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I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"anm\"ala dig till binance","url":"https:\/\/www.binance.com\/register?ref=IHJUI7TF"}},{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/asia\/japans-handsome-weeping-boys-sheep-boys-and-lonely-death-cleaners\/#Comment2","dateCreated":"2026-04-15 09:40:09","description":"I don't think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article. https:\/\/www.binance.info\/register?ref=JW3W4Y3A","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"binance konto skapande","url":"https:\/\/accounts.binance.info\/register-person?ref=QCGZMHR6"}}],"about":["Asia","Health & Wellness"],"wordCount":1575,"articleBody":"Working from home and the lack of social gathering due to the Covid-19 pandemic have left the people in Japan extremely lonely. On 12 Feb this year (2021), Japan\u2019s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga appointed Tetsushi Sakamoto as the Minister of Loneliness to combat the issue of isolation. But loneliness has become a systemic problem in the fast-aging country and kodokushi or dying alone is a growing problem.\ufeffFrom tears and sleepless nights to death, the Japanese people have come up with services which serve the needs of the lonely – and their families – and these range from bizarre to gruesome.\u00a0Women pay for companionship to combat loneliness\u201cThose who want to cry, those who are in trouble because they cannot cry, those who are stressed, and those who are tired of life.\u201dThat describes the service crying cafe Tears and Travel Cafe Akane in Tokyo. It is where people come to have a good cry while coffee is being served. Customers have the option to go for a manicure afterwards.\u00a0In a study done on cultures and crying in 2011, it was concluded that out of the 37 different populations researched, the Japanese have some of the driest eyes and are the least likely to cry.\u00a0Traditionally the Japanese are taught to internalise gaman – persevering under pressure and enduring hardship to maintain dignity, resulting in generations of Japanese not being able to process grief or loneliness. Handsome Weeping Boy stirring up the emotions of his clients by singing heartfelt songs. (Photo source: The Atlantic)The Handsome Weeping Boy must be able to cry easily and comfortably in order to be a role model for his clients. (Photo source: The Atlantic)But not everyone will make her way to a cafe just to cry, so to provide a safe space for tears to flow, Hiroki Terai started offering ‘rui-katsu’ or ‘tear seeking\u2019.How this works is that ikemeso danshi, also known as Handsome Weeping Boys, will be sent to places such as corporate offices where a group can gather to intentionally relieve themselves by crying.\ufeffEmotional films where the main character suffers terminal illness or a pet dying, are shown to help clients turn on the waterworks. Other methods include sad letters and beautiful scenery.\u00a0Handsome Weeping Boys sent for these sessions are called ikemeso takkyubin or tear courier, and they have learned to cry comfortably in hopes of the other people in the room following suit.\u00a0Handsome Weeping Boys wipe away tears with a handkerchief after an emotional session. (Photo source: BBC)At the end of the session, the tear couriers circulate the room and wipe away tears on the faces with a handkerchief before handing out dry patches.\u00a0There is even a tears teacher, called namida-sensei, who conducts workshops at offices, hospitals and elementary schools to teach Japanese the art and skill of crying.\u00a0\u00a0Since coming into this profession in 2013, namida-sensei Hidefumi Yoshida claims he has helped more than 50,000 Japanese get in touch and deal with their inner pain.This is partially due to the increase in burnout compensation claims in 2015. Japanese are known to work extremely hard and long hours that a word, karoshi — which means working yourself to death — has been created. Companies have been told to regularly monitor their employees\u2019 stress levels to ensure their well-being.\u00a0Filmmaker No\u00e9mie Nakai, who documented Yoshida\u2019s work, commented on the reason the nuances of Japan\u2019s culture gave rise to such need.\u00a0\u201cHolding in tears is seen as a virtue. Yoshida\u2019s crying therapy offers a safe space for people to let it all out, without the fear of cultural stigma,\u201d she says.\u201c[What he does] is fun and wacky, but in Japan where many people feel they can\u2019t be vulnerable; I believe he\u2019s spreading an important message about mental health,\u201d she adds.Women pay for good-looking Japanese men to cuddle them in bed and count sheep until they fall asleep. (Photo source: VICE Asia\/Youtube)Another societal trend is the increasing independence of working Japanese women, who refuse to get involved in romantic relationships.\u00a0These Japanese women when lonely, and looking for the \u2018boyfriend experience\u2019, often engage Sheep Boys to keep them company. These good-looking men will show up in pajamas and come over strictly for cuddling only, and count sheep until the clients fall asleep.\u00a0Deborah Shamoon, Associate Professor for Japanese Studies at the National University of Singapore, says \u201cit\u2019s not that surprising that as women become more financially and emotionally independent, that they pay for these kinds of emotional services\u201d. She also says that the more specialised jobs like Sheep Boys \u201cseem to be only in Tokyo, where there is a large population of single working women with disposable income and emotional needs they feel are unmet by social relationships\u201d.