 sessions. On Mar 25, we will have the 4th study group. As I use the office as a ground to bridge relationship between His workers and the locals, do keep the relationship in mind in your prayers! Pray that the participants will not see the strong Christian appearance in this group as a threat/crusade, but a shine of love and care that would warm their hearts, thus seek the eternity God that had granted peace and comfort and healing that had motivated us in outreach.

I am trying to get my friends (hikis) to join IFJ (I Follow Jesuss Camp). If they are interested, I will accompany them to Nara on April 1-3 to experience the joy of following Jesus. If that happens, I will visit another church in South Osaka to catch up with friends. A friend is getting married in Sakai. ^^

From April 3- 20, Patrick (Hiki from Vienna) will be in Tokyo, and then we will start another intervention and exploring Hiki for the month. I am presenting about findings on hikikomori and stir a discussion on April 15 during the Hikikomori Study group. If God willing, I am prepared to share testimonies. Please pray for my Japanese efficiency! Also, please pray that during these workshops and exploring activities, I will gain more friends, and will have more hikis in hand to work together with. Please pray for trust, delight and understanding in the relationship with the hikis, the supporting staffs, and the other workers.

I am also taking up new role in the department in facilitating the department meetings and needs. This will help to train my interrelation skills and Japanese conversation too! :-)


Really...
Main main issue in prayer is: RELATIONSHIP and TRUST!!!
with Professor N
with my collegues
with NPO (Non Profit Organization) workers
with government
with community
with church workers

Thanks.....................................

Of course we should not forget about the PhD work...! Please pray that all these communications, networking, outreach will add knowledge and crucial point to the work in order to fulfill the work that God had laid in my hand. Thank you very much for your participation in the work of Heart4Japan! Thank you for your love!!!

Hikikomori Workshop (Feb18) in the coming RJC Conference

Follow up with the previous article "Beginning of 2011", this is an edition about RJC Conference from Feb 17 -19 that will take place in Seattle, Northshore Baptist Church in Bothell, WA. 

Considerations......

As you may have be informed that I would be leading a Hikikomori workshop in the coming RJC Conference on Feb 18. In this workshop, I was asked to address the topic of hikikomori so that people could come into assist, as quite a number of Japanese students are located in overseas.

Through these years working on this topic, I see some cases who had developed the symptoms while they were in overseas, or not long after they returned to Japan. In 2009, I had shared about the findings and conclusion from my previous master work in the conference, and with some other missionaries and local churches in Japan. Following that, not only that I began to identify similar trends that occur in the practical field, but with the expansion of my work, I have had opportunities for more fieldworks and experiment interventions through different contacts, where some of these interventions worked and some did not.

As much as I wish to share all these observations with God's workers, and get people to pray about things and seek His wisdom in how to deal with the issue, there are certain limitations, as it takes time and skills to connect scientific findings to practical outreach, and it takes time to travel and exposure in order to spread the idea. At the same time, I do treasure the time that I have in Japan, and hope to reserve more time to the work here and sharpen the edge of research. I am afraid that I may not be able to travel much to in following years. Considering how the participants would get most out of this workshop, I have been thinking and praying these days for a way of conduct that could help the participants to be able to be on their own to start praying/intervention with clear context in mind. This would be meaningful, as the participants are mainly missionaries and Christians, where I believe that their presence in the field would carry lights of Jehovah with them. The outreach to hikikomori would not only be a temporary relief of human efforts, but entering into the eternity rest within God's plan.

Plans for the Hikikomori Workshop, 2011.02.18
What I have decided to do with this workshop would be focusing on these 2 major parts:

i.) Use a few case studies to illustrate the phenomenon by exploring the possible mental states, relation to cultural and social structural background, so that the participants would catch a glimpse of the context. 

ii.) Then, I will go on in illustrating the current practices in the field, by giving examples of the intervention efforts organized by Christians and non-Christians that experienced by my cases, in terms of their efficacy and sustainability, to spur the participants to challenge and examine the existing interventions in relation with Gospel, what work and what do not work.

