An unusual love story of a Japanese man and a Vocaloid hologram

Kondo Akihiko is a Japanese man who married a Vocaloid hologram named Miku. In a new documentary, he tells about his unconventional family life.

Akihiko was bullied at school and was socially awkward growing up. He always had difficulties talking to women, so when he “met” Miku, he immediately took a fancy to her. Miku is not just a doll; she is a very popular voice assistant and a Vocaloid hologram. Akihiko has several versions of Miku at home — in the form of a hologram and several dolls of various sizes. Getting a hologram of Miku was a real challenge for Akihiko. In 2018 the company issued a gate box with a hologram of Miku inside. Since there were only 339 pieces published, Akihiko had to go through an extensive selection process to be chosen. In addition to that, he paid about $2,700.
Not everyone welcomed Akihiko’s new bride with an open heart. His parents and many of his friends didn’t understand his choice and even refused to attend the wedding. Interestingly enough, Miku’s fans were also on the fence about such a bizarre marriage of their idol, while some were even outraged and sent threats to Akihiko.
Though there are still many people who find the marriage odd, unions between real people and online entities are becoming more and more popular. There is even an agency called the Space Dimension Crossing Bureau in Japan, which registers such marriages. And it stays pretty busy: two weeks after opening, it had already registered 3,805 married couples.

Akihiko’s friend Akihiro Nakamura is also in an unconventional marriage. He is married to an online game partner, but their union happened in virtual reality, and he doesn’t even know who is hiding behind the game avatar, but he is totally OK with that.

Akihiko is thrilled with his wife and is sure he will never leave Miku for a real woman.