'Gogatsu-byo': Japan's May sickness & its effect on relationships
By Hilary Keyes
With all of the possible upheaval and changes that take place in April, you would think that a month that starts with a week of holidays like May would be a kinder, gentler time. But there is something sinister that may strike at any moment in May: the so-called gogatsu-byo.
What Exactly Is Gogatsu-byo?
五月病 (Gogatsu-byo; 'May Sickness') is the term for a seasonal affective disorder-like psychological condition that affects many Japanese people (and directly or indirectly, us foreigners living here) once the flurry of activity in April and the relaxing Golden Week vacation has passed.
Gogatsu-byo Symptoms
Many believe that the number of changes that take place in April, coupled with vacations and then push back into a still-new work or school environment, causes the gogatsu-byo in the first place. Sufferers report experiencing:
Insomnia
Decreased or increased appetite
Restlessness
Nervousness
Anxiety
Mood swings
Depression
They experience a host of 'not quite feeling right' physical symptoms that many doctors struggle to diagnose. While this may seem like an unusual condition to those new to Japan, after being here for a few years, you will definitely start to notice that people behave differently in April and June compared to May.
The Relationship Turmoil
This uniquely Japanese condition can also cause intense turmoil in personal relationships. Looking over my diaries from years past and talking to friends from all walks of life in Japan, two distinct trends concerning relationships have appeared consistently from about May 4th to the first week of June. Here are the two biggest examples:
1. People Seem Standoffish or Overly Sensitive
In general, many people are by nature afraid of change and dislike having to adjust to a new schedule. If you come from a country with Daylight Saving Time, you probably remember how drowsy and confused you felt in those first couple of days after changing the clocks. Add that to potential home, career and lifestyle changes that may have taken place in less than a month. Plus, with the haze that everyone feels after a long vacation, you have a recipe for disaster in any group of people.
Friends may be less likely to come out for a drink after work; co-workers might be feeling disinclined to work or less helpful than usual, and a host of communication problems and other issues can crop up.
Murphy's Law states that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. So, expect some bad days where normally friendly co-workers suddenly seem aloof, for things not to be ready on time or for deadlines to appear out of nowhere. My friend had a typically stern co-worker burst into tears because they bought the wrong kind of tea for the office. Just this very morning, I watched as a tiny, sweet-faced old woman berated the station staff with some choice words that aren't in most Japanese-English dictionaries.
2. No Relationship Is Safe
With all this weirdness in the air, people may find that their romantic relationships are changing too. If you have survived the fine line between sakura and romance last month, you may find that there is a sudden chill in the relationship. It may be last-minute cancellations, fewer text messages or an overall blasé approach to the relationship. Some people even use the month as an excuse to end relationships that are heading nowhere.
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