There is a major theme in this workshop: LOVE

1 Cor 13:13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love (NASB)

Please Pray......
For this I would love you to pray together with me, for the workshop, and the RJC Conference as a whole (Feb 17-19).
1. Pray that the Lord will prepare the hearts of the people, hikikomori will be set free, and the workers that He calls to this field will rise up and go while continue to seek His heart day and night for Godly intervention.
2. Pray that His words will fill my lips, and it would be His passion and His fire that burns in my chest. Having the RJC conference to begin on Feb 17, is the the most fabulous birthday party that I would have. What more to have such a grand party by meeting many people whom their hearts are for Japan!
3. Please pray that the Lord will give me a gift that I will receive partners that are committed in both partnership and discipleship, whom have the same passion and direction that spur by His will, through this conference!

Thank you for your prayers! Shalom!

第二回ひきこもり勉強会開きます

 

ひきこもり勉強会　第二回
日時：平成23年1月21日（金）　19：00～21：00

場所：東京大学本郷キャンパス、医学部3号館　

あけましておめでとうございます！今週の金曜日、1月21日、第二回ひきこもり勉強会を開きます。時間のできる方はぜひ参加してください！

12月10日に一回目のひきこもり勉強会は、ロザリンを含む15人が参加しました。土屋先生から世界精神保健調査の結果をふまえて、ただ引きこもりについてのことではなく、精神障害と発達障害のこともいろいろ話してくれました。また日本とほかの国の調査結果を比べて、いろいろ教えてくださり、とてもいい勉強になりました。

それで、参加者たちは「若者の意識に関する調査(引きこもりに関する実態調査）概要版」で使ったの調査票を自分で記入しました。ロザリンが受け取った調査票8枚あります。10枚以上集まったら、結果を検討し分析します。

12月の勉強会について、参加者江上さんからのメッセージ、
「 今日はありがとう。とてもいい勉強になりました。土屋先輩にもお礼を言っておいてください・・・・・・参加者も国際色豊かだし、年齢、お仕事もさまざまでこれからの勉強会がとても楽しみです・・・・・・」

12月の勉強会では情報をたくさんもらったのですけれども、参加者たちお互いの交流があんまりできなかった。1月の勉強会では、日本精神保健調査の結果をもとにして、参加者たちが自分の経験と知ることによって、また大野先生監修したの冊子（心の健康を守るためのストレス・マネジメント）で「自分の考え方のくせ・ゆがみを知っておこう」、「行動や感情をコントロールできるようになろう」の二つの文章を使って、自由に話したいと思います。


今、次の勉強会を準備しているのですが、出席の予定を確認したいです。人数によって、次の勉強会の形が決まります。
（集会室使うとか、ゼミ室を使うとか、そのうえで、「ワールドカフェ」の形でやるとか、皆一緒に話するとか）

資料の準備をはじめ、いろいろな準備が必要ですので、事前にぜひロザリンまで連絡してください。


おいでになれない方も、ぜひ勉強会のために祈ってください！

Beginning of 2011

The Lord had made the weather a little bit warmer for me as I arrived Tokyo on Jan 16, 10pm. I caught the last train heading to Tsukuba, took a taxi at Kashiwanoha Station, and went back to my place safely. While everything was done, it was around 2am.

The next day, I headed to school at around 10am. Met few friends. The assignment deadline had moved to next week, Jan 25. Praise God, I didn't need to rush. Thus, the decision to concentrate on making origami and preaching in Malaysia was seemingly the Lord's will.  I received a couple of emails showing their interest to pray and probably equipping themselves for a visit to Japan. These are encouraging messages. I pray that the Lord will continue to guide you and lead you into the partnership with Him in Heart4japan. Shalom.

