Imagine waking up one day to find someone you love has simply disappeared. In an era where people are done with the struggles of life, choosing solo vacations or micro-retirements is quite common. People want to escape from worldly pressures for a bit and live in a safe space. But Japan, as always, is a step ahead. The Japanese people are choosing to ‘vanish’ leaving behind their jobs and families. Confused? Let’s talk about the scary phenomenon trending in Japan: Johatsu.
“Johatsu” is a Japanese term meaning ‘evaporation’. In this case, Johatsu, meaning evaporated people, refers to a mysterious phenomenon under which people disappear from their former lives without leaving any trace. The term began to be used in the nation during the 1960s. Since then, every year, around a hundred thousand Japanese people have chosen the path of Johatsu. It is often pursued by those struggling with serious life problems involving societal stigma associated with divorces, depression, and financial difficulties. When vanishing from societal expectations, judgments, and pressures seems the only way out, that’s when people choose to become Johatsu.
In Japan, privacy is highly valued, which helps those who become Johatsu to hide effectively. For this, special companies have come up, called ‘night movers’. These night moving companies, also known as yonige-ya, offer discreet services to help individuals disappear from their lives in the most secretive manner. They operate during the nighttime to ensure people can escape easily and start their life anew with their new identities. They ensure their clients do not have to worry about being followed through CCTVs or other technologies. The night movers even claim that nearly 90% of his clients are women looking to escape abusive relationships, domestic violence, and emotional harassment. The cost of hiring night movers can vary from $450 to $2,500 depending on your requirements. Even the police do not intervene in the Johatsu phenomenon unless there is a case of crime or accident. Johatsu thus helps people cut off from their old lives and start their lives afresh marked by anonymity.
Living anonymously gives them a chance to escape their previous lives, blend into their new surroundings, and avoid being discovered. The chilling reality of the unsettling phenomenon called ‘Johatsu’ serves as a haunting reminder of how easily lives can be erased. Just imagine the terrifying lengths to which people may go to escape their pain.