\u00a0\ufeffDr Shamoon explains that is because sometimes the Japanese seek \u2018iyashi\u2019, or healing. \u201cThere are so many products and services today in Japan that promote iyashi, as people seek various forms of self-care,\u201d she says.\u00a0And since \u201cwomen and men broadly speaking have different tastes, it\u2019s also not surprising that the services offered cater to those tastes\u201d, Dr Shamoon says to the question on the provision of Handsome Weeping Boys and Sheep Boys services.\u00a0 She describes the services as a form of \u201cemotional labour\u201d.\u00a0Women can pay to hang out with male hosts at clubs, buying them drinks and being entertained by these men all night. (Photo source: VICE Asia\/Youtube)\u201cHandsome Weeping Boys and Sheep Boys are adjacent to sex work,\u201d Dr Shamoon says. \u201cIn Japan, sex work is called mizu shobai, which encompasses more than just prostitution. Hostesses provide emotional labour, as much as or even sometimes more than the physical. Female hostesses give male customers the attention and emotional decompression the men can\u2019t or don\u2019t want to get from their wives, as well as space for male bonding.\u201dTherefore since \u201chostessing work is long-standing and socially accepted in Japan,\u201d Dr Shamoon says it is expected that emotional healing services catered to women have evolved.\u00a0The rise of \u2018lonely deaths\u2019 in JapanWhile death cleaners are not uncommon around the world, the job in Japan is primarily to clean up the homes of \u2018lonely deaths\u2019, called kodokushi.\u00a0In 2015, it was found that about one-third of Japanese households only have one person. It is predicted that by 2035, 40% of Japanese households will consist of a person living alone.The trend can be attributed to an increasingly aging population and the number of elderly living by themselves. In addition, higher divorce rates and more singles remaining unmarried means more Japanese are living alone.Kodokushi or \u2018lonely death\u2019 cleaners clear the home of rubbish and reinstate the house to its original condition for the new occupant. (Photo source: The Asahi Shimbun)These kodokushi cleaners are usually called in by landlords or family members after the body has been discovered weeks or even months later. Oftentimes, the homes the kodokushi cleaners clear are cluttered with hoarded items. (Photo source: The Asahi Shimbun)These homes are usually hoarded with rubbish and the kodokushi cleaners\u2019 job is to discard the unwanted items and pack the valuable ones for the families. They have to also reinstate the homes to their original condition as much as possible. Bodily fluids, fats and blood may be found congealed on the floor if a dead body is found only weeks later, giving off noxious smells. (Photo source: RT Documentary)At times, fats and bodily fluids would be found congealed on the floor where the deceased lie. That is why kodokushi cleaners wear hazmat suits for a job that may take up to a day to complete.\u00a0With the onset of the pandemic, the duration in which these lonely deaths are discovered have become even longer.Usually joss sticks are burnt at the door or a short prayer uttered before the kodokushi cleaners step into the home to begin their job. (Photo source: The Asahi Shimbun)There is also a ritual to pay respects to the dead before the kodokushi cleaners begin their arduous process. Joss sticks are burnt at the door and the cleaners say a short prayer or a few words before stepping into the homes.\u00a0More often than not, the cleaners will also hold a prayer service before disposing of the belongings as they believe possessions such as dolls can hold one\u2019s soul and cannot be discarded casually.To chronicle the unique job experience, kodokushi cleaners sometimes create \u2018dioramas of death\u2019, which are miniature replicas of the home they have cleaned. (Photo source: The Guardian)In an effort to chronicle the unique job experience or to share what this social problem is about, some cleaners have created \u2018dioramas of death\u2019, which are miniature replicas of the home they have cleaned. Actual scenes from the death homes cleaned are recreated in the dioramas. (Photo source: The Guardian)The integrity of the homes are maintained in these dioramas. Every detail, from the piles of unwashed clothes to the blood that overflowed from the bathtub, are recreated.\u00a0In a country where the emphasis on dignified social appearances meet the exacerbation of loneliness, cultural norms are being broken and gradually, the Japanese seek out ways to fulfil their needs. Each society develops according to the make-up of its population, and Japan seems to constantly innovate in meeting the needs of modern times.\u00a0Join the conversations on TheHomeGround Asia’s Facebook and Instagram, and get the latest updates via Telegram.\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Asia","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/asia\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Japan’s Handsome Weeping Boys, Sheep Boys and Lonely Death Cleaners","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/asia\/japans-handsome-weeping-boys-sheep-boys-and-lonely-death-cleaners\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]