Interest

Find Love Over Ramen at Matchmaking Event

May your love last as long as the longest noodle.

On October 27 at Komazawa Olympic Park in Tokyo, the annual Tokyo Ramen Show will host a special "Super Ramen Matchmaker" event. This new event will gather 5,000 people (half men and half women) and will invite them to meet-and-greet as they bond over ramen. The application fee is 1, 000 yen per person (about US$8), and the deadline to sign up is October 23.

Relatively recent in Japanese culture, the Ramen Matchmaking event begins with participants choosing different types of ramen from a set selection. Two participants that chose the same ramen will have the chance to discuss what they liked about it, which may turn into more meaningful conversations from there. They will continue until they've tried each choice of ramen and at the end of the event, any couple that successfully bonded over the event will be announced. Its inclusion in this year's Tokyo Ramen Show is a collaboration between the annual show and a cultural phenomenon slowly gaining popularity.

The Tokyo Ramen Show is one of Tokyo's largest outdoor events. Started back in 2009, the event displays different variations of the dish in order to promote tourism and food culture.

Japanese matchmaking events vary from the unusual to terrifying. Evacon—a Japanese convention for die-hard Neon Genesis Evangelion fans—held the "Escape from Neo-Tokyo 3" matchmaking real-escape game in August. Meanwhile The Grudge attempted to scare up some romance in June. The Lucky Star shrine has hosted multiple otaku matchmaking events, one of which lead to a happily-ever-after ending.

[Via Kai-You]