當我們還停留在看臉的世界，花癡地說著“你那么好看，說什么都是對的”的時候，日本單身族已經走上了尋找“靈魂伴侶”的道路。東京一家婚戀公司日前推出“口罩相親”活動，參與男女必須戴上大號醫用口罩，以便了解彼此的“內在”，而非只看“顏值”。

Looks aren't everything. At least, that's what one Japanese dating service is trying to prove - by requiring participants in speed dating sessions to wear white surgical masks.
顏值非一切。至少，一家日本婚戀服務公司正力圖通過要求參與速配活動的人帶上白色醫用口罩，來證明這件事。

"In order to achieve marriage, it is important to provide chances to know a partner's personality and values in the early stages," said Kei Matsumura, head of Tokyo dating service Def Anniversary.
婚戀機構Def Annivesary株式會社的社長松村佳依認為，“為了步入婚姻，在相識初期，提供機會了解伴侶的性格和價值觀很重要?！?/p>

"We chose surgical masks as an essential tool for that."
“我們選擇把醫用口罩作為這樣做的一個必要工具?！?/p>

White surgical masks covering most of the face are common sights in Japan, where people don them to avoid catching diseases, keep out pollen and, sometimes, just to keep their faces warm. Some women also opt for a mask on days when they haven't worn makeup.
在日本，用白色醫用口罩遮擋臉的大部分是很常見的景象，人們戴口罩是為了避免感染疾病、阻擋花粉，有時僅僅是為了臉部保暖。有些女性也在素顏的時候選擇戴口罩。

"Since I wasn't judged by my appearance, I think I was able to be more outgoing with women," said 28-year-old Yasumasu Kishi at a weekend speed dating event for 19 men and 18 women.
28歲的岸康增參加了一場19位男士、18位女士參與的周末速配活動，他說：“因為不以長相作判斷標準，我想我能在女性面前更開朗?！?/p>

Dating services are booming in Japan as young people shy from tying the knot. The marriage rate has plunged by 50 percent over the last 40 years, from 10.1 per thousand in 1975 to 5.1 per thousand in 2014, according to a Health Ministry survey.
因為年輕人對于結婚這件事很害羞，使得婚戀服務在日本相當繁榮。根據日本衛生部的調查，在過去40年里，日本的結婚率下降了50%多，1975年的結婚率為1.01%，到2014年為0.51%。

Young people brought up in the digital era find face-to-face encounters daunting in ultra-polite Japan, while long work hours add still another hurdle. These make konkatsu - active "marriage seeking activity" - often the only option.
數字時代下長大的年輕人發現，在日本這個非常有禮貌的國家，面對面的接觸讓他們膽怯，而長時間的工作又為此設置了一個障礙。這讓“獵婚”——定期參加“征婚活動”常常成為唯一的選擇。

"I think I was able to find out more about their inner selves and not just judge them by their looks," said Chiharu Tsukahara, a 28-year-old office worker.
28歲的白領冢原千春稱，“我想我能夠更了解他們的內在，而不是僅僅以貌取人?！?/p>

"In this event, personality matters. I quite liked that," she added as she prepared to leave with Kishi and two friends for another date. This time, masks were optional.
“在這場活動中，性格真的很重要。我非常喜歡這點。”她還表示準備與岸和兩位朋友參加下次約會。這次活動，口罩不是強制的。

英文來源：路透社
翻譯：董靜
編審：yaning