Attended classes yesterday, glad to find everyone there. Handed over some souvenirs from  Malaysia, had a couple of chats. Began to work on Hikikomori Study Group invitation on Jan 21, which falls on the same day my mom's visit to the clinic. And I began to develop flu like symptoms last night, coughing...it get worse still with anti-histamine and cough lozenges, could be influenza... Heard that my brother Peter had high fever the night I headed back to Tokyo. Do remember us in your prayers.

There are few things going on almost simultaneously and really need your prayers!


This will probably serve as the main structure for you to pray for Heart4Japan ministry from Jan - Apr 2011. Will continue to update some reports, feedbacks and highlight from time to time, but this article will be the main. Please take note.

1. Hikikomori Study Group is going on. It uses the Department of Mental Health in Graduate school of medicine of Tokyo University as a platform to outreach, and set up study groups as round table discussions among those who are interested. It takes place once in a month started from Dec 2010.
2nd meeting is on Jan 21, 7pm - 9pm.
3rd meeting is on Feb 25, 7pm - 9pm
4th meeting is on Mar 25, 7pm - 9pm
5th meeting is on Apr 15/22, 7pm - 9pm

Please pray for smooth meetings, preparation of the hearts of people, relationship among the attendants, relationship between me and my colleagues in the department. Pray that He will lead us in the discussions, and give us wisdom on how to deal with certain approaches. Pray that the campus workers and Christian workers will support and join the discussions to find out more about the issues, and begin to strategize how to serve better in Hikikomori outeach programs.


2. RJC Conference (Feb 17-19) /Hikikomori Workshop by Roseline (Feb 18)
RJC Conference is going to be held in Northshore Baptist Church in Bothell, WA. The theme this year is to build a strong foundation. I am one of the workshop speaker, dealing mainly on hikikomori. The original proposal is talk about the phenomenon of hikikomori. However, looking at the schedule that I may not be able to do this often in coming years, I am praying if this is the time to talk about outreach, and teaching about how Christians can come together in reaching out to the hikikomori. Please pray together with me on this matter.

Also, If you notice, I had pasted two prayer requests written by Don Wright, as a spur to your attention of RJC Conference. Please kindly refer to the RJC site, to pray together with us for the conference. Pray for good networking, and the relationship of trust and honor among the missionaries.


3. IFJ Camp  2011 (Apr 1-3)  - I FOLLOW JESUS
Some of you may have heard me shared about the IFJ Camp that gathers teenagers (mostly middle school to college students) from whole Japan in 2010. The Lord woks in a marvelous way in this camp. Pray that the Lord will prepare his people, to facilitate, to help, to attend the event. The camp will be held in Kansai Bible Institute (KBI) in Ikoma, Nara. I am still praying if I would be able to attend the camp to help. Either way, I couldn't hold myself to share your love to the kids. It is amazing work that the Lord has done. I'm sure your commitments in prayers and support the missions in Japan will encourage them strongly!

Worth to mention, the principle of KBI is also one of the main speaker that will be in RJC. I will meet Ota sensei during the conference in Seattle. As I was almost half paralyzed in KBI in 2009, Ota Sensei took good care of me. KBI is surely a marking stone for my journey in Heart4Japan. Please pray for good fellowship, and good time to catch up with each other.


There are several other things too!!!


5. Seminar by Roseline (Feb 10)
I will be presenting on the seminar with regards to the PhD works that I am planning to do in next two years. Need a lot of wisdoms. To be honest with you, this is very STRESS. ;-) Do remember me in your prayers.

6. Behavioral Medicine Conference in Tokyo Japan (Mar 10 -13)
This is an event organized by our department, and I will be one of the helper. Sometimes I feel alien because my language command is still not good enough to help out more. Do pray that I will learn as much as possible and make good contacts from here.  Again, please pray for the good relationship between me and my colleagues.

7. Visitors from Malaysia/Austria

Boh Yeah/Yang (Mar 8 - 15)
Mom, Sis, Bee Ngee, Fook Keong and Bee Ngee's mom (Mar 13 - 20)

Pray that the visitors will catch the fire and vision and the blessings while they travel in Japan.
Please pray that I will have time to be with family and friends.

