Japanese killjoys wage war on Valentine's 'conspiracy'

Meh...

you really have nothing better to do with your time? really?

What, maybe ten members?

“It’s a conspiracy by people who think unattractive guys are inferior, or losers—like cuddling in public, it makes us feel bad. It’s unforgivable.”

I know plenty of "unattractive guys" who have beautiful wives and girlfriends. You idiots should take a look in the mirror and learn that looks are truly only skin deep. If you have a heart and learn how to communicate WITH people, and quit worrying about the looks, you'd find someone right quick.

I'll also bet that you guys have fantasies of marrying an idol or celebrity and are stuck on looks when it comes to women as well.

Hard to know if they are ironic or not. But this being Japan and all, probably they are deadly serious. In any case, it is quite heartening to see some alternative points of view for once in a place not renowned for many.

¥10000 says if woman showed interest, Akimoto would drop his group like a bad habit.

I think in future capitalism will create a new celebration event for each day of the year. As long as people are buying stuff .... .

I think in future capitalism will create a new celebration event for each day of the year. As long as people are buying stuff

Valentines Day is now the 3rd largest "event" (outside of traditional Japanese one's that is) in Japan, behind Christmas and Halloween.

What is amazing to me though, is as everyone knows the women give chocolate to men, traditionally that is, is the amount of money that gets poured into the economy from sales of associated products, somewhere in the neighborhood of $700 MILLION dollars per year. Consider that a moment, from the pockets of the women here, that much money gets into the economy for this one day event.

Meanwhile, security has been doubled at various aggressive installations, aka the axis of evil: Lotte, Meiji and Morinaga.

I fully support these guys!! I say we all join them in their plight to rid the world of this overly commercialized day of obligatory chocolate buying by going to the stores and destroying all the Valentine's Day candies!!!!!!!! Death to chocolate!!! All candies must be eradicated!!!!!!!

Aaaaaand more social wastes on frontpage. Daily quota - check. Although the people presented are obviously lacking mentally and morally, Valentine's day is a bad joke being for the sole reason to make naive or stupid people pay money for material gifts. So obsolete.

I'm with @bones, we need to eradicate these weapons of mass dejection.

look at the pic. not a single lady... just japanese men being.... japanese men! This place is amazing, good food, nice cities, beautiful women, but the men........ ALWAYS some 10 to 20 years old behind the gorgeous women.. Look at those masked goofies...... no wonder japanese men have some bottled up anger against us for "taking their women away". Your women is just under your nose. Stop being pathetic.

Although the people presented are obviously lacking mentally and morally,

Mentally ok, but morally? Just because a guy has maybe been jilted on more than one occasion and didnt get chocolate from the girl of his dreams is one thing, but how do they lack morals?

In reference to this group, last year around this time a JT poster got the most thumbs up I've seen for his remark about their mothers being glad they were out of the house long enough that they could finally clean their rooms. Encore credit to that poster!

I laughed at this until they said they were going after Halloween! Do not touch Halloween! I mean it! If you do I will shove a pumpkin into the place where candy usually goes!

I fully support their stand. Why would you give someone you purport to love something as unhealthy as crap mass produced chocolate. Might as well just buy them a bag of sugar and include a cute @plastic spoon with a heart on the handle. Schools have a problem with some less popular kids being spurned, receiving no presents while those in the clique get dozens.This is institutionalized discrimination. How is this good for fostering a positive perception of students when the message so blatantly sent is one is not worthy of the groups affection? Pure commercialization and I am sick of it! Bring back good old fashioned tandem rides down to the river and a picnic hamper a glass of wine with the ONE you truly love.

In any case, chocolate should be given both ways.

In response to "Yubaru" - They lack more than just morals if " in revenge" they form up gangs and go on disrupting daily routine or stupid capitalistic holidays for other people. It should be obvious, there is no justifying that.

Mrs Sense knows I'm avoiding chocolate, but will get me something intricate as it's the done thing. There are some things I'd prefer much more than chocolate, that you can't buy on Amazon.

Sorry to disappoint the Revolutionary Alliance of Men that Women find Unattractive, (actually from the photos few branches were broken when these Guys allegedly topped down the ugly tree), not only am I avidly celebrating St Valentine's Day,

I am creating all my own gifts, treats from my own home made dark chocolate. All tweaked to my interpretation of each Guys tastes. Maybe cupids arrow will work its magic. In the mean time I will settle for the chocolate form of public smooch terrorism to harness my inner passion-based capitalism .

