The Game of Love

Exeo International hosts speeddating events to match foreign men with Japanese women. Kansai Scene gate crashed an event in Osaka to find out how it all works...

Exeo International’s sleek Osaka venue is a smartlyappointed salon on the 33rd floor of the Dai-san building in Umeda. It affords spectacular views over the city, should anyone care to look. But at an Exeo speed-dating party, peering out the window is the last thing on the agenda. Guests come in search of love. Or at least a date. But the odds are in their favor; by the end of the night, more than half of participants will leave with a date.

Men and women begin to shuffle in one-by-one and seat themselves in one of about 80 white, leather-bound chairs that line rows of small, square tables throughout the room. Everyone is meeting for the first time, and many cast furtive glances around the room trying to check out the others. But most are engrossed in filling out the profile card before them, vexed by such questions as “What are you good at?” and “What do you look for in a woman?” The answers may prove pivotal, since the cards are exchanged during the event to provide a talking point.

After a few minutes, the MC calls for the guests to sit down to watch a pre-recorded video explaining the basic do’s and don’ts of the event. The women are in their assigned seats with the men seated opposite them at random. After the video, the MC gives the command and they’re off.

more...https://www.kansaiscene.com/2015/02/game-love-2/