Japan’s ‘Forever Alone’ Tables Let Diners Skip the Awkward Small Talk

There are some days when you just want to plug into your playlist, eat your food in self-imposed melancholy and tell everyone else to essentially f*ck off.

Understanding this desire to be forever alone, the folks over at Japan’s Kyoto University and Kobe University installed “lonely seats” (bocchi seki) when refurbishing their dining halls. The new dining tables feature 50-centimeter dividers in the middle, similar to the partitioned study desks you find in libraries. This design allows busy students to skip the chit chat with friends and evade the apparently stressful task of socializing. 

“When I don’t have much time or I’m in a hurry, the lonely seats are convenient,” a 22 year-old female student told Asahi News.

The bocchi seats also help students who find eating alone to be uncomfortable. “If you are sitting at a big table by yourself it’s like you don’t have any friends and that is embarrassing,” said one 22 year-old male student.

Solo-dining experiences seem to be the new avant-garde way to eat, with forever-alone pop ups, anti-loneliness bowls and these dining table barriers leading the way.

While I enjoy the occasional meal alone as much as the next fellow (it allows for unlimited people watching), I’m a bit wary of these lonely seats. Sometimes, small talk over your mac n’ cheese is good for you, whether you like it or not.

H/T Kotaku + PicThx Asahi News