News

Report on Sexless Love in Japan

Roland Kelts, author of the book Japanamerica: How Japanese Culture has invaded the U.S., has written an article called 'Japan leads the way in sexless love' in the U.K. newspaper The Guardian. The story discusses the claims that Japanese men are becoming more and more 'unmanly' and uninterested in girlfriends.

From the article:

"I don't like real women," one bloke superciliously sniffed on Japan's 2channel, the world's largest and most active internet bulletin board site. "They're too picky nowadays. I'd much rather have a virtual girlfriend."

Virtual girlfriends became a sensation last summer, when Japanese game-maker Konami released its second-generation of its popular Love Plus, called, aptly, Love Plus +, for the Nintendo DS gaming system. Konami skillfully arranged for an otherwise deadbeat beach resort town called Atami to host a Love Plus + holiday weekend. Players were invited to tote their virtual girlfriends, via the gaming console, to the actual resort town to cavort for a weekend in romantic bliss. The promotion was absurdly successful, with local resort operators reporting that it was their best weekend in decades.