LOCATION

OSAKA, Japan

QUOTE

"don't have to be concerned about race, religion and the socio-economic standard of others — so you can just send your e-mail and make friends instantly."

"They don't know how to work through their fear, and unless there is some kind of catalyst, they just feel like they are locked in a cage. It is very hard for people to get together like that."

"The Japanese are very shy, except when they are very young, and Japanese men are afraid of chatting up women because they are afraid of being turned down,"

ANCEDOTE

As they eye each other discreetly across the glass divide, which conveniently includes two transparent strips, the person who has identified someone to his liking (usually, but not always, a man selecting a woman) writes a brief "love note" on a sheet of paper. The note is handed to a waiter, who carries it around the divide to the other party.

The club encourages the parties to carry on their courtship outside, and Mr. Fukuda said that could mean at a restaurant, or, with a wink and a grin, often a nearby hotel.

Asked if he had not tried simply saying hello to strangers, or perhaps signaling his attraction with a smile, the handsome, 28-year-old man looked shocked. "If I looked at a person I didn't know like that, I could be considered a suspicious person," he said. "If you just smiled at a woman on the subway, she would probably move to the next car."

KEY VOCABULARY

sur·rep·ti·tious

Pronunciation: "s&r-&p-'ti-sh&s, "s&-r&p-, s&-"rep-

Function: adjective

1 : done, made, or acquired by stealth : CLANDESTINE

2 : acting or doing something clandestinely : STEALTHY

pro·to·col

Pronunciation: 'prO-t&-"kol, -"kOl, -"käl, -k&l

Function: noun

1 : an original draft, minute, or record of a document or transaction

2 a : a preliminary memorandum often formulated and signed by diplomatic negotiators as a basis for a final convention or treaty b : the records or minutes of a diplomatic conference or congress that show officially the agreements arrived at by the negotiators

3 a : a code prescribing strict adherence to correct etiquette and precedence (as in diplomatic exchange and in the military services) b : a set of conventions governing the treatment and especially the formatting of data in an electronic communications system c : CONVENTION 3a,b

4 : a detailed plan of a scientific or medical experiment, treatment, or procedure

opaque

Pronunciation: O-'pAk

Function: adjective

1 : exhibiting opacity : blocking the passage of radiant energy and especially light

2 a : hard to understand or explain b : OBTUSE, THICKHEADED

Main Entry: feu·dal

Pronunciation: 'fyü-d&l

Function: adjective

1 : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a medieval fee

2 : of, relating to, or suggestive of feudalism

en·dem·ic

Pronunciation: en-'de-mik, in-

Function: adjective

1 a : belonging or native to a particular people or country b : characteristic of or prevalent in a particular field, area, or environment 2 : restricted or peculiar to a locality or region

mod·el

Pronunciation: 'mä-d&l

Function: noun

1 obsolete : a set of plans for a building

2 dialect British

3 : structural design

4 : a usually miniature representation of something; also : a pattern of something to be made

5 : an example for imitation or emulation

6 : a person or thing that serves as a pattern for an artist; especially : one who poses for an artist

7 : ARCHETYPE

8 : an organism whose appearance a mimic imitates

9 : one who is employed to display clothes or other merchandise

10 a : a type or design of clothing b : a type or design of product (as a car)

11 : a description or analogy used to help visualize something (as an atom) that cannot be directly observed

12 : a system of postulates, data, and inferences presented as a mathematical description of an entity or state of affairs; also : a computer simulation based on such a system

13 : VERSION 3

14 : ANIMAL MODEL

synonyms MODEL, EXAMPLE, PATTERN, EXEMPLAR, IDEAL mean someone or something set before one for guidance or imitation. MODEL applies to something taken or proposed as worthy of imitation EXAMPLE applies to a person to be imitated or in some contexts on no account to be imitated but to be regarded as a warning. PATTERN suggests a clear and detailed archetype or prototype EXEMPLAR suggests either a faultless example to be emulated or a perfect typification. IDEAL implies the best possible exemplification either in reality or in conception.

STORY LINE

It examines the cultural aspects of love, courtship, and marriage around the world. In this it shows thatin Japan the common age for activities like this is more around the age of twenty in the U.S. you wouldn't normally see this in the early twenties but more guided towards the late twenties, out of college age.

BEYOND THE ARTICLE

Interesting Details:

~ Men and women are seperated between a divider of smoked glass.

~ This way they avoid embarrassment!

~ They go to extreme lengths to meet each other.

~ If a man sees a woman he "Likes" he writes a small love note and gives it to the waiter who then gives it to the lady. If the lady agrees then they meet outside or at another gathering area.

~ In Japan they usually avoid eye contact or public displays of affection.

~ The owner of the club said that the clubs do very well because it gives people the oppurtunity to meet people.

~ These men and woman are almost like shy teenagers.

Kasie W.

Pam W.

Erika S.

Ashley T.