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Akihiko Kondo, a Japanese man in his late thirties, became widely known after marrying a holographic version of virtual singer Hatsune Miku in 2018, spending more than $17,000 on a ceremony that reflected a deeply personal emotional commitment.
The relationship was made possible through a Gatebox device, a home assistant that projected Miku as an interactive hologram, allowing daily conversations and routines that Kondo described as companionship rather than fantasy.
That connection ended abruptly when the company discontinued the service and shut down its servers during the pandemic, leaving the device unable to respond and returning only error messages whenever he tried to communicate.
Although the hologram no longer functions, Kondo has said he continues to feel attached and keeps a life sized Miku doll at home, highlighting how modern relationships can depend entirely on fragile digital infrastructure.