Pat (Apr 4 - 22)

Pat was a hikikomori till 2007 and still find himself very hikikomori inside. This is a dream vacation that he had always want to have. Pat will want to spend his time mostly in Akihabara, and to join hikikomori study group, and visit my department. Please pray for good fellowship. We had this bible study online with each other, and chats for more than three years now, but this is the first time to meet each other.  Please continue to pray for him and his salvation, and pray that Pat will experience God's love and acknowledge it in this trip.


Yokun and Ayumi
Finally Yokun is here in Tokyo for another week before he head back to Akita. We will meet up with each other on this coming Friday for the hikikomori study group. I am also expecting another lady, Ayumi, that I met on the flight. Please keep them in your prayers!!!


Love,
Roseline

Study Group ひきこもり勉強会

I am planning a study group for those who has interest with the topic of "The thought of the young people and Hikikomori". The study group will be conducted in Japanese.

We'll have the first meeting on November 30, 2010 to discuss about the interest covered, and possible schedule that fits the speakers and audience. If you are interested, please join us for discussion to the Department of Mental Health, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo University on November 30 (Tuesday), at 7pm-9pm. The session is open to anyone who has an interest to deepen their understanding about hikikomori (social withdrawal + isolation)

Let me know prior to that, so that I can arrange for materials.

Further details please refer to the Japanese version below. God bless!

若者の意識とひきこもりに興味を持ちの皆様、

いつもお世話になっています！これからひきこもり勉強会を始めたいと考えています。
興味をお持ちの方はロザリンまで連絡して下さい。

また、11月30日の夕方に、７：００ｐｍ－９：００ｐｍ、

本郷三丁目東大大学院医学部研究科精神保健　3号館　(懐徳門近く）で

ひきこもり勉強会に興味がある方を集めて、詳細のscheduleを相談したいと思っています。

勉強会の詳細を以下のように考えました。

勉強会の対象、

若者の意識とひきこもりに興味を持ちの皆様　

（学生、研究者、ひきこもり支援している人たち，または本人、親、友達もOKです！）

『テーマ』
ひきこもりの正しい理解と回復へのプロセス

勉強会内容について：
１．ひきこもりWMJHJ世界精神保健調査(日本版)結果　平成２０
2．若者の意識に関する調査(ひきこもりに関する実態調査）概要版　平成２２・2月　(内閣府)
３．ひきこもりと家族背景の関連について　
３. ひきこもりに陥る理由・原因について
４．ひきこもりの回復　ー　現場から学ぶ！

さらに、「恐怖症と不安に関する世界精神保健調査(日本版)結果」も担当の先生にお願いしたいと考えています。

Listen and Wake Up, Church!

The symposium

I went to the symposium with a few colleagues. As I was sitting in the hall today, listening to the testimony and the work that these field workers are sharing, I began to have a deeper understanding of the issues of hikikomori, NEET, mental care in the local Tokyo community. The symposium ran from 10.30am to 6.10pm, with only one hour break in between, attracted around three hundred people at least (the hall was full), young and old, composed of many volunteers with only one hope, that is to see these kids get back on the healthy track again! How lovely if I have Heart4Japan members with me today, that we can pray together after the meeting, and come out with ideas and forming networks in urban poor outreach in future?

Gain and Lost

The symposium was not about academic gain, nor data, but its a gathering of a group of concerned people, hundreds of them... which all presented the feelings and desires of the people who are caught in this route of sickness, whether are they care giver or sufferer. The voices of the parents, and the efforts and theories of the psychiatric social workers, psychiatrists, the latest government policy on mental health care and the function of the mental care association was heard. The forum gives us a picture of what have been done, where were wrong, what were appreciated, and most importantly, what are the limitations! Still, the other Christians workers in the network had shown no interest in this kind of gathering. I could understand what should be made priority, and Sunday services should not be neglected. Yet, without being exposed to the real field, what could we really understand from the pulpit talk? How would we know where shall we start and how should we start?

