These days, young Japanese people are crazy about Machikon. At the Machikon in Hiroshima on February 25th, 2012 about 3,100 people participated. Machikon is a compound word. 'Machi' means street and 'Kon' comes from 'Gokon' which means meeting, so the rough translation is “street meeting.” Nearly all of them are held by cooperatives of shopkeepers or as town meetings, or by the local governments. The entry fee is about 5,000 yen and the participants can eat and drink in the participating stores. Participants are distinguished by wearing a paper string band. The Japanese anticipate a rise in the marriage rate because they can have a chance to meet potential boyfriends and girlfriends through Machikons. In addition, they are helping to revive shopping areas in a bad economy. In this way, Machikon is helping regional economies and young people to make connections. If Machikon continues to develop and improve, it could become an important aspect of Japanese culture.