Abroad in Japan: Inside a Japanese Love Hotel

[Old Crow]

Host Chris Broad takes viewers on a tour of the rooms of a Japanese love hotel, which features wonderful amenities at surprisingly affordable rates. Some of the rooms look like something out of IMVU brought to life.

[nikto]

1. Japan's population is droppng, perhaps because ...

...Every Japanese boy's dream-girl is Hatsune Miku.

[Old Crow]

2. Well, who can blame them? :)

Those fetching teal locks! In all seriousness, what is considered to be the real reason for Japan's declining population? I could research it, but I'm sure some of you in this group must know off-hand.

[nikto]

3. I can't figure it out

Maybe the Japanese are pessimistic about their long-range economy, Fukushima, etc?

It can't be because they are bored of sex, right?

[kristopher]

7. IIRC the general consensus is

that they have a strong social safety net, which relieves the elderly of pressure to produce offspring to support them in their golden years and the cost of raising kids is staggering - especially education and food.

FWIW I have a long relationship with Japan starting 39 years ago. Includes 11 years in country with 4 years at university in Tokyo studying cultural anthropology.

[Old Crow]

9. Thanks!

That's some really interesting life experience you've got there. I'm envious.

Regarding the low Japanese birthrate, what you say makes a lot of sense, and you conveyed it succinctly. I appreciate the insights.

[nikto]

4. Actually, for someone who doesn't actually exist, Hatsune Miku has some great songs out there ...

IMO, this is great Prog-Metal:

[secondwind]

5. I met an American student on an Amtrak train a couple of years ago... she spent a year living with a

Japanese family. She told me that they do not have large families... they are afraid of outsiders, and that they are beginning to build robots to do many functions... rather than have outsiders come into their country.

[Old Crow]

6. Interesting observations.

Both your response and Nikto's (see #3 above) led me to do some additional research. I'll be posting the best article I found ("Japan's Population Is Plunging, So Where Are the Babies?&quot as a new thread. Thanks!

[yuiyoshida]

8. From What I have heard is that many of the guys

don't want to get married even after reaching the age of 30, while the women would like to be married, but they want the perfect guy, and perfection is a problem, when there is no real perfect guy. Guys there refuse to being expected to be perfect, so will not try. I don't blame them.

Many of them look at their parents as a bad example, in that the father works long long hours, getting home late at night, wanting to eat, take a bath and go to bed. The mother too is working too but not as long hours. The kids see that their parents are hardly ever together plus they take few vacation days, because they don't want to upset their coworkers at the company.

A few years back, many men were working hours so long, it killed them. It became such a problem, the government had the corporations make sure their employees wouldn't work themselves to death, but many still did, thinking it was expected.

[Old Crow]

10. Thanks, Yui.

There seem to be so many different reasons behind the low Japanese birthrate. One article I read seemed to touch on what you're describing: The author was saying that since the decline of arranged marriages (which apparently continued, in one form or another, into the 1970s), the Japanese culture really hasn't developed a good replacement method for couples to connect and, as a result, the current generation is floundering. Perhaps that's some of what's behind the problem.

[yuiyoshida]

11. Japan also has to deal with becoming more open to

its LGBT people and to Feminism. While popular manga may include "Yaoi (boys love)" and "Yuri (girls love) " themes, and are acceptable, the reality is that Most Japanese who are gay or Lesbian must remain in the closet or flock over seas to a country where it is more acceptable. Japan tends to be very conservative especially with its strong ties to its " Nihon noBunka (Japanese culture)" and follows strong traditions. In its history there were female Samurai (Onna-bugeisha) as well as Male Geisha (Taikomochi) but many did frown on this type of thing, and tried very much to maintain what was traditional.