婚活 [konkatsu]
Don’t say that, please. I think I have been too nervous to hear this term because I turned 29 a while ago(would anybody say happy birthday to me?). Well, if you happen to be a teenager or in early 20’s, there’s nothing to worry about. But after you pass 25 or so, you would start to think about your future, especially marriage thing. Next? Maybe…home, child, or life after retirement. Too much to think about, but time sure goes by. Anyway, the first thing I have to start is 婚活[konkatsu] or spouse hunting. 婚活 is an abbreviation of 結婚活動[kekkon katsudou] meaning to seek for your partner for marriage. This origins from 就活[shukatsu], that is an abbreviation of 就職活動[shushoku katsudou] or job hunting.
This term was coined in the monthly magazine, AERA in 2007. When the sociologist, Masahiro Yamada talked about a marriage thing in the interview, he made this word. According to him, there are more and more people who can’t marry even though they want to. So that is why he thinks there needs an organization to assist them or whatsover. Why are there so many people who can’t marry? For one thing, men’s income seems to be decreasing whereas women want them to make more. Now, most men’s annual income is approximately less than four million yen(forty-seven thousand dollars) whereas women hope more than five million yen (sixty thousand dollars). It doesn’t match. But if you never marry, what will be waiting for you is…I think I have introduced here. I don’t believe it. Such a thing is kind of an invisible pressure named 婚圧[konatsu]. Don’t press me, please!
marriage agency
At any rate, what kind of thing should we do? If you already have a girlfriend/boyfriend, just keep dating. But if not, you shall join a match-making party. We say 合コン[goukon] which is an abbreviation of 合同コンパ[goudou compa] where several men and women are to seek for a partner. You can speak to them one by one to get to know each other. Make sure you ask his/her phone number for your next date. But if you want to join such a party, you would have to either find an organiser or organise it. If you can do neither, you can talk to the marriage agency[結婚相談所]. You need to register, yes, of course you have to pay registeration fee and make sure you tell your height, education, and income. I tell you what, in fact I haven’t been to this kind of agency. That’s what I heard.
Of course most people do not want to rely on such an agency since we want to find a partner oneself, don’t we? And most people seem to feel it’s embarrassing to use the agency. In my opinion, I don’t think so. Because we are not supposed to know where your fateful person is, right? そうでしょ？
Speaking of 婚活, I can think of the TV drama, 婚カツ！[konkatsu!] in which Masahiro Nakai from SMAP stars. The story starts from where a jobless man applies for a job. But when he knows only the married can apply, he lies he is going to marry soon. Because of this, he is obligated to start his 婚活. Personally, I prefer the hero in About A Boy or the one in 結婚できない男[kekkon dekinai otoko] or A Man Who Can’t Marry. Both of the heroes stay single because they don’t want to get married. Even though they are enough rich, they enjoy a single life. But in the end, they try to find a new life. I think there seems to be such a time for anyone, the time you really feel you need to change your life. Then you just change yourself. Nothing is too late.
People around me sometimes say I should start 婚活. Yes I know I should. Sigh, it’s too difficut because there is at least three items I would like my future wife to accept.
a. I am an otaku cosplayer.
b. I am an otomen.
c. Sometimes I cosplay characters from BL games.
Almost all of my friends say the same thing,”Man, no girls will come to you for sure.” Yes, I know.
[Cosplay] Eternally…-Saito x Chidsuru-
It’s November now, and it’s becoming cold. Speaking of November, we have beautiful Fall in Japan. In Spring, you can enjoy cherry blossom[sakura], but in Fall we have autumn leaves, 紅葉[kouyou]. Maple leaf or colored leaves are here and there. Cosplayers are always looking for beautiful places for cosplay. So…of course I shouldn’t miss this chance, should I? And Japanese costumes go so well with 紅葉. Now cosplay events are full of such cosplayers as Gintama, Nintama Rantarou, Sengoku Basara, or Sangoku Musou. And Hakuouki is one of them. I am a Hakuouki cosplayer, so it seems like I have been cosplaying Hakuouki a lot in the last few weeks. 紅葉 will disappear by next month, so I want to cosplay Hakuouki as much as I can before it’s gone.
Meanwhile, I had been waiting for this session with one of the best photographers I have worked with, highwaysong. He has taken my cosplays a few times like Durarara!! or Kuroshitsuji. He is such an awesome photogarpher that a lot of cosplayers ask him. So that is why I had to wait for 4 months as his schedule was too tight. But I booked this session on this day, because I wanted to take Hakuouki with 紅葉.
To my surprise, highwaysong brought a Chidsuru cosplayer who often works with him. Now that we have a beautiful 紅葉, it would be better for you to have Chidsuru, he said. He wanted to make this cosplay more like a love story between Saito and Chidsuru.
We went to the Japanese garden where highwaysong often uses for photoshooting. I was so surprised to see wonderful 紅葉. Could we cosplay with this!? I was too lucky. There were a lot of tourists inside the park, so it was a bit difficult to take cosplay as people got in to the photo. But highwaysong is a magician, how could he do something like this? There are just Chidsuru and me in almost all of the photos. The photos look so dramatic! I wanted something like this. I want to say thank you to him and the Chidsuru cosplayer.
One more thing, she told me one term, キャッキャウフフ[kyakkya ufufu], which means to act cozy or snuggle. You can say like 友達とキャッキャウフフした[tomodachi to kyakkya ufufu shita], or I had fun with my friends. She said, 斎藤とキャッキャウフフした[Saito to kyakkyaufufu shita] or I had fun with Saito.
Anyway, enjoy the photos, and have fun with kouyou. Please play the music before you see. Read the rest of this entry »
[Cosplay] Hakuouki -Kyoto Trip 2-
This is day 2 of my trip in Kyoto. The photoshoot lasted by 3:00 a.m., but we had to do check-out at 9:00 so all of us were too sleepy to wake up. Even that, we got ready quickly and set out for the cosplay event in Osaka[大阪]. The venue was the shopping mall named ATC (Atlantic Trade Center). It is the most famous cosplay venue in Osaka, and there were quite a few cosplayers.
ATC
After we changed, we shortly went outside to take photos. We all cosplayed Hakuouki, but the different thing is that we cosplayed Hakuouki SSL[Short Sweet Love], that the setting is school. You know, it’s a school-nized Hakuouki[学園化]. It’s not a fan-fiction, but officially released. Hijikata is a teacher, Chidsuru, Chidsuru, Heisuke, Saito, and Kazama are students. Saito is a prefect, and Kazama is the head student. Look at the arm badge on my left arm, which saying 風紀委員[fuki iin] meaning a prefect. It’s like Hibari Kyoya in Katei Kyoshi Hitman! Reborn.
We came to Osaka all the way from Tokyo, and cosplayed students and a teacher. It’s like 修学旅行[shugaku ryokou] or school excursion. In fact, I don’t like my real school excursion as I didn’t enjoy it at all. But…with my friends, of course I had fun! Read the rest of this entry »
Japanese words of anime fans, by anime fans, for anime fans 