45-year-old Masayuki Ozaki from Japan seemingly has a perfect girlfriend – slim, attractive and always around him.

What makes this slightly different is that Mayu isn't real. 

Ozaki is just one of a growing number of men in Japan who are swapping the real deal for a lifelike sex doll. 

Despite the fact that he already has a wife and a daughter, Ozaki bought Mayu and brought her into his home. 

Physiotherapist Masayuki Ozaki takes a picture of his silicone sex doll./ Behrouz Mehri, AFP

Ozaki told AFP that he was lonely and didn't have a sex life since his wife had their child. 

“The moment I saw Mayu in the showroom, it was love at first sight,” he said.

He treated Mayu just like a real woman by taking her out on dates, something that infuriated his wife. When his daughter realized that Mayu wasn’t a Barbie doll, she said it was "gross".

Masayuki Ozaki and Mayu on a day out together. / Behrouz Mehri, AFP

“Whatever problems I have, Mayu is always there waiting for me. I love her to bits and want to be with her forever. I can’t imagine going back to a human being. I want to be buried with her and take her to heaven,” Ozaki said. 

One of the reasons for his obsession with Mayu stems from the difficulties he has experienced dealing with a human relationship. 

“Japanese women are cold-hearted,” he said, “They’re very selfish. Men want someone to listen to them without grumbling when they get home from work.”

Masayuki Ozaki with his silicone sex dolls./ Behrouz Mehri, AFP

Around 2,000 of the life-like dolls – which cost around 6,000 US dollars and come with adjustable fingers, a removable head and life-like genitals – are sold each year in Japan, according to industry sources.

Japan is struggling with both a falling birth rate and growing numbers of men leading more reclusive lives with sex dolls rather than human partners.  

Physiotherapist Masayuki Ozaki takes his silicone sex doll to the beach./ Behrouz Mehri, AFP