There are many different types of social gatherings in Japan. Young people attend those events to make new friends and find their potential partners. "Kurayamikon" is one of them. As the literal meaning of “kurayami” implies, the gathering takes place in the dark where all of the participants are blindfolded. In contrast to other social events, "kurayamikon" only allows participants to get to know each other by scent, smell, touch, and of course, conversation. It is truly what you call a "blind date."

 

So how does Kurayamikon work? First, all participants are blindfolded and led into a dark room by event assistants. Men sit on one side of the table, and women sit on the other side. Food is provided in the gathering, so everyone wears an apron to keep their clothes clean. Due to the darkness and blindfolding, participants don't need to worry about whether they will look bad while eating. While eating, participants need to guess what is on their plate and describe it to each other. After the meal, the event assistants ask participants to describe their own physical appearance.

As a way to get to know each other, the participants are allowed to smell and touch one another’s hands and faces. At the end of the event, each participant writes down the name of the person he or she likes on a piece of paper and hands it to the event assistants where they announce compatible matches.

Kurayamikon is far from a typical date, but there's no doubting this out-of-the-ordinary experience will help to break the ice. Are you ready to find your true love with a real "blind date"?