What a treasure and insightful piece I stumbled upon this morning. You have a unique perspective from your unique life experience but you are obviously very observant about a big topic that humans are grappling with. What society advocates for is often for its own goal, its preservation and the rapid development of its economies at the expense of fundamental human values that connect us and give us purpose. Societies are focused on rapid growth for their own sake whereas humans care more about the value they create and their day to day individual psychological experience.

The most optimist viewpoint I've heard that I tend to agree with is that our desire for connection will grow side by side with the growth of technology and our own isolation.

I think with Japan, the dominant culture projects the idea that your own mental health is your own responsibility. So, as a way to not burden others, and not disappoint family members by acknowledging that they are struggling, many that need extra support, retreat into themselves and a state of hikikomori rather than ask for help. This isolation breeds more isolation as everyone wears a mask to hide their suffering and so it not very visible except for the extreme cases and this leads to there not being many established avenues available for getting support.