Impressive slogans, clearly Katsuhiro Furusawa has been left crushed and hurt by the relationship.

Dango bongFEB. 13, 2017 - 07:01AM JST you really have nothing better to do with your time? really?

They probably don't. If there's one thing true the world over, it's that men who are angry about where they are in life because they are sexually frustrated or don't have satisfying relationships where they feel they have valuable connections with others will find the time and energy to organize and blame some outside force for their own unhappiness. Thank goodness in Japan they're protesting something goofy like Valentine's Day chocolate and not something serious like us immigrants being allowed to live, like they have in some countries.

Let's all make out in front of their protest, just because. Tho they're right about capitalism. Valentine's, Halloween, Christmas,that's a lot more about making big sales and less about meaning. And no, it's not just Japan.

Hahahahaha Valentine's Day = Singles Awareness Day (S.A.D.)

You are right yubaru****

Give them some credit for taking a stand. I think they deserve a generous hand - they must be fed up of using their own.

Bumped into this group in Shibuya. There were more police directing traffic around them than marchers. Very appropriately it was a 'lonely' march indeed with about 20 participants. Any fewer and they would have risked counter-chants of: "Come in a taxi, you should have come in a taxi...!"

I think these guys are right. Especially in Japan, where Valentine's Day is overly commercialised. These guys make to valid points, I think: first, on Valentine's Day, people's value is measured by the amount of chocolate they can accumulate; this is very visible in the fact that there are two types of chocolate given: honme choco and giri choco. The latter is given for various reasons such as "just because"; but ultimately and ostesnsibly to make those deemed unattractive enough not feel bad about their plight. In other words, a form of pitty. Second, these guys have a point in that members of society are trained to value themselves and others in terms of how much stuff they've accumulated; this includes a lover. Why do you think men value themselves in terms of how many women they pick up, and women are attracted to guys who have, accumulated, more women. Furthermore, many comments here solidify my thought about this. Many of these comments are deriding the protesters, judging these people for not being successful at pop, seductive culture. But what the commentators fail to see through their scorn is that these men are frustrated not at the abscence of a girlfriend, but because they feel less like men, in a society where a man is judged by his accumulations, of which women are definitely included. And so the commentators, acting in accordance with their training, are laughing at these guys, making value judgements about them, looking at them as losers. I wonder, though, how many of the foreigners commenting were in the same boat as these men in their own countries and decided to come to Japan because they heard the women were easy. I'm sure, much like these guys, they just wanted to get on with life (there is more to life than just sex) but society wouldn't let them; they were constantly being judged by their accumulations including women.

Why is one day needed especially to express your love? It isn't! It's a day for people to flaunt their accumulations, a.k.a. a lover, and boost their own sense of self-worth by enjoying schadenfreude at the expense of single people. This idea of a private love, and marriage for love are actually new concepts. Not surprisingly, this superficial notion ermerged alongside the industrial revolution and the furthering of the division of labor. Before that time, a marriage was about two families pooling their resources, solidifying and maintaining power and wealth. People didn't date, or even choose the person they would marry. So yes! Valentine's Day is as superficial as it can possibly get: it's a day to flaunt one's accumulations, and measure yourself using the instrument holding your hand as you walk and gloat. And this is so important that Japanese women will actually date a guy, pay for a date only for this purpose of feeling worthy on a day when society whips out one its harshest measuring sticks.

Unlucky in life, unlucky in love. Missed out on the charm gene. Blame capitalism. Anyones fault but your own for being a boring, miserable twat. SIngles Awareness Day. SAD indeed.

Kakuhido was founded in 2006 by Katsuhiro Furusawa, who began reading the Communist Manifesto after being dumped by his girlfriend and came to the conclusion that being unpopular with the opposite sex was a class issue, fuelling his anti-Valentine message.

The best satire writes itself. Karl Marx was writing about my inability to get a gf!? I see and Moby Dick was clearly written about my fat husband beached on our sofa, ready to sink the vessel of my life.

Previously, the killjoy group has also protested against “housewives who control Japan’s future” as their hapless husbands work all hours at the office.

