Let's explore Solo Katsu (ソロ活)!

Let's explore Solo Katsu (ソロ活)!

Even if we love hanging out in groups, once in a while, we might wish to do something different from the group we hang out with, but we also might think that some activities are more meaningful with the people we care about and ignore our hearts' choices as Japanese people do.

Until the 90s, Japanese people felt uncomfortable doing solo activities because the community thought negatively about being solo. "She must be feeling lonely. Doesn't she have a boyfriend? These places are for couples. I can't enjoy it without accompanying..." Thoughts like these make it harder to act alone.

But books, manga, anime, and the coronavirus pandemic encouraged Japanese people to put their uneasiness aside. So they started enjoying solo activities. Most commonly known as hang-out places for large groups, such as karaoke bars and barbeque restaurants, started giving solo service with rising interest.

In one of her interviews Mayumi Asai, the writer of the famous essay, Solo Katsu Joshi no Susume, said that when she was a university student, she couldn't even enter a ramen shop alone. But after hearing one of her friends was going alone, she gathered her courage. Ms. Asai has been enjoying solo eating since then. She also found a way to help women not to restrict themselves from doing solo activities with her famous two-season television drama adapted essay.

There are many Solo Katsu, a.k.a solo activities, that we can try. Let's explore a few of them.

Index

1. Solo Camping
2. Solo Drinking
3. Solo Eating
4. Traveling alone

About the Author

1- Solo Camping

My interest in "solo katsu" started after I read Laid-back Camp. The main character Rin, a high school student, enjoys solo camping. After seeing that and getting curious about camping, I learned that there are many books for people who want to enjoy camp cooking alone. There are also magazines about practical tools you can use while camping solo.

2- Solo Drinking

I love exploring, and this doesn't only contain places and books but also food and drinks. So when I first came across Wakako Zake, it made me realize that I wanted to improve my cooking and become able to cook different dishes with my favorite ingredient. You may say why. It's just to spoil myself and enjoy the moment of eating.

Wakako Zake is a manga about a young woman who likes drinking solo and trying new appetizers with drinks. They also adapted the story into a television drama, which also became one of my favorites dramas.

3- Solo Eating

You may think a luxurious restaurant is more suitable for a romantic night or an izakaya is more fun with coworkers after work in Japan. But both women and men enjoy drinking and eating alone in those places nowadays. In Rokuhoudo Byori, there was a scene about a man having a hard time ordering a dessert alone at a fancy cafe. If you think this topic was mentioned only in anime, think again. A manga adaptation tv series called Saboriman Kantarou, is about a man who has a sweet tooth, hiding his love of desserts from his co-workers. He makes spare time to visit the best places to eat dessert alone.

4- Traveling alone

Sometimes, we listen to our surroundings so much that it becomes hard to understand what our own preferences are. That is why, from time to time, we need to let ourselves enjoy solo katsu and recognize what we like or dislike. Especially for women, trying this might help our self-confidence and give the feeling of independence.
After visiting an amusement park, planetarium, or aquarium alone, you can decide which animal is your favorite or which attraction has an impact on you without any doubt. Next time you visit with your friends, you can share your experiences with them.
You can still prefer to visit a place with a group, but by trying solo katsu, you may even be surprised by the new things you learn about yourself.
If you try and enjoy solo activities, don't forget to share your favorite solo katsu with us on social media.

About the Author

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