Ohitorisama

In Japan, businesses have been responding to the growing trend of young people enjoying activities on their own. More than a third of households in Japan are composed of just one person, creating an opportunity to cater to the solo consumer. For example, Karaoke places have increasingly built solo booths to accommodate singers who come without friends. The article also mentions movie theaters creating seats with partitions, travel agencies specializing in solo travel, grocery store meals for single people, and amusement parks that let singles skip the lines. 

As someone who often feels like I have to justify or explain to my host mom why I go explore places alone in Japan, I was happy to see that stigma surrounding solo activities is decreasing. Furthermore, I think that price structures should never make activities prohibitive for certain demographics. Diversifying options for all different types of consumers is definitely a positive. However, I take issue with several examples in this article-- particularly partitioning movie theater seats and restaurant seats to create solo enclaves. Nothing currently prohibits someone from dining alone or going to the movie theater alone. In fact, I do it all the time and enjoy the ability to be alone, but observe other people around me. I think being alone in the presence of strangers can cultivate a richer public life. Partitioning traditionally public, or semi-public spaces is likely a social and architectural mistake.