Too-shy geeks in Japan mask up for dates
Hiding behind cartoon characters offers a face-saver for too-shy 'otaku' seeking love
Self-confessed geeks in Japan who might ordinarily be too shy to ask someone on a date are trying a new kind of matchmaking: wearing cartoon character masks.
In a small town north of Tokyo, 15 men and an equal number of women donned plastic masks of Doraemon, Mickey Mouse and other fictional creations to try to find a date on Friday.
"I feel this is an easier way to talk to people," said a woman aged 27 wearing a rabbit mask, who introduced herself as Jet-Black Wings.
"I wouldn't be able to do this without this mask. I would feel too embarrassed."
The party, in Washinomiya, was organised for the benefit of "otaku", people obsessed with high-tech products, Japan's manga comic books and the anime (cartoons) that sprang from them.
Otaku, often translated as "geeks", freely confess to being more at home with their two-dimensional heroes than communicating with the real world.
As well as giving participants a boost to their bravery, the masked meet also ensured that people with similar, albeit rather particular, interests were able to meet each other.