The Taste of a 'Fateful Encounter'... Japan, Where People Don't Date, Even Has This Kind of Bread

Bakery and Electronics Company Join Hands to Launch 'AI Bread'
From Meeting to Breakup... Indirect Dating Experience
70.3% of Japanese Aged 20-49 Say "No Partner"

Bread that allows indirect experience of romance has been attracting attention. On the 14th (local time), CNN reported, "Japanese bakery 'Kimuraya' and electronics company Nippon Electric (NEC) have released 'Romance AI Bread' that enables indirect experience of emotions felt during romance." They developed bread using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

[Image source=NEC homepage capture]

The meeting of bread and AI was in the filling ingredients. They utilized two AI technologies: first, before developing the bread, they converted 15 hours of a romance reality program into text using AI. Then, through another AI program, they assigned 'emotion scores' to scenes where romantic feelings appeared in conversations among high school students in the program, and included a database of 35,000 songs with food names in the lyrics.

Based on the visual map formed through this, the development team began to identify the filling ingredients. They found ingredients connected to specific emotions and incorporated them into the bread. The breads released came in five flavors, each expressing 'Fateful Encounter,' 'First Date,' 'Jealousy,' 'Tearful Breakup,' and 'Mutual Understanding.' The 'Jealousy' flavor bread included purple sweet potato, truffle oil, and raisins, while 'Mutual Understanding' contained peach, dragon fruit, and honey.

Why should one feel romantic emotions through bread in the first place? The answer lies in Japan's issue of 'young people not dating.' According to a survey conducted last year by the Japanese marriage information company research institute 'Recruit Bridal General Research,' targeting 1,200 unmarried men and women aged 20 to 49, 70.3% of respondents had no romantic partner. Especially, 46% of unmarried men in their 20s were found to be 'motesolro'?those who have never dated anyone of the opposite sex.

In response, NEC stated on their website, "(In Japan) the number of young people dating is decreasing, but the number of young people who want to date is not declining." They added, "Inspired by this idea, we developed 'AI Bread' that allows indirect experience of romance."

CNN analyzed, "The taste of love may vary depending on whom you ask, but a Japanese bakery chain used AI to find the answer," and explained, "(The bakery and electronics company) formed an unusual partnership because both faced the challenge of how to attract Japan's younger generation."