Digital condition and the pandemic in Japan

Abstract

The digital condition has been part of the Japanese scene since long before the current pandemic. Some precautions suggested to deal with COVID-19 contamination were already part of Japanese daily life, such as the use of masks, restricted physical, and the intense use of screens. Even the voluntary cloister was initially named in Japan as hikikomori, although it exists in various parts of the world. The aim of this article is to ask how the longevity of these unique conditions and ways to deal with the relationship between body and technology, make Japanese culture a reference to think how we have never been so digital. It applies even having already immersed ourselves in unusual processes of creation, such as holographic idols, digital artistic experiences and even transdimensional love stories. The methodology used combines bibliographical discussion and several field studies conducted in Japan, the latter ones especially from 1995 to 2018. The research result points out the need to understand the singularities of Japanese culture beyond usual stereotypes.