UCLA
Center for East Asian Studies
Japanese Youth and Popular Culture
April 24, 2000
Nikkei Weekly || Japanese Youth Culture || News File Index
Youths Search for Personal Touch
They turn to devices, services that offer chance to connect with othersBy Staff Writers
A peek at the plethora of photo stickers and cellular-phone numbers in the possession of Japanese youths today suggests what's often been said about them: They have multitudes of casual friends and acquaintances but very few close one-on-one relationships.
But this is beginning to change, some observers say, with young adults increasingly seeking communication. One area especially reflecting this shift is the explosion in hand-held devices and pager software, which enables real-time chats between individuals. America Online Japan Inc. has seen more than 100,000 people download its pager software since it made it available to nonmembers last autumn. One female office worker, 24, who frequently engages in pager exchanges says she finds it easier to discuss her personal problems with one person.
More money is also being spent on charges related to use of communication devices. Such expenditures for people under age 35 who live alone have been rising every year, says the Management and Coordination Agency, and the second half of 1999 marked the first time that monthly expenditures for women exceeded 10,000 yen ( 96).
Drive for connection
The drive for connection is also seen in homes, with an increased interest in shared rentals, and on the street, in pairs on motorbikes. A survey by a motorbike association found that 70% of teens reported they had ridden in the passenger's seat in the past three years, compared with some 40% of respondents in their 20s who said the same, and less than 30% for those age 30 and older. Many of the respondents said they enjoy riding paired because they chat and feel close to the other, the survey said.
Connection indulgences are also occurring at at least one hairdresser. "Customers want me to devote all my attention to them while they're here," says Masa Kubouchi, 31, who operates the #401 salon in Tokyo's fashionable Hiroo district. He single-handedly provides all services from shampoos to blow-dry, spending around two or three hours on one customer. At that rate, with about 200 customers, he can see only three or four a day. But he has no plans to hire an assistant because his clients come in part to enjoy the leisurely company, he says.
The information age has been a catalyst in the shift, says a researcher in Hakuhodo Inc.'s research unit. Young people have been seeking a large number of acquaintances to exchange information and keep abreast of society's news and developments, resulting in friendships based on information exchange rather than intimacy. Now, with a vast amount of information easily available, people do not know what to believe in and are searching for one-on-one bonds, the researcher reckons.
