Photo/Illutration A pencase handcrafted by Yurina (Koichi Furuya)

I saw a small beige pen case for sale made of banana stem fiber that was gentle to the touch.

A 24-year-old woman named Yurina had handcrafted it, and she looked surprised when I told her I wanted to buy it.

“This is the first time for me to see my work being bought by someone,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

I visited a house in a residential area of the city of Nagano last month. Called “Manabiya Mebuki,” the place serves as a school of sorts that supports young people who are struggling with social anxiety disorder.

Causes of the condition vary from dire poverty to parental neglect and developmental disorders. People who come to the house have a history of truancy and social withdrawal.

“I wanted to create a place where everyone can start over as many times as they need and be able to reassure one another that it’s OK," said Sachiko Nagai, 45, the director.

A “shikishi” poster hanging on a wall bore the Japanese word “daijobu” (It’s OK) in large print.

As the institution receives corporate funding, attendance is free. On the day I visited, a few young people were engaged in cooking and crafting.

Today, the number of truant elementary and junior high school students around the nation is at an all-time high of 240,000.

When these youngsters go beyond school age, how will they fare as independent members of society? Nagai’s hope is to be a bridge for them.

There are many unsuccessful cases, however, which is only to be expected. Some “graduates” revert to social withdrawal, while others fail to stay at jobs to which they were referred. There is also no end to cash-flow problems.

Yurina looked a bit abashed as she told me, “I’m ‘dame’ (beyond hope) at relating to people. When I’m dame, I am utterly dame.”

Her triple repetition of dame stuck in my mind.

I still carry her pen case in my bag. When I hold it in my hand, I sometimes want to whisper, “daijobu.”

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 19

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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