Japanese marrying partners from other countries is called kokusai kekkon, and it’s viewed by many here as an alternative choice for those who want something different than what a Japanese spouse offers. Currently about 6% of registered marriages are between Japanese and foreigners (8.4% in Tokyo), a high number considering we account for just 1.5% of the population here. Japanese females often have a rose-colored view of what it must be like to be married to an American, expecting that we hold doors and chairs like perfect gentlemen, do the dishes every night and sometimes cook up a romantic dinner for two. We also say “I love you” often, unlike Japanese men who supposedly don’t communicate with their wives as well, in some cases saying nothing more to them than Meshi! Furo! Neru! (Food! Bath! Sleep!) after getting home from work. Children produced by international marriages must surely be kawaii, just like having your own living Licca-chan doll. (Licca is a popular fashion doll who is half-Japanese, half-French.) When Japanese women think of marrying a foreigner, they probably imagine something like Darling wa Gaikokujin, or My Darling is a Foreigner, a popular manga about a Japanese woman who marries an American man and all the funny misunderstandings they have together. The series has been made into a major Japanese film now, which explores the challenges people from different cultures face when trying to make a life together.
“My Darling is a Foreigner” is now a major film release in Japan.
