Perhaps the consequence of a decade of economic stagnation…
In the first month of the city’s [Atami] promotional campaign launched July 10, more than 1,500 male fans of the Japanese dating-simulation game LovePlus+ have flocked to Atami for a romantic date with their videogame character girlfriends.
The men are real. The girls are cartoon characters on a screen. The trips are actual, can be expensive and aim to re-create the virtual weekend outing featured in the game, a product of Konami Corp. played on Nintendo Co.’s DS videogame system.
See, Only in Japan, Real Men Go to a Hotel With Virtual Girlfriends – WSJ.com.