| The Internet woods are thick with mail order brides | | | | developed country, there are still quite a few of |
| from Russia, China, and the Philippines as well as | | | | Japanese women promoting themselves as mail order |
| dozens of third world countries. Nevertheless many | | | | brides on the Internet. One advantage of Japan being |
| men prefer Japanese women they are thought to | | | | a developed country is that Japanese women are far |
| make the best wives in the world. But now that Japan | | | | less likely than women from third world nations to |
| is a developed nation, however, are mail order brides | | | | marry only for economic reasons - that's right, you're |
| still available from Japan? Well, yes - but not nearly in | | | | may have to win her heart before she will marry you! |
| as great a number as before. Ironically, the entire mail | | | | But hey, that should be a good sign. The Western |
| order bride phenomenon started out decades ago with | | | | stereotype of Japanese women as submissive |
| Japanese-American men would write to their families | | | | handmaidens is not necessarily true anymore, and that |
| back home asking help in finding a Japanese bride (in | | | | applies double to mail order brides. Because of the |
| fact, arranged marriages are not at all uncommon in | | | | relatively low status of women in Japanese society, a |
| Japan even today). The man's parents would find a | | | | lot of Japanese women seek to marry Western men |
| candidate and the two would marry despite barely | | | | because they believe them to be less authoritarian |
| knowing each other - they might even meet for the | | | | than Japanese men. Yeah, it's also true that "traditional" |
| first time at the wedding. The practice of arranged | | | | Japanese women are more submissive. But traditional |
| marriages - marrying a bride you barely know, chosen | | | | women rarely marry foreign men - after all, marrying a |
| by your parents - was the rule rather than the | | | | foreigner (and living overseas) is not a particularly |
| exception in Japan until recently. Since at that time the | | | | traditional thing to do. Nevertheless, after living in Japan |
| US was far richer than Japan, Japanese-Americans | | | | for several years, I speak from experience when I say |
| could easily find a bride from the Old Country - to | | | | that Japanese women are by and large quite caring |
| marry for economic reasons only was thought quite | | | | and considerate (and some of them are LOTS of fun!). |
| normal. Due to the Western romantic tradition, this | | | | If you are looking for a foreign bride, in my opinion |
| practice struck most Americans as rather strange, and | | | | Japanese women are your best bet. |
| the term "mail order bride" came into being. These | | | | The Mail Order Brides blog offers comprehensive |
| days quite a few American men are looking for a "mail | | | | information about Russian, Asian, and Latin American |
| order bride" from another country. There are a number | | | | mail order brides. |
| of reasons for this. Although Japan is now a | | | | |