By Masami Suzuki,
translated by Yuko Enomoto

In the old days, the Japanese used to find their marriage partner through arranged meetings. Today, people mainly marry for love. But in this busy age, you can’t just sit around and wait to find your perfect match. These days, you’ve got to make an effort.

Lately, the media has created a new word: konkatsu, which is short for kekkon katsudo, or “marriage activity.” The word denotes the various activities one might undertake with the goal of finding a spouse.  When someone looks for work in Japan, he or she engages in various job-search activities, called shukatsu (short for shushoku katsudo). This is where konkatsu came from. Its original use was from a book entitled Konkatsu Jidai (The Age of Marriage Activity) by a journalist specializing in family issues and Japan’s falling birthrate.
Konkatsu stands alongside “herbivorous boys” (introduced in the inaugural issue of Ibuki) as a nominee for the trendy word of the year in 2009. It’s been a theme of a TV drama and it’s even leading to new business opportunities as local governments talk it up. Konkatsu has become a bit of a social phenomenon. What sort of activities are implied by the popular term? The book that started the boom, Konkatsu Jidai, detailed how computer matchmaking services were in high demand, but it also showed many other methods people have come up with to find their spouse.

First are singles parties. These have been going on for some time, but they were typically held at night in a downtown restaurant or bar. Singles parties in the konkatsu style could take place on a bright green golf course in the early morning, at a café over dessert, during lunch or while walking your dog at a park on a Sunday afternoon. Instead of just gathering at a restaurant, these new spouse hunters prefer to find their partner through their interests and hobbies.
Next are the workout or study groups. People gather at the gym or take English lessons, golf classes or wine seminars, where they get a chance to become familiar with the other students. The early birds can engage in asakatsu, short for “morning marriage activities” before work. From 7am in central Tokyo’s Marunouchi business district, people gather at a culture center to hear lectures on the classics or take classes that lead to certification in a skill or trade. Some singles with the volunteer spirit gather at parks early on weekends to pick up litter.
Some spots have been created specifically for the konkatsu boom. They’re called konkatsu bars. While these bars have some similarities with American singles bars, one big difference is that they are for members only.  Memberships are usually free and there are no qualifications that need to be met, but the fact that everyone has to show identification and have their identity recorded means the bar isn’t a place for an anonymous encounter. This makes some visitors feel safer. The bar staff also help to encourage encounters. For example, if you are drinking alone or with a friend at one of these bars, one of the bar employees may come up and say, “The person over there has expressed interest in meeting you. Would you like to get together?” If you agree to the meeting, in the blink of an eye, the staff will have arranged your tables and chairs together. (Of course, if you prefer, you can certainly walk over to the table on your own.) There are even people who admit to dropping by a konkatsu bar every Friday after work.

Recent trends have conspired to create this konkatsu boom. First is the quickly declining birthrate: Japanese women have an average of 1.37 children. Next, more people are waiting to marry: The average marrying age for men is 30.2; for women it’s 28.5. Third, more people are just not getting married: Nearly 40% of men and 30% of women in the 30-34 age range are single. And we shouldn’t forget the economic stagnation and lack of jobs. Some women believe that in these difficult economic times, it’s better to find a spouse and settle down than to look for work, while some men also long for the stability of a marriage. Regional governments have been talking up the konkatsu boom as a way to counter the trend toward rapid aging in the countryside and the falling birthrate. Events feature teams of men and women making local delicacies, konkatsu trolley tours to promote friendship and many other locally inspired activities to bring men and women together. The provinces have been making a big push on this front.
Companies that were once known for catering to singles have jumped on the bandwagon by calling themselves “konkatsu producers” and hosting and planning all sorts of events. There are also konkatsu calendars for sale and konkatsu fraud to beware of … who knows where it will end!

Just as a job search is required to find a job, now marriage searches are part of getting married. And because of this, more people are turning to konkatsu activities in an attempt to find that special someone. At the same time, many people long for that dramatic encounter, that fateful moment, that sense of true love. When you meet that special someone through a konkatsu activity, the two of you may want to add a little dramatic flair to your story when you’re inevitably asked, “How did you two meet?” at your wedding reception..