Before we work, shouldn't we listen?

I am proud for the people who are really in the field, going all out to reach out to people, the poor and sick in spirit, with the little that they have... yet when the Christians are saying that they care, and the church says this is important element, how many care to spend a minute to give an ear to these people who are outside the walls of the church? and I guess if I stay longer in Japan, I can probably understand even more why the Churches are taking a step back rather than a step forward, because we do not know how to reach out, except of putting a "CRUSADE" banner at our forehead! We are so lost when we have to work with the buddhist, the "pagans", we do not know what to do about it, and we decided to run away. AND trust that if God is willing, these people will come to us, and we can use our theologies and knowledge of Christ to speak "life" into them. I don't blame the church nor the Christians,because I myself have very little time and have to "prioritize" too. We are minority, we are just too weak. Yet, seriously, I don't think we are too far from the Pharisees nor the common crowd when Jesus came 2000 years ago. Don't we realize that we have so much more to give while compare to others? We could give HOPE in the Spirit, LOVE of the Father that knows us all, and PEACE that could condense into the deepest bottom of the heart!

Do you not say, ''There are still four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!" John 4:35

The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few... How many people can realize that I can't do this alone, and I'm not called to do this alone. I need people to fill these gaps! If the Lord has called me to the field to see these gaps, as I identified it, and I need to share it, and that's where we will need people on the field! If you are in this group, you are called to PRAY, to GIVE your talents and thoughts and actions to the field! Church, WAKE UP!!! I pray that I would only be His mouth piece, where I need not to be smart myself to share about the needs in the field, it would and it should be His words and His desires that I speak of!

Community Support Symposium - Tokyo, Japan

I'm going to this Community Support Symposium organized by NPO Mental Care Association on June 27 (Sunday). The symposium will be in Japanese, and would touch on a several topics such as supports to the Hikikomoriひきこもり、NEETニート etc.

The meeting will be from 9.30am to 5.45pm. You will probably be able to meet a lot of people who are dealing with hikikomori, including the social workers, psychiatrists, and the family members of hikikomori and there will be a discussion session where people will discuss about how could they start from scratch in providing support to the stated above when they are lack of resources.

This symposium is very much driven to the public. I don't think that this meeting will be much of epidemiology or academic gain, but attending such seminar, we get to know what's going on in the field, and how people are dealing with it. Given the complexity of the phenomenon of Hikikomori and NEET, their experiences would be of much help as we like to start intervention on our own.

Therefore, I'm inviting those who have a Heart4Japan in Tokyo to attend this meeting!

Please log on to this website for more information as well as to download the application letter, or apply on line.

Let's have a H4J prayer meeting together after the event, to ask God of what He had spoken to us through this event, and how could we work hand in hand in order to provide social/community support to the hikikomori and the family members involved! It's time to WORK together, seek Him and the solution shall be given!

メンタルケア協議会

www.npo-jam.org/

Register before June 14 (Monday) to get a 200 yen discount.

Non Members: 2, 500 yen (before event), or 3,000 yen (on the day registration)

Drop me a line if you are attending, so that we can try to sit together, and I can budget a place for our meeting after the symposium! Blessings!

Praying for Hikikomori

I had a quick sharing with Jesus Family in Nishi Osaka last evening, and then a quick visit to Osaka International Church today. The brochures help to explain the situation better when time is limited. The definition is still unclear to many, a simple 20 minutes is just not enough to explain the mechanism of the definitions, and the needs of seeing and holding the definitions right at this stage in order to help the hikikomori. We probably needs 45 minutes in next presentation, 1 hour if we can tie it in with the Words. 

