Matchmaking services getting more diverse

TOKYO —

Matchmaking services in Tokyo now come in a variety of forms—even one aimed at bringing together cat lovers.

So-called ‘‘cat cafe’’ Nyafe Melange in Tokyo’s Ebisu district, where cuddly cats are on hand to be petted, is hosting lessons for singles on photographing their favorite animal.

‘‘There are many people who are getting bored of the ordinary style of matchmaking events, in which men go around the seats to talk to women,’’ said Kazumi Nokajima, organizer of the event for cat lovers.

‘‘Here, I get to play with cats and also meet people,’’ a female participant in her 30s said, adding that she hopes to keep a cat with her future partner.

Meanwhile, Imado Shrine, a Shinto shrine in Tokyo’s Asakusa area famous as a place to pray for finding a spouse, has been offering a matchmaking and prayer ritual package since fall 2008.

The shrine gathers 20 to 30 singles in their 20s to 40s per event and conducts a Shinto prayer service to wish them success in meeting partners prior to the introduction session.

The service has proven popular and more than 3,000 singles have registered for the event. The shrine says it has so far succeeded in matching some 10 couples.

Traditional matchmaking agencies are also diversifying their services. In January, IBJ Inc partnered with Senior Communication Co, a consultant specializing in the seniors’ market, to launch a service to bring together parents in search of partners for their children—without their children’s participation.

‘‘It’s important that the parents can get along,’’ a father of a 30-year-old woman from Osaka Prefecture, who took part in the event in April, said. Seven couples attended the event.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/matchmaking-services-getting-more-diverse