14 DAY TRIAL // Recent studies have shown an alarming decrease in the interest in romantic relationships among young people in Japan.
According to the Guardian, 45% of women aged 16-24 in Japan are not interested in making love. With men, the number decreases to a bit over a quarter, while still staying significantly high.
Ai Aoyama, a self-proclaimed relationship expert and counselor, says this is "a flight from human intimacy." She gives classes teaching people to connect with themselves and the opposite gender.
She works out of her home, located in a Tokyo back street. 52-year-old Aoyama helps people overcome "sekkusu shinai shokogun," or "celibacy syndrome."
"People don't know where to turn. They're coming to me because they think that, by wanting something different, there's something wrong with them.
"Some want a partner, some prefer being single, but few relate to normal love and marriage," Aoyama says.
Japan's youth is not constricted by religious moral codes, and they do separate lovemaking from romantic involvement.
However, millions of people are not even dating and are not interested in conventional relationships. 2012 registered as the year when fewer babies were born in Japan than any time in history.
Kunio Kitamura, head of the Japan Family Planning Association, warns that Japan "might eventually perish into extinction."
Faced with living in large, bustling cities where getting together is time consuming, many young people are giving up on love.
"Both men and women say to me they don't see the point of love. They don't believe it can lead anywhere. Relationships have become too hard," Aoyama explains.
She adds that more people are seeking her services.
"Most are men, but I'm starting to see more women," she details.
There are 16 million single people in Japan right now, and about three million of those are over the age of 35, some still living with their parents.