lifestyle

Online dating in Japan: What apps are worth it and what aren’t?

9 Comments
By Hilary Keyes

So you’ve moved to Japan hopeful that the dating scene here will be ah-mazing and full of new excitement. You think you’ll find the perfect Japanese man for you right away and things will lead to a happy ending. Or just have some fun for a while. OK, it’s time to wake up now and get real: Dating in Japan isn’t an easy task. Most western men living here are either already in a relationship, gay or are interested in dating only Japanese women, and Japanese guys will often be too shy to come as close as ten meters near you.

But luckily, you say, we live in an era where you can find anything online. Especially dating. A quick search online will show you dozens of different deai-kei (online dating) apps, but, given that you’re new to this, how do you know what will help you find who or what you’re looking for?

Having been there, done that, I decided to do a quick poll of my foreign friends to find out what apps or sites worked best for them and what didn’t. So, here it is, our round-up of the 10 most used dating apps in Japan, rated out of five by a group of 15 international women who have used them. It’s up to you whether to swipe right or left!

Click here to read more.

© Savvy Tokyo

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

9 Comments
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I think it's kind of BS how all of these apps are free for women but not men, they're just as desperate to find a "good man" as we are. Especially someone like me who's spent plenty of time on konkatsu, gokon, and these dating sites, most of them women are low quality OLs who can barely hold an interesting conversation and have no career prospects, just want to marry someone and spend their day gossiping with other housewives over their cake sets and spending the husband's money. I consider myself a pretty successful guy with a good career path and a salary that's higher than the average compared to the typical salaryman, I want to find a girl who's smart and has some class, but I also don't want to go to omiai and just be picked because they are happy with my salary range. Honestly, that's insulting, what the hell do they bring to the table, what do I get out of it?

There's probably lots of low-quality guys on these sites as well so maybe for them those kind of shallow girls are enough to pay for a service, but I feel like I'm at a point now where they should be the ones trying to woo me.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I feel like I'm at a point now where they should be the ones trying to woo me.

I think I can spot your problem....

10 ( +11 / -1 )

I think it's kind of BS how all of these apps are free for women but not men, they're just as desperate to find a "good man" as we are.

The reason these apps are free for women is not based on desperation levels, it's an economic decision that the owners make based on how they feel they can get the most users and therefore revenue. The fact is, the more girls on an app, the more guys will join it. Allowing women to use for free ensures more female users, and ensures more men will be willing to pay.

I think I can spot your problem....

Clear as day.

I don't think the problem is where this guy is looking...

5 ( +6 / -1 )

The subject is of casual interest only, as, well just to say Kochi has fewer girls if any on any site than in Tokyo.

However, I think lots of people looking at this report will get great benefit from it though many would deny that.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

MaddenToday  09:13 am JST

low quality OLs...

low-quality guys...

but I feel like I'm at a point now where they should be the ones trying to woo me.

ROFL! Thanks man, that was funny.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

low quality OLs who can barely hold an interesting conversation and have no career prospects

maybe. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have a dream. The world runs on hope.

but I feel like I'm at a point now where they should be the ones trying to woo me.

Again, maybe. But ain’t happening, by the looks of it. Go figure.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Some apps like Tinder are becoming quite popular. Swiping left and right is an easy way to interact with the app. A safety tip to tinder user is not to share your personal information until you trust the person you are interacting with. Stay safe and don't rush while using free dating apps.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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