合同コンパ (goudou kompa): has anyone participated in one?

[godppgo]

合同コンパ (goudou kompa), a Japanese style group dating event that is popular among young Japanese (usually between the age 20-35). The idea is to provide an opportunity to meet people of the opposite sex in the hope of finding potential gf/bf. The way it is carried out is that an equal number of male and female participants go out for dinner or some other entertaining events. During dinner they might rotate seats so they all have a chance to talk to everyone in the event. Also they play games to break the ice and get to know each other better (games are usually childish for some reason). For high school or college students, goudou kompa is more like a fun event and a chance to meet new friends. For working people, goudou kompa is taken more serious and the goal is to meet potential gf/bf, or husband/wife.

Most popular goudou kompa female participant's professions include teacher, nurse, and stewardess. Popular male participant's professions include medical doctor, young entrepreneur, and young company managers (basically guys who are loaded). The ideal professions reflects some Japanese society values to a certain degree. The closest thing I can think of to compare goudou kompa to is a group blind date.

Personally I think this is a good way to meet people but some people see this as a "not natural" way of getting to know someone when both parties already have the idea of meeting for marriage in mind.

So, has anyone participated in one? If you have, would you like to share some of your goudou kompa experience? If you have never participated in one, what do you think about it? Would you go to one if you're invited?

 

[pipokun]

Your description is a bit different from the real gokon here. It sounds more like arranged singled parties.

I heard a Brit guy started his gokon business in London.

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

It is slightly different.

 

[yukio_michael]

I'm wondering now as well, how many j-ref readers would be in a position to answer this question. (Much like the schooling thread elsewhere....).

This is something unique to say Japanese nationality that doesn't transfer well to non-Japanese. This is why in the Sony PSP commercial for the Talk Man, the Japanese man accepting? his son's new wife as she says "Helena desu...", says to himself, simply "taihen da..."...

Is there a connection between say 'yoroshiku onegai shimasu', and nationality--- I think so. gokun outside of Japan isn't really gokun.

 

[misa.j]

I went to those a bunch of times when I was in college, but they weren't like the ones for meeting new people or making new friends type. The name was frankly used for the parties among friends who knew each other, too.
To me, they were just fun parties for college kids.

Does anyone know what "kompa" means? I could never figure that out.

 

[JerseyBoy]

So, I am not going to Kompa as I am not loaded with money (yet!; but, I hope I will be soon, I mean, the money part). I've never been to Kompa; so I don't know what it is like. But, group dating brings up too much competition among Kompa participants for a cute one? Maybe I am thinking too much on this...... Come to think of it, if you are a cute one, you don't need a group dating......

 

[Mars Man]

Oh yeah !! I wish I could go to one of these sometimes. . . they can be kind of fun, in part.

My young adult students here call these type things 'communication Parties'. I could be wrong, but I do believe that word ﾆ坦ﾆ停?愴恥 is short for 'companion'.

Of course the very fact that such parties are needed is a sign for the inability of many young Japanese to go out in society and assert themselves in that area--'that area' means the area of approching the opposite sex for the purpose of romantic relationship building.