Day 286 of writing every day.
We’re all targeted by ads whenever we go online or step outside. Using the personal information we provide to login to services gives advertising companies the power to target ads at us based on our age, sex, search history, and location, among other things. There are settings we can change that can restrict the type of ads we see by responding to ads and saying you want more or less in certain situations.
In my case, I found myself a target of machi-kon ads for one such event that took place today. I had time in the afternoon that made it possible to attend, I probably would’ve been at home doing nothing productive, so I decided why not. I might meet someone interesting, and I’d be walking in with no expectations besides the chance to experience something I haven’t participated in before. The pricing is quite skewed with men forking over 8000 yen at the default price, but the ad I got gave me a discounted rate at 6000 yen.
A dude I got put in the same group as mentioned he got a special invite rate of 3000, so I’m guessing they got the best bang for their buck. Women on the other hand, paid 1000 for the advertised discount rate and I even saw 100 yen for last minute rates. It was my first time going to machi-kon so I wasn’t sure what exactly to expect even if I had an idea based on a little internet research. The pricing difference is less about income inequality as it is trying to get women to come out and join the party.
Unfortunately, the men to women ratio was a little off and I estimated it was 3 men and 2 women at a table, so it was kinda hard for everyone to get a one-on-one conversation within a table group. While machi-kon is more open in the sense of people joining alone, I noticed a marked difference in the openness to conversing casually between those that came alone versus those who brought a friend.
Not that long ago, it used to be to bring a friend or risk getting left in the cold at an event if you weren’t brimming with charisma. But more people seem to be okay with going to such events alone even if they get nervous about doing so, so even if you don’t find someone you click with, enough people are alone that it’s easy enough to just chat with strangers for the sake of combating the loneliness from having not met any new people for a while.
I had zero expectations of finding a Japanese girl to exchange contact info with. If there was anyone looking to “date internationally” they’d go out of their way to find an exchange party promoted as having a lot of foreigners. My understanding of the logic of people (Japanese) who attend these is that they’re expecting to meet other single Japanese people.
The Flow Of Machi-kon
The registration process was done online so it was just a matter of showing up to the location and checking in with your name. The event was held at a place called Oriental Lounge on the 5th floor of a building in the Chayamachi part of the greater Umeda area in north Osaka city. It’s a spacious venue that normally operates as an aisekiya at night.
After checking in, I was led to a table where I’d be seated at first. Since I came around ten minutes before the event started there were already a decent amount of people and stragglers quickly made their way in. I wasn’t sitting awkwardly by myself even if I didn’t get to squeeze in a quick icebreaker conversation.
There were two other dudes at my table and both seemed to be younger than me. One was a grad school student who secured a job starting next spring, and another is a nurse who works in rehab. Despite being strangers, I was with them for the good part of two hours as we (the men) shuffled around to different tables as a group every 10 minutes it seemed.
The all you can drink system wasn’t really a draw for me since I’m not a drinker and stuck with the jasmine tea they served for soft drinks. I didn’t need anything sugary but it felt odd drinking tea out of a fancy looking glass meant for beer and cocktails.
Having no expectations of getting a date out of the event, I kinda sat back and let the other two do the talking. The grad student, despite claiming to be nervous, was very proactive on exchanging Line contact info with the women at the tables we shuffled to. They all might be a little older than him and there’s no guarantee they’d respond to any invites he might try to send them afterwards instead of ghosting him, but I applaud his efforts.
But not everyone was respectful of the system I’d say. Some men looked like they had a lot of practice picking up women. I’m making a guess based on their distance and their demeanor while striking up conversation. They almost always seemed to be asking to exchange contact info and improving their odds by sheer number of exchanges to see if they can reel someone in, rather than because they have genuine interest in the women they chatted briefly for around ten minutes. They’re so busy working their game they drag on the conversation even after the announcement to change seats and everyone else had moved besides them.
Bingo Time
Midway through the event, it was time for bingo, a favorite pastime that requires no skill but pure luck, and yet everyone gets asked to do their best in Japan. There was no mention of bingo on the event registration page, but it was a good way to catch a break of trying to make friends with strangers and people always love prizes. I have next to no luck when it comes to material things, so I didn’t come close to getting bingo.
In Japan there’s this obsession with bingo where they call the state of being one number away from bingo a “reach.” One girl at the table I was at was fortunate enough to win and the prize looked to be an Amazon gift card, which seems to be as good as receiving cash for some people who do a lot of shopping there.
Not Enough Time To Meet Everyone
I would’ve liked the chance to meet with more women at different tables, but after bingo was over, it was free time where men could move to the table of their choice. That notion seemed like utter chaos to me but I’m guessing no guy’s going to be stupid enough to try and crowd a table and vie for the attention of a couple attractive girls. So the event planners would have expected men to go to tables they haven’t been to yet and chat with girls there. Of course that option wasn’t available for all and I saw a few tables where it was just men having casual conversations as well.
Things wrapped up fairly quickly and I was getting tired of being around so many other people didn’t know either. I made my way out quickly after the event was over and the announcement was made for everyone to take turns making their way out and down the small elevators.
Aside: What’s an Aisekiya?
I’ve tried one of those types of places once in the past some years ago. It’s basically a bar/lounge establishment where men and women can go and eat and drink specifically with strangers as a way of meeting new people and potentially a romantic interest. Men get charged at a rate for the amount of time they stay, usually by every ten minutes and the price goes up depending on if they’re there to just grab food and drink, or if they want the establishment to find a woman who’s currently alone to seat them next to.
I dislike the system since it’s basically a system where men have to pay for everything while women can just lounge around and eat and drink for free on the condition they agree to have men they’re likely strangers with come and sit next to them and strike up a conversation. It works as a business too because there are probably a lot of lonely men who are trying hard to find a date but it’s just not working out despite trying apps dating sites or just not having anyone introduced to them by family, friends, or acquaintances.
Taking advantage of men like this to make money seems to only encourage a culture of women seeking sugar daddies as well. I’m much more comfortable if both parties pay to attend a social gathering for the purpose of mingling rather than it being one-sided.
Today’s post has been pretty Japan culture focused so I hope you enjoyed it! I might go to more events in the future if only for the purpose of learning what other Japanese people are like outside the ones I know.
Thanks for reading!
One Chance Works 