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Markets in everything; the culture that is Japanese
This year Japan has gone konkatsu-crazy, with the trend spawning countless magazine articles, a weekly TV drama and a best-selling book.
A Tokyo shrine now offers konkatsu prayer services, a Hokkaido baseball
team has set up special seats for those looking for mates, and a Tokyo
ward office arranges dating excursions to restaurants and aquariums.
A lingerie maker has even come up with a konkatsu bra with a ticking clock that can be stopped by inserting an engagement ring.
Here is much more. I thank KunLung Wu for the pointer.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on July 14, 2009 at 04:47 AM in Economics | Permalink
Comments
MR needs a better spam filter.
Anyway, from the WSJ:
Experts say that in tough times, single women feel an urgency to get married for financial stability, while men tend to put off marriage until they feel they can afford it. The konkatsu buzz has coincided with companies' move to shed employees during the recession.Yuriko Akamatsu, a 35-year-old office worker, has attended two matchmaking parties in the past six months. "I want to get married because I sometimes feel like quitting my job," said Ms. Akamatsu, who didn't find Mr. Right at either party. "Marriage is like permanent employment."
Since October, Imado Shrine in Tokyo has held a prayer service for single men and women seeking good luck in marriage. The service, followed by a tea party, costs 6,000 yen ($62). Hundreds of women apply for a limited number of seats each time, but the shrine's Web site says, "We're short of men."
Any speculation on this asymmetry?
Posted by: david at Jul 14, 2009 5:28:47 AM
David,
I suspect the paragraph above is a big factor. Would you want to marry miss Akamatsu? Would you pay $60 to meet her at a tea party? In my experience, men generally only pay to meet women in an alcohol fueled environment.
Posted by: nelsonal at Jul 14, 2009 8:27:55 AM
I don't know, I'd definitely go for the baseball-dating thing (if I was single and lived in Japan). It sounds pretty good. Sort of surprising that it took so long for the 50 seats to fill up.
Posted by: Andy at Jul 14, 2009 10:12:01 AM
Singapore's government is trying really hard to promote marriage and having kids (they are way behind their target population goal). They actually sponsor events at the university level to encourage students to find their mates. Here is their website and a poorly written wikipedia entry
Posted by: Divya at Jul 14, 2009 11:06:29 AM
Its not unexpected, as what do men have to gain from such a relationship?
Posted by: Doc Merlin at Jul 14, 2009 12:45:52 PM
Sex?
Posted by: Andy at Jul 14, 2009 1:21:07 PM
a weekly TV drama
It's already over -- ended a week or two ago, if it's the one I'm thinking of. "Miniseries" is a better term for most Japanese TV dramas than "weekly TV drama," given that they wrap up their storyline after 10 or 11 episodes, most of the time.
A lingerie maker has even come up with a konkatsu bra with a ticking clock that can be stopped by inserting an engagement ring.
This one's just cruel.
Posted by: Taeyoung at Jul 14, 2009 1:23:36 PM
@Andy:
Men who women like, don't have to get married to have sex. So, again I reiterate my question.
Posted by: Doc Merlin at Jul 14, 2009 5:23:03 PM
Doc, have you not ever got on THAT well with someone that you have to ask such a simple question? Some people are awesome and you want to be around them your whole life. Other people are selfish and they can stay alone. Everybody wins!
Posted by: Anon at Jul 14, 2009 7:38:06 PM