Sounds like run of the mill misogyny to me. Deeply insecure guys who want to lash out at women and apparently anyone who's happily partnered up. You can be against commercial holidays without making war on love, public nookie or Xmas Eve date nights. And you'd elicit far more sympathy if you stopped winging about your lonely lives.

Katsuhiro Furusawa, who began reading the Communist Manifesto after being dumped by his girlfriend

So, in other words, this fool is just another jilted whacko!

“Just spend the day doing normal things. Our enemy is formidable, but we are ready for a long, drawn-out war.”

....Beyond feelings stemming from low self esteem or a vain inadequacy from a lost relationship. Since 2006 Katsuhiro Furusawa solemnly believes he has been conducting a war of attrition against what amounts to a long gone pagan festival of fertility. It's obsessive behavior, that one could be forgiven speculating what lies underneath such intense emotional feelings loss.

Hilarious. Peformance art.

I've spent a long time in Japan thinking the japanese-style Valentine's were only for women to give overpriced chocolates to the boys they like or to close friends.... until my wife rushed me to the nearest AEON to buy chocolates to ALL the 20 men in her company, getting the most expensive ones for her boss. You gotta do it, it's part of the culture, you can be seen as stingy if you don't do it.. seriously? All I can say is that japanese chocolate makers hijacked the date really big.

They should be protesting against the pressure put on women to buy girichoko.

Ok. They didnt know sex doll exists. They can find filipino or vietnamese girls as "girlfirend" and give aka name as theirr former girlfriend or idols.

The silliness that saturates the commentary here is actually funny.

But hello! Marx didn't have a girlfriend, he had a wife and kids. And he was probably able to contribute more to the understanding of human history, social processes, and the origin of money because he was not consumed with sex and love, and measuring his self-worth in terms of these things, unlike someone who actually doesn't have these things.

sounds like run of the mill misogyny to me. Deeply insecure guys who want to lash out at women and apparently anyone who's...

A man upset that women get to stay home, and with modern gadgets have two hours tops of house work, spend the rest of the time picking out flower patterns on wallpaper, getting a manicure, spending teatime in a quaint little restaurant while he gets his back ridden for 18 hours a day to maintain a relationship where he's awarded, like a dog with a steak, occasionally with sex--you call that misogyny? You've been well trained. And the comments here are telling: "unlucky in life, unlucky in love" It's actually the other way around: not being able to find love suggests and uneventful life. But it's a cliche, and you don't have to think when using a cliche. But the other way is more telling: unlucky in life,i.e., no money usually means no love, hence the connection between capitalism and romance.

I seriously doubt buying chocolates or not is going to ruin your social life or chances at getting a date.

..that said, the dating game is pay to play. You can't expect to impress or win over a girl with words alone. Gotta buy dinners, go to bars or prepare small shows of affection. If you are not willing to spend a token amount on someone, how should they interpret your value of them?

If this was a public service message of the insanity that is girichoco, I would be behind it, though the wife doesn't buy any girichoco anyway, so I consder myself lucky, or just practial.

A man upset that women get to stay home, and with modern gadgets have two hours tops of house work, spend the rest of the time picking out flower patterns on wallpaper, getting a manicure, spending teatime in a quaint little restaurant while he gets his back ridden for 18 hours a day to maintain a relationship where he's awarded, like a dog with a steak, occasionally with sex--you call that misogyny?

Yes.

You see, I'm always puzzled by the all-powerful housewives of Japan I keep hearing about. Especially since virtually every woman I know here is busy working. Single women, married women, mothers, young, old et al. See the link below for the latest labor participation rates for women in the OECD. While Japan remains a bit low at 60%, they're hardly an extreme outlier. The UK comes in at 65%, the US at 62%, Australia at 66%. Among affluent families in any nation, there are a lot of women who choose to stay home, for a few years or longer, very often with their husband's encouragement. But for some reason, housewives in Sydney or NY or London aren't seen as part of any sinister cabal threatening our future.

http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/employment/employment-rate-of-women_20752342-table5

all this mess because they misunderstood the holiday to begin with and even compounded it further with White day. Should have read the directions

Faux outrage to attract media attention, don't think they take it that seriously tbh.

Re “unattractive J guys, losers etc" who feel ostracized I actually think Japan is a country where quirky/weird-looking, geeks, nerds, skinny-legged, beer-bellied, balding etc guys stand a chance, more so than in the West I mean. May partially explain why so many 'fairly unattractive' single westerners move there (or elsewhere in Asia) in their 20s/30s 'to teach English' or enjoy J culture (not to me guys haha!).

