General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Americans are the loneliest, most isolated people [View all]Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)Heck, there are several individuals in my apartment house who never even open the storm shutter that always covers their one window to the world. And while people in long-established neighborhoods do tend to know each other, people who move to so-called "new towns" that are usually built around commuter train lines, often are isolated if they do not have any kids in school. And single people in apartment houses will often go out of their way to avoid meeting each other.
And while Japanese families may remain "intact" at a higher proportion than American families, there is a very common Japanese phenomenon called "kateinai bekkyo" 家庭内別居 in which a husband and wife may live under the same roof, but they rarely, if ever, interact with one another.