NANPA

'Nanpa' or 'nampa' (Japanese: ナンパ), in Japanese culture, is a type of flirting and seduction, popular among teenagers and people in their twenties.

Contents

Word

Procedure

Homosexual nanpa

References

Word

The word was originally rendered in kanji as 軟派 (literally "the soft school"), and was used in a rather different way — to refer to people interested more in fun and self-indulgence than in "hard" pursuits like politics, academia, or athletics.

Procedure

Nanpa tends to occur on busy streets and other lively public places. Young men stand at the edge of the street and watch passing women. When a woman strikes a man's fancy, he typically invites her to a café or karaoke bar. The evening may finish with a visit to a love hotel, or at least the promise for a second rendezvous. Although it is rare in practice, nanpa is socially acceptable in Japan, and tolerated as a natural youthful indiscretion.

Homosexual nanpa

There also exists a homosexual nanpa culture, especially within the gay village of Shinjuku ni-chome.

References