Kyodo via Yahoo: BizTrend: Businesses set sights on would-be lady-killers
Japan's economy may have been stagnating for a while, but there seems to be a definite rise in the number of middle-aged Japanese men who dream of picking up women, preferably young and attractive, and are prepared to spend big bucks in the attempt...."Why do people want to wear nice clothes? Ostensibly just to look fashionable," says Ichiro Kishida, editor-in-chief of men's magazine Leon. "But it all boils down to one simple fact: they want to make themselves more attractive to the opposite sex."
The secret of Leon's popularity is based on its no-nonsense editorial style, dishing out advice on what men should do, buy and wear to have a better chance of winning a woman's heart. It contains sections ranging from "Small techniques you can learn from Italians to make yourself sexier" to "How to select the right wines to impress women."
..."While I'm reading the magazine, I completely feel like I'm a nice-looking Italian," says Eiji Katano, 36, a fan of Leon since its launch in September 2001. "Using Japanese models would not be a good idea because it snaps us back into reality."..."The reason I buy the magazine is that I can feel I too can become a smooth operator," says Katano, who works at an advertising agency in Tokyo....more...
