The very rich popular Japanese culture has a lot to offer that it is quite a world in itself. Just like with the 'fanboy' or 'fangirl' culture going on worldwide, with generations of people that are obsessed with comics, Japan is not the exception with the thousands and thousands of self-appointed 'otakus' in every country.While we know that 'otaku' is not precisely a good term to define yourself ('otaku' actually means someone who glorifies being at home and not going out anywhere, which is a despective term in Japan), other terms have surfaced to define alternative 'sub-cultures'.
What these 'sub-cultures' or 'urban tribes', have all in common is that they all reject the so-called 'normal' way of doing things.
In this world, we are expected to graduate high-school, get the best grades enough to go to a top college, graduate with some experience so you can find a job, escalate the corporate ladder, get married, have kids, have a lot of money at the end to buy Real Estate, etc.
With the current financial crisis and the constant increasing and asfixiating competitiveness in employment spots have made all these ideals almost unachievable, except for a 'cream of the crop' who actually manage to do it.
But what about the rest? What about those who feel they aren't good enough for this money-hungry-obsessed-my-dick-is-bigger-than-yours world? Thus, aside from otakus, we have neets, fujoshis, hikikomoris, and the sort. This phenomena is not exclusive to Japan, but the use of these terms have spread worldwide.
For example, NEET was originally a term used in the UK by the government to denominate those who are "Not in Education, Employment or Training". Of course, this means people between 16 and 34 years of age who don't study, and don't work, they are maintained by welfare or live off their parents, while they dedicate to 'unproductive' activities, such as surfing on the web all day, playing videogames, reading comics, watching TV, anime, etc, and it is casually linked to the 'hikikomori' phenomena.
