Educational Media Reviews Online

This is a sensitive, well-documented look at how marriage has changed in Japan during the last century-particularly the process of finding a mate. At the start of the 20th century and until World War II, marriages were generally arranged by young people's parents, assisted by matchmakers called "Nakodo." Arranged marriages, known as "Omiai," were, perhaps, a natural function of a society in which conformity and obedience, especially to the wishes of parents and elders, were part of the bedrock culture. After the war, that began to change.

Through a fascinating series of interviews with young adults of marriageable age, older women, people working in marriage-related businesses such as photography, dress design, wedding planning, dating services, catering, etc., and experts on Japanese culture and history, viewers see how the process operates today. We also get glimpses of what young people do today for relaxation and entertainment and the forces that shaped today's freewheeling environment in which young men and women find it difficult to locate and meet appropriate partners.

It has not been easy replacing Omiai marriages with love matches, because of the limited opportunities for young people to meet potential partners with confidence that they are, indeed, worthy matches-trustworthy, honest, and kind, with interests and ambitions likely to meet the needs of a spouse. Alternatives to Nakodo have sprung up, including some run by university alumni organizations, others by commercial organizations, and, even, an agency of the Japanese government. Entrepreneurs with a vested interest in promoting marriage hold and manage parties that bring marriageable men and women together in "mixer"-style settings, or provide information exchanges about subscribers to their services that other subscribers can follow up on their own, if they wish. Run as private clubs, the dating services described here are rigorous about admissions and undoubtedly charge more than a little for their efforts.

On the other hand, experiences related by older women, who met their husbands for only a few days before accepting them as lifetime companions to please parents or family friends acting as Nakodo, indicate the old ways were not necessarily better. Over the years, women in Japan have come to believe that obedience to men-first fathers, then husbands, and later, perhaps, sons-is not all that life offers. Now, numerous careers are open to women as well as men and some young women are content to stay single, much to the dismay of their families. Others who wish to marry "someday" are choosier than their mothers and confident they are justified in their opinions. Men complain that a good woman is hard to find and suffer, also, from loneliness.

Technical aspects-sound, color, video, editing, pace-are professional and generally pleasing. Subtitles, in particular, are in large print and are mostly clear and readable.