Probably a bit tougher for 'under/lowly-rated' J blokes as they don't have their gaijin counterparts' exoticism but I still think with a bit of effort they could actually meet a very decent J/Western girl.

The only ones who should, imo, be taking to the streets (sort of) on V day in Japan are the many very nice western women who are still single. I remember listening to my (then) gf's Nova colleagues telling me how gutted they were to see western blokes they referred to as LBH having the time of their life in Japan while they were struggling to get a date! And they had a point! I was gutted/jealous too ;)

So J guys, ask a Western girl out for Valentine, am sure some/many would say YES, nothing to lose anyway.

The UK comes in at 65%, the US at 62%, Australia at 66%. Among affluent families in any nation, there are a lot of women who choose to stay home, for a few years or longer, very often with their husband's encouragement.

A truthful dialogue isn't possible until you acknowledge that women, as you say, can choose to stay home. Men don't have that choice. And women working in the domain of men because they must is a very recent phenomenon due to the growth of multinationals and the shrinkage of domestic jobs and wages. And to use single mothers statistically is crappy science. Men must work, but there are men who are physically and or mentally disabled, we don't deride them for not working. A single mother, because of society, is likewise "handicapped". Most single mothers would love a man to sweep in and set her free. And you don't have to be puzzled; often people make unconscious decisions. The dynamics between the sexes in modern, democratic societies have had time to cure and become refined. Your argument would be stronger if you simply said: don't hate the player, hate the game.

Revolutionary Alliance of Men that Women find Unattractive

Wow, that is a pretty badass name. I do agree with them about the over-commercialization of days like this though..

Yes I agree most holidays in Japan are over commercialised and people loose the sense of meaning for these things. People only do it from pressure from society. But people are free to show affection for each other on valentine's day or any other day. More people should stop looking at your phones, look up and open your mouth and socialise.

who began reading the Communist Manifesto after being dumped by his girlfriend and came to the conclusion that being unpopular with the opposite sex was a class issue

This is the funniest thing I have read in years. Guy get's dumped by his girlfriend,and figures --hey, can't be my fault...must be a class issue.

The only thing I would have to say to these people is, "Go back to your virtual romances."

https://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/no-sad-endings-for-japans-virtual-romance-fans

Didn't the leader of these clowns last year run off on them for a date or something? I could be wrong -- as I really can't see any of these guys getting dates, ever -- but I think I remember some funny 'scandal' about the group last year. In any case, the plus side is that it's a losing cause for these guys. They'll never get the chance to reproduce, so they're days are limited.

" Revolutionary Alliance of Men that Women find Unattractive"? If this were the USA no one would be laughing. On the contrary, "safe spaces" and the other signs of social sympathy would be offered.

Kakuhido, or the Revolutionary Alliance of Men that Women find Unattractive

I don't care if they're serious. I just want to say thanks for the good laugh.

Sure it is all about commercialism, same can be said for any noted day. But these guys protesting are something special. They are making themselves out to be even more unattractive with their killjoy behavior. If they already think they have a disadvantage in the looks department, they've just shot themselves in the other foot regarding their character.

Can't wait for the stories to come out that some bitter guy bought out every other seat in a cinema so couples can't sit together again.

Once they get back home they can enjoy time with their waifu pillows.

Why have both the posters and gatekeepers decided that this is funny and the members "clowns"? I suppose it's because it's still safe in Japan to have a laugh - even a sympathetic one - and not be chastised for being insensitive or hurtful and fascistic.

Bill MurphyFEB. 13, 2017 - 12:59PM JST " Revolutionary Alliance of Men that Women find Unattractive"? If this were the USA no one would be laughing. On the contrary, "safe spaces" and the other signs of social sympathy would be offered.

We already have them in the USA, they're called MGTOWs or Red Pillers or "Men's Rights Activists". Their safe spaces are places like Breitbart, 4chan, reddit fora, or Trump rallies. And no one laughs because in the US they have guns and have on at least one occasion straight up flipped out and murdered some women. On other occasions they "just" harass and dox outspoken women online with the ever-present threat that an anonymous member of their group might use that information to do the whole gun flipout thing.

