The rules

This is a place where people living hikikomori right now, people who have lived it before, and their families can exchange letters with peace of mind. That peace of mind holds because everyone keeps the same rules. Volunteers are peers sharing their own experience, not professionals, and this is not counseling.

Rules for both sides

1. No exchanging contact information of any kind: phone, email, LINE, social media, addresses, in either direction.
2. No meeting in person. There are no exceptions.
3. No communication outside this site.
4. No romantic or sexual content.
5. No money, gifts, donation requests, or self-promotion.
6. No invitations into religions, organizations, businesses, or other services.
7. Never contact the other person's family, school, or workplace.
8. Nothing from these letters leaves the platform, including screenshots. What is shared here stays here.
9. Please do not press for faster replies. Letters taking time is part of what makes them letters.
10. Either person can end the exchange at any time, for any reason or none. The other person is never told why.

Additional rules for volunteers

11. No medical, medication, or diagnostic advice of any kind.
12. Share "this is what happened to me", never "you should". Experience, not prescriptions or lectures.
13. No promised outcomes ("you will be outside within a year").
14. Self-harm, abuse, and danger must always be brought to the team. Not carrying it alone is a duty, not an option.
15. Please join a regular check-in with the team.
16. If someone sends a very large number of messages, or an exchange starts to overwhelm you, bring it to the team right away. There is no cap on messages here. Volume is handled by people, not by a counter.
17. Any payment from or affiliation with another organization must be disclosed in advance.