"I get rejected all the time" That's one honest interviewer.

i think the problem here are unrealistic expectations. for instance, that guy kept comparing all those women to an idol. but even idols themselves don't show their fans their true selves, they show a fabricated version of themselves that they know their fans would appreciate. so really, what he's expecting from a woman doesnt even exist

I'm Japanese and found this video by chance. Differences between real and documentary completely astound me. I'll tell you the truth about why the birth rate has significantly dropped here. First, cultures like idol, anime, and maid cafes won't interfere with ordinary people's lives at all. The fact fully comes from a long period of recession. You cannot find any crazy anime shops and maid cafes outside of Akihabara that well recognized as a geek town and a foreigner's tourist destination. Idol culture is also originated in the same place which means addicted people don't represent the majority of Japanese. How many guys know that animes excepting for children's ones are broadcasted middle of the night so that many people even don't know its titles? Before we were westernized, matchmaking set by their parents was a common style to find a partner since the women's job was considered to be a fulltime-house worker. Individual people had warmly welcomed gender equality but women are still underpaid in their works. Why? Well, Japanese traditional companies treat employees like machines regardless of gender by forcing them to work under harsh terms. They can't quit their job even though underpaid and overworked since finding a new one is difficult. Traditionally, the education of workers is the company's responsibility but not for the university. Companies prefer to choose freshmen who don't know anything and then start brainwash them to make sure that they can't complain against their bosses. Most laborers are well-educated by owners and specialized only for their system but such skills are useless outside. They are not professional for one thing because moving across various type of departments and branches are under the hand of a company. Therefore, re-employed people are offered a much-lowered salary without options that they had once. That's why retirement is considered a stigma in our society since it's difficult to find a reason to quit other than a mental issue or something. It sounds like perfect slaves for owners, right? Nevertheless, women have a different option to escape from this fate without getting any stigma. That's marriage and become a full-time housewife. So, the retirement rate of women is higher comparing to the western society. But, realistically men cannot afford women after marriage because of a long period of depression. This is pressure for men before start falling into romance. Remember, their salary is also cheap. Now you can easily understand why Japanese companies hesitate to provide maternity supports. From their perspective, women are fragile machines comparing to men so they are underpaid. Just to be sure, I have to state here that I'm not a male chauvinist and just sharing the logic exists. As most of us can't understand English, too many stereotype images have been created abroad for foreigner's entertainment. However, we are just people who struggling with different cultural problems. Not something like monsters nor freaks. We still love humans not dolls.

“Normal girls are too rowdy” Sir.... idols are literally supposed to look cool & “perfect”. They’re paid to do fan service at events...

"I don't want them to love me...it's a waste to love me" Ouch dude.

Talking to a doll is not a problem. The problem is when it talks back.

This is deeply sad. To gain all the wealth as a society, but lose the most important and human part of you as individuals!

“They’re school age” We got him boys

Japan: Literally works their country to death Also japan: Why aren’t people getting married?

Japanese people are actually very honest during interviews i like that

"what would you like to order?" "i'll have some water from your last bath" and then you wonder why you're single.

The man who wears a white shirt in the matchmaking event has low self-confidence. He says that it would be a waste of time to love him. If he wants to love someone, he should learn to love himself first. It is sad.

"The Town Matchmaker is looking for Love" - that sounds like a plot to a nice slice of life Anime

So the problem is, unrealistic standards?

"I'll have a cola" "And I'll have some water from your last bath" lol! Yeah that line wouldn't fly in the U.S. Things sure took a creepy turn with those dolls

Man to think their ancestor used to be fearless samurais to herbivore man, pop idol shows.

'I'll have some water from your last bath'.... I fully understand why this dude has never been on a date.

You know its bad when the government has to step in to promote dating

*”I don’t have a strong heart”* *”if possible I want to live a life with less hurt”* *I FELT THAT*

8:47 "Most people are generally nice, and I only get mean messages online." This isn't saying much in a culture where most people wouldn't dare express their true feelings about anything, especially not with strangers.

I feel really bad for Japan... I mean the dude that went on a date with his friend actually believed he didn't deserve to have anyone love him.....shame

Japanese guy: I found love once, and it ended in divorce Every American: and thennn???

"Shes 25 kilograms of silicone" Dude...

"Hiroyuki says living with these 17 dolls is more exciting than his job as a window cleaner."

"....it would be a waste to love me....I'm a low form if man". That is tragic.

Love those Beautiful little towns in Rural Japan They are so peaceful and beautiful

ALSO: I read a great story from a Japanese native on how this is all due to the fact that parents never express affection or even touch or say I love you to their children. So you have a whole society of emotionally repressed people out there who have no idea how good and positive an emotional connection can be because they’ve never experienced any form of it.

I just find it fascinating how in a country with the most densely populated city in the world...the Japanese can be leaps and bounds ahead of other nations as far as technology and science, yet fall to the bottom of the barrel when it comes to interpersonal relationships. 😮 Tokyo is a city with people literally stacked on top of one another... and yet people almost seem to go out of their way to not have to deal with each other. As an introvert myself, compared to them I'm practically a social butterfly.

