Abstract
Munashisa, or the feeling of emptiness, is an increasing challenge for elderly people in Japan. To explore how age and gender affect how munashisa is experienced, 250 men and 250 women, aged 60–79 were asked to complete sentences beginning with “Munashisa is.” They also described situations in which munashisa occurs. A text mining analysis of their answers revealed how Japanese elderly people think about or experience munashisa and the situations in which they feel it. It became clear that both gender and age affects the way in which people think about and experience munashisa. This study has shed some light on munashisa among the elderly in Japan, and serves as a base for further study.