The fear of the link of hikikomori and suicide once again sound an alarm to my heart when a sister cried on my shoulder sharing with me about her brother who had hikikomori for ten years committed suicide last year around this time. By having a firm grip of the emotional state of hikikomori and understanding of the issue, I was able to share her pain and pray with her. Hikikomori is not just an individual problem, the family members suffer together with the individual. Bearing that in mind, when you pray, please not only pray for the hikikomori to come to the light, but the parents and the family members too! There is a huge burden, huge bondage that is with it! This is a spiritual warfare! Do deal with it by WATCHING! It's time to train your spiritual muscle, get yourself ready for the battle!

Prayer guides:

1. The Lord will use every brochures, reaching out to the believers and non-believers, helping them to understand the issue of suicide and hikikomori better, and from there we could start to connect with one another!

2. Speak love into the family that is struggling with hikikomori. We don't know who has a problem until one tells, but pray for sensitiveness and discernment. 

3.  Speak love into this community, and break the bondage of evil one in Jesus' name.

4. Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the hikikomori and bring them to Light and Hope.

5. Pray that the Holy Spirit will preserve the heart of the hikikomori.

6. Pray that the Holy Spirit will preserve the heart of the family members, strengthen them, lift up their burdens. 

8. Pray for understanding in the community, and true love to be prevail!

9. Pray for the provision of the funds to the printing cost that needs to be settled by May, JPY75,000!

The アルバイト Arubaito Experience

The アルバイト experience was ....... 楽しかったreally fun! 疲れましたreally tired.

I was told that my first day working with them was 『特別忙しい』(unusually busy) and my second day was『特別暇』(unusually free). However I tried quite a lot of different things as well... eg. making hamburger, washing dishes, cutting and preparing, arranging お弁当obento, looking after the shop, packing.

I remember when I was asked to serve water to the customer, I was so panic...... I didn't know what to say to the customer, I didn't know much about the food, the number of the tables, I wasn't sure about the price, I didn't really understand what they want, I was just freaking out! 

What I felt at that moment? 『やぱい，逃げる欲しい。』(Dangerous, I just wanted to run away!) When a customer comes in, everyone from the front to the back will shout, 『いらっしゃいませ Welcome！』 and when a customer goes out, everyone from the front to the back will shout, 『ありがとうございます Thank you！』 it just seemed so impossible for me to shout with such confidence voice 私に絶対無理と思う。I felt strange. 

It's not about being shameful or embarrassed, it was just not feeling "comfortable" at doing so. And because it is not "comfortable", I preferred not to do so. "Comfortable" become the keyword of this situation, 『行けるとか行けないとか CAN or CANNOT』. 

Perhaps the feeling of hikikomori people is not much different from that experience: 『無理、絶対無理！行けない！』Probably feeling strange, feeling uncomfortable are the key emotions that they have. If that's true, then we will feed "feeling strange" with "understanding", and "feeling uncomfortable" with "encouragement/embracing love"?

Hope that this will challenge us to think alternatively.

隱蔽青年現象篇

現象篇（1）無力面對這些隱蔽的故事當中，似乎沒有一個直接構成他們隱蔽的理由，但是卻無可否認的每一個案件的背後都存在著一個狀況。有些人是畢業以後找不到工作，有些覺得自己趕不上時代，有些覺得自己欠缺溝通能力。在這群人中有一個相似點，那就是挫敗感。現實社會對選擇了隱蔽生活的年輕人來說，彷如一個無止休的戰場，每一分每一秒，他們都必須弓背豎毛隨時備戰，或是工作上的競爭，或是從人而來的索求。人際關係變得很累，隱蔽宛如就是從戰場上撤退的變身。详文请看 http://www.heart4japan.net/forum/index.php?topic=11.0

Mushi 無視

In the observation of Hattori Yuichi 服部雄一, some clients reported emotional abuse by their parents, particularly shunning or ignoring the child, which is called "mushi" 無視　in Japan. 

He further described the case of "mushi無視" probably being a mother refused to talk to a child from a few hours to several days or weeks. The mother will not tells the child the reason for her behavior and never responds if the child asks for an explanation. And this emotion neglect had left pain and wounds in these children, thus perhaps as the trauma experience hidden within a hikikomori patient. 

