Between the traditions of the past and the modern, globalized world, how do Japanese couples get engaged these days? In the West, marriage proposals have some common features: the man plans something elaborate for his lady, produces a ring and pops the question. After my boyfriend proposed, I became curious about marriage proposals and engagements in Japan. So, I surveyed six married Japanese friends on their own experiences and their observations of society more broadly. While there were lots of similarities, there were also some enlightening differences. Here are five ways marriage proposals…