I love how they're completely honest about themselves, and accept who they are and who they are not.

Japanese want perfection in everything, I have lived in japan for 10 years and I have noticed this. It is easier to relate to anime or a Doll or even an idol. The Japanese don’t know how to love or afraid of showing their true feelings.

So grateful my wife and I found each other when I was 20. If not for her, I’d be one of these guys too.

Let's be real if the peak of your comedy is drinking from a water fountain, you're probably not going to get far in the dating scene

Something which wasn't discussed in the video was how Japanese women are expected to give up their jobs after becoming mother's and be housewives and that there is widespread discrimination against mother's in the workplace. The choice is so black and white between being a housewife and a career woman, and men are expected to make work a priority over everything. Perhaps decreasing working hours so make it overall more accessible to put time into developing relationships and taking care of the house and children for both men and women.

For the first time in my life I feel sorry for Japan

It's a sad reality, 😢 the energy I input to accept it in my head.

we truly live in a society

I think arranging these kind of meetups is a very cheap bandage solution, and doesn't attempt to fix the underlying culture + work conditions that are the root of the problem. People work from 8am to 9pm, when do they have the time or energy to reproduce?

"No girls met my standard" - my question is did YOU meet 'their' standards??

That mountain village is so amazingly beautiful.

"It is a waste to love me" Ouch.

"I'll have some water from your last bath" its good to see True Love still exists

The doll guy is definitely unusual, but it’s also kind of impressive that he painted all the faces. They look really accurate to the characters

10:00 bruh. I wonder what that grandma told the kid after what she saw, she was like "don't pay attention to the pervert, just keep walking" lmao

Japanese people are actually very honest during interviews i love that

"he finds it more exciting than his job as a window cleaner" lmao no shit ?

"on a date you have to focus on a girl, here you have fun" DUDE HOW DO YOU NOT SEE THE PROBLEM😂😂😂

25:00 y'all can laugh on him for being "vegetarian" (or herbivore or whatever tf the word is..) but listen to his answer.....He has self confidence issues,he needs counseling, being laughed on will only make it worse...

My mom taught me how to face the harsh reality of life...but this man is just to scared to face it.

lol. Those two guys have a really high standards. And most of it are based on the superficial.

The anime aint helping

being alone is a strength

One thing I can agree with is the rejection part, getting rejected in love/relationships is worse than getting rejected in any other scenario.

As much as I love japan,I dislike their obsession over everything CUTE.

That otaku culture keigo's in is really strange. You get grown middle age men following little girl idols to every event they perform at.

Happiness is a state of mind. That's why Keigo prefers to live alone.

“Some women sign up for food rather than partner”😅😅😂😂🤣🤣

I bet his dolls cheat on him.

"Some women sign up for food rather than a partner." Why is this me?? 😖😭

So he just talks to the dolls, combs their hair ... And nothing else?..😏

I remember showing this exact documentary years ago to my family, when they said _"Terrible to see the youth so isolated in Japan today."_ I replied back _"This is not only going to keep happening over there, it's starting to happen right here as well."_ There was a following comment from them trying to deny that such things could happen in more densely populated western countries, but after social scientis were wrong about a baby boom during the lockdowns, a steep birthrate collapse in the west followed shortly after and social isolation has taken a root here as well. This is the quote from them after five years _"I was worried about Japan then, now I'm worried just like you were back then about the youth over here."_ We need to stop thinking this problem is encapsulated in the east, since it's rapidly growing here as well. The lockdowns only made things worst and the problem more evident.

Those two guys look like they are in love with each other.....

When u think u hit rock bottom just remember that there is always doll man under you.

“You’re no longer our taxman!” “No!” “You’re now the town’s official matchmaker.” “Wait, what?!”

When men see perfect looking women everywhere in fiction and media, they don't accept "normal" women. So instead of compromise, they keep hitting these maid cafes which only hires the cutest girls. From on perspective, it's all about greed. Not settling for the second best, and therefore remain alone.

keigo is in a bubble of his own. there is no perfect girl. he has an idea set off of an idol girl who probably acts completely different off stage and behind the scenes. these girls are told to act nice and act sweet in order to earn the money from their fans.

holeup. That dude's doll-girlfriend is Sakura lmao. she's like 11 haha

Meanwhile in 2019 , my neighbour already have 11 kids and still wont stop. Damm... japan is another whole another lvel country

When it came to the guy with the dolls, and he said a soul grows in them, I felt so sad for some reason. Almost had the urge to cry.

Japanese mentality for “perfection” has become a problem.

One of the guys said the key phrase that prevented him form getting a partner: "None of the girls meets my standards". That is nonsense! He is far from a perfect male, so what are his "standards"? A true relationship grows with time, and both partners help and support the other to grow and mature, improving the relationship. I am married for 40 years, and we were never perfect, nor met each other's "standards", but we did past that difficult part. So can anyoneelse!

