JŌHATSU

A few months back, I came across an interesting article about a social phenomenon in Japan called “Jōhatsu”, which translates to “evaporation”. It’s when people deliberately disappear without a trace to start new lives, in a new place and sometimes under new names. Some do it to escape debt. Others because of social pressure, bad relationships or burnout. It’s estimated around 80-100,000 people go Jōhatsu every year. There are even companies called Yonige-Ya that help you vanish. Agencies that move you quietly, no questions asked. They handle the paperwork, the logistics and the relocation.

Jōhatsu seems like a radical solution to some and to others it’ll make perfect sense. It depends on the lens you choose to view it.

The more I sat with it, the more I understood the appeal.

Disappearing to Build

Construction often requires either a clean slate or a form of demolition. Sometimes the life you want to live can't be built on the foundation of who you are. You need to step away from the noise and others’ expectations. It becomes less about abandonment and more about creation. Recognising that some transformations require complete and radical shifts.

The caterpillar doesn't become the butterfly by making small adjustments. It dissolves completely before rebuilding itself into something entirely new.

The Environment Shapes the Self

“A man is whatever room he is in”

-Mad Men

We are products of our environments more than we care to admit. Physical space, social circles, habits…all conspire to keep you locked into patterns. A script that you didn’t write but feel obliged to read.

But if you change rooms silently without drama and the need to explain yourself, you change the gravity. The pull is unfamiliar, maybe even scary. But the power is in the knowing that there is no quota on how many rooms you can enter and leave.

The Freedom to Change Direction

“If you get on the wrong train, get off at the next station. The longer you stay, the more expensive the return trip will be”

-     a wise Japanese person

Just because you’ve bought the ticket doesn’t mean you have to stay on the ride. Don’t be afraid to go against the grain of a culture that glorifies "sticking it out" regardless of the cost, because the cost is always at your expense.

This is a tragic truth about how many of us approach our circumstances. We convince ourselves that enduring is noble, that changing course is somehow cheating or selfish.

But there are no cosmic rules that say you can't stop in the middle of the road and change direction. We’re free to leave the prison of others’ expectations whenever we want.

Personal Revolution

The beauty of Jōhatsu as a concept is that it can mean whatever you need it to mean.

Since I decided to chase this storytelling dream and build Up a Tier, I’ve started applying Jōhatsu to different parts of my life. I treat my time and energy like the finite resources they are. If something doesn’t align with my mission, I scrap without guilt. I’m unapologetic with pivots.

Yours may look different.

A move to a place where no one knows your name. Death of old habits and the birth of new ones. The removal of certain people from your life. It could be as simple as deleting social media or as complex as changing careers entirely.

The key is intention.

Recognizing that sometimes the most radical act of self-care is self-reinvention.

The Courage to Evaporate

Everyone, to some extent, is undergoing some form of Jōhatsu. A new haircut, learning a new skill, making new friends. The difference is the scale and scope of intent.

It might be just learning to say no and setting boundaries. Saying yes to new things. It might be taking action where there used to be paralysis.

The point isn't to disappear forever.

It’s to disappear long enough to remember who you are.

Which may mean losing things that you once thought mattered but are now redundant.

Letting go might hurt. But you’ll reappear carrying the quiet confidence that comes from knowing you never needed permission to reinvent yourself.

It’s not selfish. It’s not cheating.

It’s necessary.

Because your happiness, fulfilment, your life…is your responsibility.   

“I’m fucking Irish…I’ll deal with something being wrong for the rest of my life”

           -The Departed

But you don’t have to.