Abe funds matchmaking to ease welfare bill
Over coffee and cake in a rural cafe in Kochi Prefecture, Hideyuki Tanaka, 40, plucked up the courage to speak with Eri, 14 years his junior. A pianist provided the ambience for the afternoon gathering of 18 singles, arranged by local government cupids, which eventually ...
Buddhist bachelor priests turn to matchmaking parties
Finding marriage partners is a problem shared by many young Buddhist priests, who have few opportunities to meet people of their own generation. An event was held last month at a restaurant in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, to help them find marriage partners. It was attended ...
Perfect match: Miyakon help singles connect
Despite being located almost a stone's throw from the historic town of Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture and establishing itself as the gyōza capital of Japan, Utsunomiya was languishing in the economic doldrums for the much of the early 2000s. Nearly a decade later, the situation ...
Cinderella stories inspire women to find their prince on social networking sites
Can a girl actually find her true love on web networks, or are the stories about Social Cinderellas only fairytales?
Fighting for their lives, local governments shell out for matchmaking services
In Itoigawa, Niigata, the government has begun subsidizing online dating service membership in an effort to pair up more locals.
Matchmaking priests bring couples together, help temples prosper
A growing number of Buddhist temples have been capitalizing on the nation's recent matchmaking boom. In the middle of last month, 12 men and women, mostly in their late 30s and early 40s, gathered at Anrakuji, a Nichiren-sect temple in the city of Wakayama, for ...
Making new connections over lunch
Sites and apps take the difficulty of saying "let's do lunch sometime."
Municipal meet-ups and pet-owner get-togethers for shy singles
Tired of speed-dating? Maybe your local government can help you in your hunt for the One.
Golf begat golf bars begat gorukon (golf + group dating). Those without the yen to burn on real golf courses are teeing off for love at virtual greens.