Yuichi defines Hikikomori as a disease, a post-trauma event.

Well, the findings does not support if a Hikikomori is a post-trauma event at all, but the association of "mushi無視" with "emotional trauma" experience.

"mushi無視" is definitely not a pleasant experience. I'm not sure if it only happens in Japan, but I guess Asian females share this commonality in "purposely neglecting one's request in silence".  Perhaps you can tell me more!

Re: Yuichi Hattori. Social Withdrawal in Japanese Youth: A Case Study of Thirty-Five Hikikomori Clients. 2005 Haworth Press.

Pain

What happened on April 16 in Virginia Tech laid a heavy burden in my heart, not only because the cruelness of massacre, and the looseness in gun control. But the characteristics of Seung-hui which so much alike to my research: Hikikomori, social isolation, ijime (school bullying).

Cho was described as a loner, shy, one who never speaks, someone seemed to be in a total social isolation.

His twisted remarks in his video clips that was sent to the TV channel, about him being forced into a corner, attention seeking, somehow when it came into my ears, had so much resemblance of a Hikikomori person. His final remarks on he was giving a chance to die as Jesus, and his mentioned about the pain and sufferings and humiliations that he had been put to in trying to associate himself with Jesus, was like a sharp blade, cut through me, leaving a bitter wound in my heart.

Cho Seung-hui might had somehow in some point of his time, had heard about Jesus. He might had read about bible, or he might had seen a Jesus film. We need not to explain about Christianity here much deeper, as I presume all who are reading this blog are mature Christians, people who are on fire for Christ. We know how twisted the remarks were, and how sad it was for someone to loose the grip of truth.

What was leaving behind is not only about the pain of loosing 32 in the campus, and the bereaved; but the pain of an ignored twisted soul that had killed himself and left such pain in the community. The twisted mind is a torment itself. Are there more of these kind?

It is often easy for us to reach out to an adorable person, to disciple a mature Christian, to spark up one's life, encouraging each other, to pursue the Kingdom of God. And that is often what a practical campus ministry means. We do not waste our time on unfruitful land.

How many times we look at the drop outs? Those who being bullied, those who are not success in anything in their lives? School failures? Exam failures? Are we extending our hands?

I'm sorry if I seems like grumbling, the incident just brought too much pain to me as it reminded me about the Kobe Killer in 1997, the bus hijacker, the slashing and so much more... There are many ought to be done ------ but not done.


As for the incident in VT, we see New Life Christian Fellowship had came in actively to help the students to forgive and move on in faith. Tremendous effort! But yet, there are many who are not ready to that.

Leaving these aside, are we ready to reach out to the people around us who do not fit in to the circle that we are in? I had one dorm mate who had been forced to leave this March, and I barely knew her because of her isolation, I did nothing to reach out to her, except for a "hi" and "bye" while we met at the corridor. I could have done more. God is watching us, there is no accident in all incidents. May God has mercy on us!

some upates in March

I had started to work on the interviews on Hikikomori. The Lord had moved in such a way that my professor had given me a free hand to approach the question in a qualitative method, where it allows me to explore freely among nations. This is rather interesting, but a lot of work and critical thinking and careful approaches are needed. Since I am aiming to publish the paper at the end of research, please pray for wisdom and open doors, and determination.

The Lord had shown me a handful of contacts that have a heart for Japan. We will need to bring this back to the Lord and see what He had installed for us. If He had called us together, what are the things that He wants us to do at this moment is crucial. It should not be what I want, or how they could fit in to H4J ministry, but rather what God wants us to know and to do while channeling us together.

I wish to have a mentor, a teacher that could guide me through the whole journey. Thanks to some of you had actually write to me or call me to encourage me and share with me what God had been spoken to you, giving me ideas of strategies, and reminding me to put God first in all things that I do. Very helpful, thank you!!!

Hikikomori, Individualism and Christianity ?