I was 24 when i met my girlfriend. Before then, i had zero experience romantically. I tried many times to initiate something, but faced rejection a lot. I almost wanted to delete myself. There was a long period where i became reclusive. I feel for young men who are lonely. It's very hard, especially in today's society.

Its not just in japan...its everywhere. Everyone is lonely.

Some girls signed up because the event offered free food... not in to find bae

its a lack of confidence and fear of opening up to others.

24:32 such deep words, then a giggle. Japanese people are so nice, trying to lighten the mood.

This was filmed years ago in a country half way across the world from me and I still cringed when he said "I'll have some water from your last bath"

I think Japanese film industry needs to produce more movies about a normal marriage where couples fight, disagrees , get cross get mad and angry and still can stay together and care for each other,

Maid cafes and idol groups terrify me. With say, a girl in an anime or game, it's obvious that they are fictional. I mean, they're a bunch of 2D pixels after all! So it stands to reason that they way they speak and behave is also fiction. But the girls in maid cafes and idol groups are real, human girls, who are behaving like fictional characters. This is where things get dangerous. I think it's blatantly obvious that these girls are putting on an act, but I suspect that many idol and maid cafe fans might not realize this. They're going to go though life, looking for a real girl who acts in the hyper cute and childish manner that these girls do, and they're never going to find a girl like that.

They need to change their culture when it comes to socializing. People should be encouraged to be honest but respectful, assertive and not passive. The shyness, lack of communication and showing unconditional love is what's killing all of us.

Japanese and Korean we grew up being told we must study 12 hours per day to go to good university and everything else comes after even dating. Then we consume a lot of pop culture to ease our mind from the pressure. Also we don’t have a lot of free time or place to go to spend spare time so we play and take break online most of the time. And you continue this life style even when you are grown up. Things only get worse when you grow up with all the other problems we have. so people lose hopes and become disinterested in finding love. It’s not that they chose this reality either. But in fact we’re not that different from our past generations. We are just not forced to get married like people back in the days with arranged marriage. Without being forced to get married we just choose not to. It’s a horrible decision financially anyways.

lol "id like some water from your last bath"

I think the objectification of women, sexualization of young girls,and ideas of "perfect relationships" are a huge problem. and the jobs for young girls over there are so shady.

“I want to live a life with less hurt”. I felt that l

Japan is out off this world which makes me love them more

I really wish I could talk to Keigo. He's got some major issues and I really wish to be the friend who talks to him about them and helps him get rid of them. This is so serious and so sad, but it's NOT a dead end, he can have that happiness still, he can get there, most certainly. His problems are SO fixable. I really feel for him. I wish I could talk to him.

I literally gasped when he said it's a waste for someone to love him! That's so sad. He's a sweet guy, if he could get over his fears he'd definitely find someone.

Another 10 years when this doll become live AI. This doll guy will be Visionary instead of weirdo.

Let's be honest, in a country that you have to study more than 10 hours a day in schools and even after that, and work 6 days a week for nearly half of a day , DO U EVEN HAVE NERVE TO TRY AND FIND IT IN ORDER TO HAVE MORE PROBLEMS???

Japanese movie makers should produce more romantic and relationship based movies .. The movies should potray the beauty of love and relationships and be more convincing to the audience... This might help to certain extent ..

7:35 Wow, how did he get the doll's hair to stick up so perfectly like that?

after watching 5 minutes: Wow that's bad. 7 minutes in; O.o oh... that's really REALLY BAD

Whatever makes them happy. Better to be alone and happy in a fantasy that doesn't harm anyone, rather than forcing themselves into relationships and causing hesrtbreaks all around.

I don't think it's rejection they truly fear. I think fear commitment.

OMG rural Japan is gorgeous. I would love to love there.

Love and relationships is not for everyone . Not in our days . Have your own project , to spend time . Lonelyness is a luxury problem .

i love the doll guy. that is super aweome hahaha

Sounds like my last BF. He spent most of his time watching anime, found out he had a "girlfriend", not like another girl but an anime character who he was in love with and so on.

"They don't meet my standards".. and he's like a 4/10

I am an American and almost 78. My one big regret in my life was not finding a relationship with a Japanese lady. I had a relationship with a lady in the Philippines, a French lady from Quebec, one from Mexico, a German lady from Austria and one from Colombia. Years ago when I was in my teens, I had a pen pal (pen pals were popular in the late 1950's and 1960's) and if my memory serves me correctly, her name was Michiko Haoka or Haoko. (Michiko? Are you still out there?) Why so many foreign women? Well, I traveled a lot because I had this powerful penchant for meeting all kinds of people and learning about their lifestyles, languages and culture. However, I have been looking deeply into the modern Japanese culture. While I think I would have a terrible time with the culture norms, I still would like to settle down permanently with an older Japanese lady. I speak Spanish, German and VERY marginal French. But unfortunately, no Japanese, but I have been looking at learning some of it on the Internet.

This is sad..... Imagine if we all just have a silicone doll as a significant other. Life would look quite boring and lonely.