An investigation into the unique phenomenon of virtual fiancés in Japan... which could be our future.

While Japan faces a declining birth rate, millions of people are rejecting the outdated notion that women must be good wives and men breadwinners in redefining partnership and love through connections with imaginary and virtual partners. This investigation by anthropologist Agnès Giard, based on seven years of fieldwork, explores this unique counterculture and is complemented by striking imagery created by some of Japan's most renowned young artists, primarily women. This fascinating book will appeal to the general public as well as to the OTAKU audience and the academic readers.