[Japanese Side] "Weighing 40kg... Can't Die Like This" 28-Year-Old NEET Who Became CEO Starting with 27 Million Won

Story of Tenmetsusha Publisher CEO Yara Asaya
Failed Social Adaptation Sparks Ideas in Used Bookstore

The terms 'hikikomori,' meaning a reclusive shut-in, and 'NEET,' referring to unemployed youth with no intention of seeking work, are used more frequently in Japan than in Korea. This week, the Asahi Shimbun reported a success story of a 28-year-old unemployed young man who had never engaged in social life but went on to establish a publishing company. His growth, overcoming his complexes and pain, moved many people.

How can we overcome the pains we experience in life in a remarkable way? Today, we introduce the story of a young man who can serve as a role model, Mr. Yara Asaya.

The only photo of Yara Asaya herself publicly shared on social networking service (SNS). (Photo by Yara Asaya SNS)

In an interview with Asahi on the 8th, Mr. Yara recalled that his childhood was spent unable to get along well with others. He stuttered from a young age, and it worsened when he was nervous, so from middle school onward, he was afraid to talk to people.

Even when he introduced himself after entering university, he couldn’t speak properly and was mocked by those around him with comments like "I don’t understand what you’re saying" and "You seem like an alien." He didn’t join any clubs or make friends, often eating his lunch alone in the school bathroom or on the stairs. Even when he tried part-time jobs, he couldn’t accept his boss’s instructions and was scolded, finding it difficult to adapt anywhere. Eventually, he submitted a leave of absence from university.

Mr. Yara said, "At that time, my classmates dressed in suits for job hunting were walking around the campus. I cried in my room, wondering why I couldn’t be normal," and shared, "I thought I wouldn’t be able to live if I went out into society like this."

Wanting to change his environment and start anew, he moved into a share house in Tokyo and started a board game caf? with a partner, but due to conflicts, he had to leave after about a year. After that, he even failed part-time job interviews and entered a dark period in his life.

His monthly calendar had nothing but appointments to visit a psychiatrist, and his income depended on the money he had barely saved and support from his parents. Eating only one meal a day at minimum, his weight dropped to about 40 kg, and at night, he wandered aimlessly until dawn before falling asleep. He also continued self-harm, including overdosing on medication.

After living this way for nearly four years, in March last year, while staring at a razor blade, he suddenly made a decision. At the moment he was contemplating whether life had meaning or whether to end his own life, what arose was anger. He said, "It would be ridiculous to die like this. I am so unfairly treated," and he pulled himself together.

The business idea that came to mind was a secondhand bookstore he used to visit while wandering the streets at night. He would buy 100-yen used books and read them to forget the reality before his eyes. With the thought of wanting to create such books before dying, he applied to a publishing company at age 28, but unsurprisingly, he was immediately rejected.

"It was a natural result since I applied without academic background or experience, but I decided to prove that even someone like me can make books and that anyone can write books," he said, and established his own publishing company. At that time, he had a 3 million yen (27 million won) savings that he had never touched no matter what, and he used it to start the publishing company. It was an inheritance left to him by his grandfather, who had died by suicide due to depression.

A site that preserves the stories of Tenmetsusha. It features posts about packaging the books that have been published.

The name of the publishing company he founded is 'Tenmetsusha,' which literally means "Flashing Company" (点滅社). It was named with the hope that the flashing light would illuminate someone's feet. He started it together with a part-time worker colleague who used to talk about books and movies.

He decided to publish a poetry collection of lyrics from his favorite Japanese band 'Nine.' The lyrics show human frailty and the kindness that remains despite it. He immediately contacted the band, and thanks to that, the poetry collection was published in November last year. Among bookstore owners, Tenmetsusha’s books are praised for the editor’s passion, to the extent that they say the editor puts their life on the line.

In June, marking the first anniversary of its opening, Tenmetsusha has published three books, including a lyrics collection and a manga magazine. They are being sold at 60 bookstores nationwide and through online shopping malls.

Although the business is still running at a loss and the money saved daily is decreasing, it has even ranked within the top 10 weekly sales at one bookstore, and letters of support have arrived at his home and workplace, showing that it is thriving.

He told Asahi that he is actually grateful for the difficult times. "Because I had a period to recharge, I am able to keep running now," he concluded the interview. Going forward, he plans to publish essays by about 80 writers and scholars that people would want to read when feeling down.

We must neither be exhausted nor easily discouraged. I hope Mr. Yara’s story will be a source of strength for me and someone else as well.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.