Turning Japanese

What the hikikomori phenomenon tells us about today's crisis of masculinity

If you’ve been hanging around some of the wrong places on the internet, you may already know what a hikikomori is. If you’re guessing and you say “something weird or unpleasant from Japan,” you’re on the right track—well done.

A hikikomori is an extreme social recluse, someone—usually a man—who withdraws from normal life, stays at home all day, and waste…