The Art Of Konkatsu
Say that word out loud – konkatsu. It may remind of you a delicious Japanese dish made of pork (tonkatsu!), but it cannot be farther from that. In fact, konkatsu is the Japanese term for marriage hunting. Yes, while the western world is suffering from astronomical divorce rates, singles in Japan – young and old – are actively looking for marriage.
In the past years, statistics have consistently shown that marriage rates have been experiencing a downward spiral. Ever since the equal employment opportunity act was established in 1986, more and more Japanese women entered the corporate world. As a result, the marrying age became higher and fewer women were getting married.
Today, for some reason, people are looking for ways to find love – the kind that will end up in holy matrimony. With their busy schedules, however, singles have to engage in activities that are more aggressive in a sense. Hence the practice of konkatsu.
What happens is that those who are looking for marriage go to special hotspots throughout the country, wherein they can meet likeminded people. In konkatsu classes, singles partner up to engage in cooking lessons and food sampling, among other things. The idea is to get to know potential spouses in an intimate setting.
The term konkatsu is actually a spin off from the Japanese term meaning “job hunting.†In this new trend, it is marriage that is being sought after. Japanese businesses are quick to respond to the trend, with more konkatsu bars being established to cater to those who are looking for a lifelong relationship.
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Posted August 7th, 2009 by Maki | Comments (4)4 Responses to “The Art Of Konkatsu”
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That’s funnily odd. Haha~
In a world where companies can still take up so much of your personal time, it can be difficult for people here to find potential companions. I would guess these locations will actually increase in the future.
I doubt these are going to see much success. It will spiral into another situation in which bored singles are getting thrills and kicks rather than meaningful connections. Its fun to watch though.
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I am a single girl and trying this ‘konkatsu’ for the past 2 years. It’s been started because Japanese unemployment rate has been going up for the past 5, 6 years and many women would like to secure their lives by marrying to ‘a good husband’ because they cannot find decent jobs. …On the other hand, rate of women having casual sex has also gone up by this… Go figure!