Japanese company will ask your crush out on a date for you if you’re too shy to do it yourself

Deluxe plan costs over 140,000 yen (US$1,260).

A few months ago we took a look at Exit, a company in Japan that offers the unique service of telling your boss that you want to quit your job for you, saving you the trouble of turning in your resignation yourself. Kokunavi is another proxy service company, but its field of operations is a very different one.

Kokunavi’s name is a mashup of “kokuhaku,” meaning “confession of love,” and “navigation.” Instead of helping clients avoid the awkward tension of ending a professional relationship, Kokunavi is all about sparing them from the nervous embarrassment of trying to start a romantic one.

Kokunavi isn’t a matchmaking service, though. It doesn’t keep any databases of singles seeking companionship, and you don’t have to take any personality tests to build a dating profile. Instead, you tell Kokunavi about the person you want to ask to be your boyfriend or girlfriend, and they’ll deliver the message for you, as well as the response it gets.

▼ And no, there’s no refund if she says “Let’s just be friends.”

Kokunavi offers three different plans, with the mot basic, the Simple Course, costing 29,000 yen (US$260). True to its name, the Simple Course only covers conveying the kokuhaku and its response, but those with deep pockets to go along for their deep feelings can upgrade to the Support Pack Course, which for 59,000 yen includes advice from Kokunavi’s kokuhaku experts on picking the time, location, and exact wording of your confession of love, as decided on in two or three meetings between you and the company’s staff. Finally, the top-of-the-line Premium Course, at 149,000 yen (US$1,340) is a lengthy process on four or five conferences, and includes data analysis of Kokunavi’s past kokuhaku projects to help determine the method that gives you the highest probability of success. “As long as you know who you want to confess our love to,” the company boasts of the Premium Course, “we can help you plan everything else.”

Kokunavi realizes that some people might question the need for their services’ existence. “Confessing your love for someone is thought to be a simple thing,” explains the company’s website, “but actually doing it is not so easy. In carrying out the plan, there are many points to consider.”

Of course, some might worry that the object of your affection might fall in love with the person who delivers your finely crafted kokuhaku, cutting you out of the picture entirely. However, the company employs both male and female messengers, which should help alleviate such risks.

While the service might seem tailor-made for shy men, Kokunavi’s customer testimonials also include satisfied female customers. “I’m really glad I went to Kokunavi for help,” says a 25-year-old woman from Niigata. “My love confession was successful, and I was really impressed at their professional techniques.” Kokunavi is also keen to assure potential clients that there’s nothing to be ashamed of in relying on their service, and asks people to think of it like having a friend deliver a love letter to your crush in high school, just at a later stage in life.

Source: Kokunavi
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Pakutaso (1, 2)

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