The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
Looking for love in the time of corona via letter writing
MIYAZAKI — At a time when many events involving face-to-face encounters have been canceled to stem the spread of the coronavirus, letter writing is being promoted as a heartwarming way to nd a prospective partner.
The Miyazaki Koibumi Project was launched in April by the Miyazaki municipal government, which pairs up individuals who register.
Participants are asked to write about themselves without disclosing their names.
Once members of staff confirm the contents of the letters, they put them into the “Shiawase no Kiiroi Post” (Yellow mailbox of happiness).
If a matched pair wishes to see each other face-to-face, a meeting can be arranged by the sta .
The project had already been launched prior to the coronavirus outbreak. Participants are limited to residents in the city and two neighboring towns. Currently, there are 67 men and 98 women in their 20s to 50s registered as participants, with 20 pairs exchanging letters.
The project was the idea of a local government official who was inspired by the strong bond between his parents, whose relationship apparently developed through the exchange of letters before they got married.
Kosuke Kajiwara said he had a chance to see these letters. “My mother told me that because the letters were something that my father had touched directly, she was able to ‘feel his warmth.’” he said. “Hearing that left quite an impression on me.”
A participant in her 30s wrote about her new job and sent a letter in midJune. A week later, she received a reply from her new correspondence partner. “I was so overjoyed and excited when I saw that I had a reply in my mailbox,” the woman said.
“e gentle tone of the letter put me at ease. I think we’ll be able to get to know each other more and more by exchanging letters,” she said.
“Because this is an era in which people can easily communicate with others via smartphone, participants of this project can experience the sensation of excitedly waiting for a reply,” said one of the project’s organizers.
Since 2018, the municipal government of Chino, Nagano Prefecture has been hosting the “Yui Nikki” (Matchmaking Diary) events.
e project organizers have arranged three events so far, with a total of 488 participants.
The matchmaking system is almost the same as the one in Miyazaki, and so far, 35 matches have been made with 17 of them going on to become couples.
In addition to matchmaking projects, there is also a program to encourage people to write letters to family members. This program, organized by the Kumamoto Pension Association’s Minami-Aso branch in the village of
Minami-Aso, was launched five years ago. In April, a project inviting people to write letters during the increased amount of time they are spending at home due to coronavirus-imposed shutdowns.
“I feel we can express our emotions more honestly and without feeling embarrassed when writing in a more formal manner than usual,” said Takayuki Kubo, of the Minami-Aso Tourism Organization, which supports the project.
“Anxieties are like to continue for the time being, so I hope this project will become a good chance to re ect on ourselves and take our time when writing.”