Discover Top Posts Tagged with #ohitorisama

Ohitorisama (Ep 1)

#ohitorisama #party of one #mizuki alisa #alisa mizuki #japanese drama #j drama #jdrama #dorama #japan #asian drama #the tale of genji #murasaki shikibu

It’s not just Japan that is undergoing the kind of societal changes that have contributed to ohitorisama (party of one). As birth rates slump, marriage ages climb and populations age, many nations are seeing a rise in those leading single lives. Euromonitor International, an independent London-based market research company, released a study last year that estimates a record 128% growth in single-person households worldwide between 2000 and 2030. “A ‘super solo society’, characterised by young people who never get married and the elderly who become single again after being widowed, will be the future of all countries, not only Japan,” says Arakawa. “It is no longer practical to focus a business solely on families.”

Bryan Lufkin, ‘The rise of Japan's 'super solo' culture’, BBC

#BBC #Bryan Lufkin #Japan #societal changes #ohitorisama #birth rate #marriage age #population ageing #Euromonitor International #single-person households #super solo society #Kazuhisa Arakawa #marketing

Me, feeling hope for my friendless existence:

#actually me #ohitorisama #party of one #me embracing the solo concert experience

Ohitorisama (Ep 6)

"The person I loved, no longer exist."

I had similar experience in early 2020 when Covid-19 started to make our lives miserable, the same year I lost my job and fiancée. I lost confidence in myself, questioning my self-worth and asking why I'm not good enough for her and my job.

I thought I wasn't worthy of love and life. I thought everything was wasted, everything I worked so hard to build just disappears. I suffered mental health issues that pushed me to therapy. It took me three years to recover while I work various part time jobs.

I used to be afraid of what people say, like "Look at this guy, he's got a degree but he's working delivering food! Must be useless!" Now I no longer care, because I realized my worth is not dependent on my qualifications and job. It's who I am as a person.

So it's quite liberating. Then I start to love myself slowly instead of hating myself. I started this blog to share the things I love that make me happy. Now 2024, I'm still struggling and it seems that it gets harder every year but I think I'm doing okay.

A elderly man I met at my part time job told me, "Don't be the man she left you for, be the man she fell for." Then I realized, I first met her when I was a student. I didn't have a degree yet and I didn't have a "proper" job but I had confidence and hope.

Even though I had "nothing" but I had hope that things will work out fine. I believed that I can take whatever life throws at me. It's when I gave up on hope and give in to despair, that I feel I couldn't do anything, despite having a degree and work experience.

That's why she left me, because she doesn't want to be with someone who can't "see" the future. That's why employers didn't hire me, because they don't want someone with no sense of direction who will burnout easily. It was me all along.

#ohitorisama #party of one #wakana sakai #sakai wakana #kondo koen #koen kondo #japanese drama #j drama #jdrama #dorama #japan #asian drama #life #adult life #work life

Ohitorisama (Ep 4)

We're afraid of change because we're afraid of losing ourselves.

#ohitorisama #party of one #teppei koike #koike teppei #japanese drama #j drama #jdrama #dorama #japan #asian drama #life #change

A Long Weekend, Solo and Content

The three-day weekend flew by in what felt like an instant.

I caught up on housework that had been piling up, visited a friend in Nara, watched a Japanese film I’d been curious about (*愚か者の身分*), and before I knew it, the weekend was over.

Why do holidays seem to move at twice the speed of workdays? 🤔

I’m at an age where most of my friends are married and busy raising children. I’m single, and currently not seeing anyone. That means there aren’t many friends available to meet on weekends, and I often spend my days off alone.

And yet, I don’t feel lonely.I think that’s because in Japan, we even have phrases like “ohitorisama culture” (the culture of enjoying activities alone) and “single aristocrat.”

There are countless cafes, restaurants, and events designed for people to comfortably enjoy by themselves.Perhaps this kind of environment contributes to Japan’s declining birthrate — which is certainly a complex issue — but I’m grateful to live in a society where being single can be enjoyed without explanation.