Japan's Latest Fad: Spouse-Hunting

Bars, bras, and baseball games get in on 'konkatsu'

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 29, 2009 10:59 AM CDT

(Newser) – Some call it a passing fad, but in Japan, konkatsu—"marriage hunting"—has inspired events in venues ranging from bars to baseball stadiums, the Wall Street Journal reports. A book that uses the word, punning on the words for “marriage” and “... Read full story »

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

You need to Log in to Newser to comment. Don't have an account yet? Sign up now!

2 comments

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Miami Face-Eater Identified

'Serpent Pastor' Dies of Snake Bite

Wall Street Journal (Source Grid »)

Program introduces women to doctors
Japan Times (Japan)

Lifestyle

Japan • marriage • wedding • demographics • trend

More Newser Stories

Newly Met Occupiers Say 'I Do' in Zuccotti Park

'We are fighting for equality here,' bride says

(NEWSER) - They met while looking for a place to pray amid the tents and protesters in Zuccotti Park. A month later, the two lovebirds said "I do" in the very same park, surrounded by friends and fellow Occupiers, the New York Daily News reports. Emery Abdel-Latif, 24, and Micha Balon, 19, tied the knot this morning in a tradition Muslim wedding on a small bench. "This is a good way not to make the marriage about ourselves,” says Balon. “We are fighting for equality here." More»

Couple Weds for 100th Time

They have been making vows since 1984

(NEWSER) - No 15-year itch for this couple: Two Tennessee lovebirds have renewed their wedding vows a 99th time, setting a world record once again, the Huffington Post reports. Lauren and David Blair fell in love when they met in 1982. They were married—for the first time—in California in 1984. Ever since their 66th renewal, the couple have been upping a Guinness World Record for “Most Marriage Vow Renewals by the Same Couple.” More»

Japan Frets Over Sexless Teens

A third of young men not interested in sex, survey finds

(NEWSER) - Japanese people just aren't having enough sex, laments the head of the country's family planning association. A full 36% of Japanese men aged 16 to 19 say they're uninterested in or averse to sex, according to a recent survey. That's 19% more than just two years ago, and some 59% of women in the same age group feel the same way, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

Japanese Women Sue to Keep Maiden Names

Group is challenging requirement to take husband's name

(USER SUBMITTED) - Reminiscent of the Shogun TV miniseries set in 17th-century Japan, women there still must change their last names to that of their husbands when they marry. So a number of happily married women are suing the government over the requirement, seeking to use their maiden names instead, reports the Guardian . Said one woman, "I thought that I would get used to my husband's name, but I could not, and a sense of loss grew inside me." Click for more. More»

Homewreckers Sorry for NYT Wedding Story

Critics descend on couple who met while married to other people

(NEWSER) - The New York Times’ normally genteel “Vows” column hit a nerve on Sunday, with its tale of John Partilla and Carol Riddell—who each left spouses to get hitched. It’s “part Brady Bunch, part The Scarlet Letter,” the paper cooed . Bloggers and commenters tore the paper a new one. “These things happen,” says New York magazine, “but we do question the decision to celebrate it in the face of your exes and children.” Now Partilla tells the New York Post he regrets the whole thing. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Japan's Latest Fad: Spouse-Hunting

Bars, bras, and baseball games get in on 'konkatsu'

Japan • marriage • wedding • demographics • trend

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Newly Met Occupiers Say 'I Do' in Zuccotti Park

'We are fighting for equality here,' bride says

Couple Weds for 100th Time

They have been making vows since 1984

Japan Frets Over Sexless Teens

A third of young men not interested in sex, survey finds

Japanese Women Sue to Keep Maiden Names

Group is challenging requirement to take husband's name

Homewreckers Sorry for NYT Wedding Story

Critics descend on couple who met while married to other people

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?