Japan’s hikikomori go on a pilgrimage of self-discovery to find their way back into the world

In his early teens, Saito was wracked by what he describes as “self-loathing” and spent all his time locked in his room playing computer games. Elsewhere, Kenta Yamaguchi, 28, developed depression in junior high school and stayed at home for a decade.

Y, another 28-year-old who declines to be identified, dropped out of university in his final year and “lost confidence”.

All three young people are among Japan’s estimated 1.46 million hikikomori, or social recluses, who have locked themselves away from a society that they found too stressful.

But in an echo of the ancient saying “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”, all three have made strides in rebuilding their lives through an innovative project dedicated to helping hikikomori reintegrate into society by following in the footsteps of ancient pilgrims.

Saito, Yamaguchi and Y are members of the Chiba-based NPO New Start and have all completed the Shikoku Pilgrimage, a 1,200km circumnavigation of the island of Shikoku that takes in 88 historic temples and other sites linked to the famous travelling monk Kukai around 1,200 years ago.

And all say the experience has changed them.