04:15You send me - Miyazaki authorities swap dating apps for love letters to tackle plunging birth rate
Officials in Miyazaki have sent up a big yellow postbox as part of their campaign for slower, more old-fashioned, and hopefully more long-term romance, as seen on Aoshima beach in the city on Friday.
With dating apps all the rage, the authorities are relying on a return to traditional matchmaking and love letters for people to find lasting unions - and tackle the plunging birth rate in the country.
"Not many people are getting married, so we are trying to provide a place for these people to find love through correspondence in the city and to meet people," said Kanako Yoshida, from the office behind the initiative.
The yellow post box itself has also become a popular tourist spot, with dozens of tourists seen taking photos, and some of them even putting letters inside the box.
Those interested in taking part need to fill out a form, are 'matched' by the office and can then send up to five anonymous letters to each other, to see if there’s a spark.
"The problem is that Japanese people have difficulty communicating with others. I think the current trend is to communicate through SMS and e-mail, but I think that many people find it difficult to express their feelings," said Kanako. "So we started this project because we thought that by writing letters, people could take the time to express their feelings."
The campaign has so far resulted in 18 happy couples, although no weddings yet.
04:15Officials in Miyazaki have sent up a big yellow postbox as part of their campaign for slower, more old-fashioned, and hopefully more long-term romance, as seen on Aoshima beach in the city on Friday.
With dating apps all the rage, the authorities are relying on a return to traditional matchmaking and love letters for people to find lasting unions - and tackle the plunging birth rate in the country.
"Not many people are getting married, so we are trying to provide a place for these people to find love through correspondence in the city and to meet people," said Kanako Yoshida, from the office behind the initiative.
The yellow post box itself has also become a popular tourist spot, with dozens of tourists seen taking photos, and some of them even putting letters inside the box.
Those interested in taking part need to fill out a form, are 'matched' by the office and can then send up to five anonymous letters to each other, to see if there’s a spark.
"The problem is that Japanese people have difficulty communicating with others. I think the current trend is to communicate through SMS and e-mail, but I think that many people find it difficult to express their feelings," said Kanako. "So we started this project because we thought that by writing letters, people could take the time to express their feelings."
The campaign has so far resulted in 18 happy couples, although no weddings yet.