japanese people make me uncomfortable...

i consider myself a fairly open-minded person but i think this is pushing my limits just a wee tad too much. i read this story and it made ME feel awkward.

"Phenomenon - Love in 2-D"

Nisan didn’t mean to fall in love with Nemutan. [...] They went to a beach, not far from the home he shares with his parents in a suburb of Tokyo. [...] They took touristy pictures under cherry trees, frolicked like children on merry-go-rounds and slurped noodles on street corners. Now, after three years together, they are virtually inseparable. “I’ve experienced so many amazing things because of her,” Nisan told me, rubbing Nemutan’s leg warmly. “She has really changed my life.”

Nemutan doesn’t really have a leg. She’s a stuffed pillowcase — a 2-D depiction of a character, Nemu, from an X-rated version of a PC video game called Da Capo, printed on synthetic fabric.

umm... oookay...
apparently a certain LARGE group of people of otaku culture (obsessiveness with anime, manga, & video games) are down with these real relationships with imaginary characters.

here might be a reason for that:
According to a government survey, more than a quarter of men and women between the ages of 30 and 34 are virgins; 50 percent of men and women in Japan do not have friends of the opposite sex. One of the biggest best sellers in the country last year was “Health and Physical Education for Over Thirty,” a six-chapter, manga-illustrated guidebook that holds the reader’s hand from the first meeting to sex to marriage.

here are a few more article snippets that make me a little less than comfortable:

"...believes that a lumpy pillow with a drawing of a prepubescent anime character on it is his girlfriend."

"As long as you train your imagination, a 2-D relationship is much more passionate than a 3-D one."

"...in search of new character girlfriends to add to their collections."

"...a catalog of more than a dozen prints of prepubescent anime characters with giant does eyes in erotic poses."

and that's a whole other thing altogether! why are all those 'erotic' manga cartoons always prepubescent girls??? isn't that skirting child pornography a little too closely for anyone else's comfort?

i've put up a lot of content from the article but it is rather lengthy. it's an... interesting read and if you have the time and a wide enough comfort zone, i highly suggest reading it.