BY Lux Alptraum
July 10, 2007
1,752 views
1 Comment

The Japanese can’t catch a break: first there was the news of a declining birth rate (linked to a declining rate of sex, not increased contraceptive use), then the news that a surprisingly high number of Japanese men are still virgins, and now this (found via Jezebel).

Yes indeed: it seems that — turned off by the trials and tribulations of dating — Japanese men are abandoning the search for the perfect bride. Or rather: reenvisioning the perfect bride as 100 pounds of solid silicone. Apparently, an increasing number of Japanese men are choosing to date high quality love dolls (basically the same thing as Real Dolls), citing various factors that make them preferable to real women: they’re loyal, they won’t make fun of your penis, you can give them the face of your favorite anime character (watch the video).

It might be tempting to act as though this is some crazy artifact of Japanese culture, but that would mean ignoring the fact that many American men choose to do the exact same thing (they just don’t get covered by Reuters while doing it). Maybe this isn’t about being Japanese, after all.

Except the dolls with anime faces. Those are totally about being Japanese (or at least all about Japanese culture).