Gold 2017 / People / Life Style

Saori

  • Photographer
    Taro Karibe
  • Prizes
    Silver in Editorial/Photo Essay, Gold in People/Life Style

Senji Nakajima, 61 years old, lives with 'Saori' for six years in his apartment in Tokyo, Japan. They hang out, go shopping, sleep on the same bed. Although the only one thing different from any other couple is the fact that Saori, actually is a life-size 'love doll'. Nakajima, married with two children, who lives away from home for work, first started his life with Saori six years ago. At first, he used to imagine as if the doll was his first girl friend, and used it only for sexual purposes to fill the loneliness, but months later, he started to find Saori actually has an original personality. 'She never betrays, not after only money. I'm tired of modern rational humans. They are heartless,' Nakajima says, 'for me, she is more than a doll. Not just a silicon rubber. She needs much help, but still is my perfect partner who shares precious moments with me and enriches my life.' The trend for intimate relationships with silicone dolls, which cost up to 600,000JPY (app.6,000USD) has been rising across Japan.