So yeah, comparatively speaking, the Japanese version is a lot funnier.

Millennials in Japan.

Special Valentine safe spaces needed!

There is definitely more to beauty than just looks. People have their own beauty that they should be proud of, no matter how they look.

My wife and I have pretty much agreed to ignore commercially contrived consumer events like Valentine's Day. Nothing says love like a bouquet of flowers, chocolates, dinner at a crowded restaurant where the prices are jacked up for the day, and other gifts as required by retailers. Valentines Day is one big hustle.

Not that I agree with these marching guys.

Revolutionary Alliance of Men that Women find Unattractive

Probably founded initially due to the revolutionary alliance of women that found THESE men to be unattractive!

Chocolate tastes better with nuts in it

“Today’s Valentine’s Day. There’s a whole day devoted solely to love. Does that make any sense? Nah. Love makes us all crazy. But it’s fun too.”

― Lisa Greenwald

In the USA even women that don't have a "Valentine", do not get overly stressed or concerned and most guys could care less. Its Japanese culture that can not handle the idea of such a day. Yet Japanese companies gladly want you to love it.

Is there a similar group for women? If so, they should get together.

Pretty funny issue.

There's ton of leftover men in Japan, it's common to see popular guys in japan with 4-5 girlfriends and married men with 2 other sex friends.

We need the sex robot revolution!

Nah... Valentines day is actually dark and bloody. http://www.npr.org/2011/02/14/133693152/the-dark-origins-of-valentines-day

Katsu78 wrote: "And no one laughs because in the US they have guns and have on at least one occasion straight up flipped out and murdered some women. On other occasions they "just" harass and dox outspoken women online with the ever-present threat that an anonymous member of their group might use that information to do the whole gun flipout thing." .............................................................................................................

Thanks for the reference to MGTOWs, etc. However, Katsu78, could you quantify "they" as in "they... murdered some women". Murder in the name of a cause is heinous. I would have asked you to identify these people by name but you did mention they operate anonymously. It seems to me that groups from disparate parts of the political spectrum hide behind anonymity. Groups such as the KKK and ANTIFAS that rioted in Berkeley in response to the blatant provocateur Milo Iannopoulus. Yes, he's with Breitbart, but Conservatives generally shun him. And in case someone is about to comment on the late Andrew Breitbart, remember that he was a friend of Arianna Huffington and once did research for Huffington Post (now owned by AOL). One more note: let's not thank the MSM and internet media for magnifying the size and importance of the KKK and ANTIFAS and so promote fear and resultant distrust. "Those who tell the stories, rule the world."

“People like us who don’t seek value in love are being oppressed by society,” he added. “It’s a conspiracy by people who think unattractive guys are inferior, or losers—like cuddling in public, it makes us feel bad. It’s unforgivable.”

Well pal, if me and my girlfriend want to cuddle in public, we bloody well will! Deal with it!

Omnia Vincet Caritas - Love Conquers All.

Haters gonna hate!

Belrick: You might wish to put it "Omnia vincit amor". The HRC campaign slogan might have been rendered "Odium vincit caritas".

On my way home today I saw all these men buying overpriced chocolate,flowers and champagne for the S/O and thought to myself,What a bunch of suckers! I mean you spending all that money on chocolate which is not really that healthy,the flowers are gonna be dead by midnight and the champagne will give you a headache. I for one am glad Mrs Bones hates chocolate and flowers! This day is really for retailers who LOVE to take your money.

I'm not sure I get it. Is V-day in Japan about romance and couples? Isn't that Christmas? To me in my and my Japanese husband's companies, Valentine's is more like ochugen or oseibo gift-giving. My company is very casual so both sexes just give sweets to each other, some of it homemade. Husband's is more traditional and he does complain about being given expensive "brand" chocolate he has to keep track of so as to return appropriately on White Day, "and then all those ladies gossip about whose White Day present was best and which chub gave the awfullest present, blah blah blah" Not about romance or couples at all. Maybe high school and college kids make it more about romance? Not sure where this group is coming from.

who began reading the Communist Manifesto after being dumped by his girlfriend and came to the conclusion that being unpopular with the opposite sex was a class issue

Now I've read everything. Neither my husband or I are attractive by Japanese standards. But we are to each other, that's what matters.

Maybe no one liked them ?

This is as ridiculious as the feminist marchs.