This Japanese city is encouraging people to write love letters; here’s why

According to reports, approximately 450 people have signed up so far, which is more than double the city’s initial estimate. About 70 per cent of them are in their 20s or 30s

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According to the Mainichi Shimbun, a newspaper in Japan, people who have been paired can send and receive up to five letters and that, too, without exchanging their name and address. (Representational image/Getty)

In the age of online dating and finding potential matches on apps before meeting them in person, a city in Japan is encouraging people to write letters to find their prospective soul mates.

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According to a report in The Guardian, the city of Miyazaki is seeing hundreds of men and women participating in a successful matchmaking scheme that involves writing letters to each other and then waiting patiently for a reply, instead of an instant ‘swipe right’ and ‘swipe left’.

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The report states that this matchmaking campaign is a part of the local authorities’ efforts to boost the birth rate, and that while there have been no weddings yet, the programme has led to 32 face-to-face meetings with 17 couples coming together ever since it was launched two years ago.

Per the report, approximately 450 people have signed up so far, which is more than double the city’s initial estimate. About 70 per cent of them are in their 20s or 30s.

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Rie Miyata, head of a local consulting firm commissioned to run the scheme, was quoted as telling Agence France-Presse: “It takes longer [than online dating], and inspires you to imagine the person you’re in communication with. It’s less about how good your penmanship is, and more the fact that you write every single character sincerely and with care, thinking deeply about the person you’re writing to. That’s what makes letters so powerful.”

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The participants in the scheme are purportedly screened and paired based on the information they have shared, such as their taste in books and films. Additionally, to encourage them to make choices purely based on the other party’s personality, profile photos are forbidden.

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According to the Mainichi Shimbun, a newspaper in Japan, people who have been paired can send and receive up to five letters and that, too, without exchanging their name and address. And if they wish to meet, the consulting firm can provide them with contact details, after which they are on their own.

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Per the Guardian report, this scheme was launched so Japan’s singletons could meet others like them, get married and start families, so as to battle a low birthrate and dwindling population in the country.

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