Japan love letter project

[thomas]

If you are more of an "analogue type," you will like this project: in 2020, Miyazaki City started a love letter exchange project for people looking to settle down.

Participants must first register on an official website and add some information about themselves, such as their hobbies, favourite films, books, sports, and the age of the person they want to exchange letters with. The letter exchange management office then selects and matches two people who seem compatible based on the registered information. If both parties agree, they can communicate through the office. But unlike dating apps, the only thing revealed about each new pen pal is their age, with identifying details like their full name, job and address withheld - and, of course, no profile pics on display.

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There are, however, rules that members have to follow. They can write letters of up to two sheets on designated paper. A pair can send and receive letters up to five times without revealing their name or home address. If both parties wish to meet face to face, operators take care when exchanging contact information. After that, it is left up to the members, the Japanese publication had reported. So far, 32 pairs have set up face-to-face meetings, with romance blooming for 17 couples who have started a relationship. One participant, a 25-year-old Miyazaki resident, said the idea had brought back fond memories. "As a kid, I used to write letters to the girl I had a crush on," the man, who wished to remain anonymous, told AFP. "I like how old-fashioned letters are. That made me want to join the programme."

Singles in Japan give online dating a miss, write letters to find 'the one'

Since 2020, when the project began, 450 people have signed up with around 70 percent in their 20s and 30s.

www.moneycontrol.com

Japan love letter project attracts singles seeking slow romance in the social media age - The Mainichi

MIYAZAKI -- Over the past year in this southwest Japan city, handwritten letters have undergone something of a renaissance since the local government

mainichi.jp