Only in Japan, Real Men Go to a Hotel With Virtual Girlfriends

WSJ ^ | 8/31/2010 | DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI

[markomalley]

ATAMI, Japan—This resort town, once popular with honeymooners, is turning to a new breed of romance seekers—virtual sweethearts.

Since the marriage rate among Japan's shrinking population is falling and with many of the country's remaining lovebirds heading for Hawaii or Australia's Gold Coast, Atami had to do something. It is trying to attract single men—and their handheld devices.

In the first month of the city's promotional campaign launched July 10, more than 1,500 male fans of the Japanese dating-simulation game LovePlus+ have flocked to Atami for a romantic date with their videogame character girlfriends.

The men are real. The girls are cartoon characters on a screen. The trips are actual, can be expensive and aim to re-create the virtual weekend outing featured in the game, a product of Konami Corp. played on Nintendo Co.'s DS videogame system.

[samtheman]

negative genetic practices

Good term.

[Joe 6-pack]

"I get a weird image of a porno version of Wii."

It's called the "XXX-Box".

[jboot]

Spengler, maybe? Sounds like the philosophy behind his “Decline of the West.”

[GOPJ]

For “European-Americans” on the coasts, the only archeological evidence will be the pet cemeteries they leave behind...

OMG we're becoming hyphenated...

Does this mean we get special rights and cheap pity?

[r9etb]

Japan is a very strange place. I wonder ... has it always been this strange?

[MrB]

First human institution created by God:
Marriage and family

Institution under attack by everything in this world,
especially every leftist policy you can name:
Marriage and family

[moovova]

Do you have to have 2 handheld devices if you want to do a "threesome"?

Can you rent 2 of the "sassy Rinko" apps if you want to do the threesome with "twins".

Another prurient pertinent thought...

Good thing this isn't in the USA...the gays would have this company in court for discrimination...

[correctthought]

It’s called the “XXX-Box;

I LOL’ed :D

[TexasRepublic]

Such losers.

[kearnyirish2]

I am too, but a lot of people my age (almost 40) have one or none...The pet thing is from the people I used to eat lunch with; it was eerie how they would talk about animals like people (complete with health insurance, birthdays, etc.).

[kearnyirish2]

Good point; I can see it now: In 2020, Red China invades Japan for women, and discovers they’re all robots. They’ll also discover that the last “real person” in Japan died in like 1968...

[kearnyirish2]

Don’t count on any benefits; I borrowed that term from a visit to Ottawa years ago, when skinheads were fighting with police because “Euro-Canadians” being overwhelmed by Asians...

[FreedomPoster]

>>>>For “European-Americans” on the coasts, the only archeological evidence will be the pet cemeteries they leave behind...

>>OMG we’re becoming hyphenated...

>>Does this mean we get special rights and cheap pity?

Screw that. Cash payouts. Haven’t you noticed that a lot of the stimulus allocations are thinly-disguised Reparations?

[GOPJ]

Screw that. Cash payouts.

Even better!

[GOPJ]

Curses - I thought we could finally get some freebies... Oh, well...

[kearnyirish2]

If they are reparations (which I’m sure the Kenyan Pirate would love to dole out), they certainly aren’t working. Here in northern NJ, the ghettos are in even worse shape than before. The employment situation is much worse, as the economy and illegal immigration make many blacks unemployable, and the traditional ghetto benefits are being slashed as municipal budgets tighten.

[reaganaut1]

I have several volumes from an author who postulated somewhere around the near mid 20th century that all cultures follow a cyclic pattern that results in their own demise. He predicted that Western Civ would fall and events are proving that he is pretty much on the mark, but we shall see. I’ll look up his name when I get a chance. Quite interesting - and depressing.

Was it Spengler or Toynbee?