Glad you posted this. I found the article from November to be quite moving. As someone who knows precious little about Japanese culture, it surprises me that someone would die alone - and then sit alone for a long time before discovery. I had always heard Japan was a very collectivist society. Does that play into this?
My opinion as a Westerner who has spent a lot of time in Japan: as in any crowded place, a key coping skill is the ability to ignore people who are in close proximity to you. When you’re riding on a train with people crammed up against every square inch of your body, you kind of zone out, avoid eye contact, and definitely don’t strike up a conversation. I get the strong sense that people who are alone can go though life with very few meaningful interactions, even with neighbors who live only a few centimeters away (note that the apartment in the story is 200 square feet, I’d bet that a lot of American homes have bathrooms bigger than that).
Being collectivist means not taking up unnecessary psychic space in the lives of others.
A collectivist society doesn't necessarily mean a supportive community. Part of being part of a collective means trying not to cause problems for the whole, even if it means some self-sacrifice on your part.
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Burdens also get left behind.