Washinomiya, Japan - Self-confessed geeks in Japan who might ordinarily be too shy to ask someone on a date are trying a new kind of matchmaking: wearing cartoon character masks.

In a small town north of the capital Tokyo, 15 men and an equal number of women donned plastic masks of Doraemon, Mickey Mouse and other fictional characters to try to find a date last Friday.

"I feel this is an easier way to talk to people," said a 27-year-old woman wearing a rabbit mask, who introduced herself as Jet-Black Wings.

"I wouldn't be able to do this without this mask. I would feel too embarrassed."

The party, in Washinomiya, was organised for the benefit of "otaku" - people obsessed with high-tech products, Japan's manga comic books and the anime that sprang from them.

Otaku - often translated as "geeks" - freely confess to being more at home with their two-dimensional heroes than communicating with the real world.

As well as giving participants a boost to their bravery, the masked meet also ensured that people with similar, albeit rather particular, interests were able to meet each other.

The event was organised by the local chamber of commerce, which realised the power of the otaku-yen when its otherwise unremarkable town became a pilgrimage site for fans of the Raki Suta (Lucky Star) cartoon in 2007, all clamouring to see the place in which it was set.

"The direct economic effect from the Raki Suta fans is estimated to be 100 million yen (S$1.5 million) over the past five years," said Mr Shinji Matsumoto, one of the organisers.

"We are really lucky that so many otaku people come to this town. We want them to have good time here."

At last Friday's event, seven male-female pairings were formed, giving the afternoon an approximately 50 per cent success rate.

A 33-year-old man wearing the mask of a villain from a 1970s TV show hit it off with a 26-year-old woman with a Mickey Mouse face on. Both managed to keep smiling when they revealed what was under the disguise.

"My heart was beating as I was taking off the mask," said the Mickey Mouse woman.