I am reading this book, "Shutting Out The Sun", by Michael Zielenziger. I don't really agree with all that he says, but here is one interesting quotation from the book.

~~~While young Japanese glean superficial images of what they believe to be "individualism" from the Western movies and TV shows they watch, they don't grasp the deeper Western sense of individual responsibility that accompanies such freedom, Kawai told me. "Their appreciation of individualism remains quite shallow," he said. "In your country, individualism is at first really based on Christianity. Even though you do what you like, you never forget about your God. God is looking down, like an ego, judging you. But in Japan, there is no God but ie," and no one to judge but the group. "Westerner have a long history of becoming individuals, and you have established how to create relations with others. But we don't share that experience in Japan... I often think that our challenge now as Japanese is to come up with a new way to become individuals without relying on Christianity." ~~ the comment was made by Hayao Kawai (Clinical Psychologist) -pg 69-70.

Matthias thinks that individualism can as well lead to very ugly things (as seen as well in the west) and he doubts that people in the west these days have, generally speaking, a great sense of "god who is looking down"......

Joe O. thinks that "individualism" is more of a philosophy of the French Enlightenment or maybe Greek philosophy.

All these are interesting points. However, reading the comment of Kawai, I was excited somehow. Wouldn't people be curious to know more about Christianity rather than seeing it from afar in such shallowness? Why didn't Kawai think that the Japanese can rely on Christianity too? ......

I know this is hard...... It is difficult to tell the Japanese to embrace Christianity, when the believe prohibits them to Matsuri, shrines and temples that had been heavily as a part of their lives.

I pray that God will reveal to them the Good News! Pray for wisdom to those who are ploughing on His field. Pray that they will be able to speak life into their neighbours' hearts. Blessed are those who poor in spirit. Mat5:3

Behind the Stone Walls

Cited from Michael Zielenziger, "Frustrated and disaffected, many young Japanese just abandon their homeland. Hundreds of thousands of others wander like nomads outside the rigid traditional system, refusing to work, go to school, or accept job training. Even more disturbing -- perhaps most disturbing -- is the cadre of more than one million young adults, the majority of the men, who literally shut themselves away from the sun, closing their blinds, taping shut their windows, and refusing to leave the bedroom in their homes for months or years at a time. Thus the anguish the Imperial Family discreetly confronts behind stone palace walls reflects a crisis now being visited on the wider family of Japan. "

"Frustrated and disaffected, many young Japanese just abandon their homeland. Hundreds of thousands of others wander like nomads outside the rigid traditional system, refusing to work, go to school, or accept job training." I supposed these are those who hang out in Harajuku, Shibuya and Kabuki-Cho. I am sure that there are similar people in other cities. But I would like to know are these also the kind of people that will eventually be absorbed into the Yakuza circle?

"more than one million young adults, the majority of the men, who literally shut themselves away from the sun, closing their blinds, taping shut their windows, and refusing to leave the bedroom in their homes for months or years at a time. " I believe these are the Hikikomori people that we are into much discussions these days. My professor was suggesting me to interview some of these people. Seeing an example from Michael, perhaps it is telling me that I could probably do the same here in Hong Kong.

Interestingly, Michael was using the parallel of the Imperial Family here. This will help us to develop a lot of thoughts......

Ijime and Japan

Reading about Ijime, history of churches, questions on the truth of the bible, the practice of people, I began to ask a question. Must there be a reason for all things to happen?

An ex-adolescent Ijime commented on Ijime, "School leaders refuses to talk about it with te districts because they don't want to get bad ratings. Teachers don't want to discuss it with parents because they're afraid of being accused. Classmates don't defend their friends because they're afraid of also being marginalized. It's a vicious circle. "

For the above statement, I would like to recommend you to watch this movie, "All About Lily-Chow" Lily Chu-u no subete. I think it depicts a very good scene on this.


Finally, does Ijime only happen in Japan? Is it a unique culture? Have you ever been in this situation? Please share with us.