What first comes to mind when we think about Japanese women? A sweet, graceful little lady, faithfully following her husband? In a way, it is true: Japanese women are charming. On their face, as a rule, you can see a polite smile — a tribute to social norms. They are graceful like most Asian women. That is why most American men seek romantic relationships with Japanese ladies. Consider the following review as your assistant in search of the best Japanese dating site. After suggested online dating platforms goes a unique Japanese dating tip to make a virtual acquaintance more pleasurable.
Sites To Find Japanese Woman
FindAsianBeauty | 9.9 | Read review |
DateAsianWoman | 9.5 | Read review |
BeautifulAsianGirls | 9.3 | Read review |
AsianBeautyOnline | 9.1 | Read review |
AsiaLadyDate | 9.0 | Read review |
2020 Ranking: 5 stars. Billed as “the best dating site on Earth,” OkCupid’s Japanese version is much more detail focused than Bumble or Tinder, with the average time to fill out your profile coming in at around 45 minutes. Because every relationship starts with friendship, meeting face to face for the first time is even more fun. Meeting Local Japanese Men and Japanese Women has never been more accessible and safe with the Japanese dating app TrueLoveJapan and the free learning tools that comes with!
Top Japanese Dating Websites
JapanCupid.com
If you are wondering, “What dating sites do Japanese people use?” the evident answer is JapanCupid. A vibrant online community’s service offers to meet Japanese singles with over a hundred thousand active members. It may not be as common as other English Japanese dating sites, but thanks to a useful message translation tool, it will be easy for dating partners to understand each other.
Registration
The sign-up process is a piece of cake. It will take only a few minutes to fill up the registration form. The essential data is standard for every dating platform: you mention your name and gender. You may connect the dating account to your email and set the password, or you may synchronize it with your Facebook profile. Section About Me offers to describe your ideal partner, your preferences, and your expectations. You may skip it or fill it out briefly. But keep in mind that comprehensive disclosure will enhance your chances of finding the perfect Japanese match. Besides, the service will remind you to complete this section from time to time.
Search and Matchmaking Features
The platform offers two options for finding a partner. You can manually set the search parameters, specifying which characteristics you are interested in (age, marital status, education, religion, etc.). Or you can rely on the site matching algorithms, which will select and offer you, candidates based on the same criteria you specified during registration. You can also sort other members by parameters on the site: e.g., only new members or only viewing photos.
Chats and Communication
JapanCupid offers a vast range of communication options from Instant Messaging to audio and even video chat. However, they are available only for users who upgraded their profile to Gold/Premium membership. Otherwise, you can view other members’ profiles, but you can only communicate with those who have Premium status. Hence, purchasing a Gold membership gives you far more options to express your interest in another person.
Tinder
It’s more than a Japanese dating site in the USA. It is a part of popular culture. Tinder covers many countries worldwide. And it even became a household name. As they say, everyone has one’s Tinder period in their life. Indeed, it refers to those times when one seeks instant hookups that could grow into something bigger and exclusive. Let’s take a closer look at the dating platform itself.
Registration
One of the reasons why Tinder won a reputation among millions of users worldwide is that everything about Tinder is simple and easy. You set basic parameters by location, gender, and age, and you are given a feed of photos of all candidates. Then you just scroll through the feed of photos and either like the person’s profile or not. You can start a correspondence only if the sympathy is mutual and both members like each other.
Search and Matchmaking Features
Unlike other Japanese free dating sites, there are not many options for filtering members in Tinder, among which you can choose the one that suits you best. The algorithm works in such a way that you make your choice based on visual perception: whether you like the potential partner in the photo or not. With a simple swipe movement to the right, you make your choice in the direction of communication, to the left — pass and continue your search.
Chats and Communication
The service was designed to turn virtual communication into a date in reality. Therefore, it is crucial to indicate your location for the search of a partner. Of all the possibilities for communication, you have a chat. And the course of further events depends on the course of your contact in it.
Pairs
Scrolling through various Japanese dating sites reviews shows a huge possibility you will see Pairs in most of them. No wonder. Founded in 2012, this Japanese dating site became famous among millions of active users, and it is a leading product in the niche.
Registration
Sign-in is free for both men and women, and the support team verifies the registration information. People under the age of 18 cannot use the application. Needless to say, there are no fake accounts. This site supports people who are looking for serious relationships and marriage.
Search and Matchmaking Features
In the profile, you can specify not only necessary information such as age, place of residence, height, nature of work, annual income, etc., but also much more — do you want to get married, have children, how you will be involved in housework and parenting, how you plan to allocate expenses during the first meeting (for example, a man pays, or split expenses equally). These fields can be left blank, but such questions can cause mutual misunderstandings during dating, relationship creation, and marriage, and some topics may not be comfortable to ask in person. Conveniently, you can clarify all this before you start your Japanese date.
Chats and Communication
This Japanese site’s distinctive feature is that free membership allows you to send only one message to your Japanese match. In case you want to proceed with your communication, you will be asked to purchase a Premium subscription. The peculiarity is that the site will block any attempts to share emails or phone numbers in first messages. A free membership gives you 30 likes in total to show your interest in other members. And you may send five likes per day.
Omiai
The word Omiai refers to the Japanese tradition of introducing individuals to each other as potential husbands and wives. Omiai is the most recognizable Japanese dating site. You can choose a partner according to 24 criteria, including age, nationality, income, and personal qualities.
Registration
It is a Facebook related dating site. Hence, the sign-in process takes only a few minutes as you connect it with your social media profile. Still, verification of a new account takes 24 hours to be checked. At some point, it may seem comparably a bit longer before you can start chatting. But, on the other hand, you may rest assured that people who you are communicating to via site are genuinely those whom you expect them to be.
Search and Matchmaking Features
The language of the site is entirely Japanese. At first, you may find it a bit sophisticated in navigation. But then again, unlike many other Japanese American dating sites, this one gives you a natural, authentic Japanese vibe. 24 different parameters by which you can sort members on the site allows you to narrow down your searching as accurately as possible.
Chats and Communication
Omiai is focused on building exclusive relationships between members. Therefore, if you are more into instant hookup sites, then you may choose from other suggested options. But if you are looking for not just a pretty face but the love of your life, then this Japanese dating site is your top-notch choice. The platform is completely free for women. Men are offered to purchase a paid subscription. Due to this measure, female members may be sure that males are honest about their marital intentions. A Premium Membership allows you to:
- view who has read your messages
- make contact with other members
- send virtual presents to your matches
Tapple
This is one of the most interesting real dating sites for Japanese girls, and here is why. While most of the relationship-focused apps are developed by the same principle, Japanese developers went further and designed something genuinely peculiar. Tapple is oriented on matching people by their common interests and hobbies. Hence, instead of seeking beautiful looking face, you can find someone who will share your life passions. This must be one of the most accurate ways of narrowing down your matching options.
Registration
The first step of the sign-up process is to connect your account with your email or Facebook profile. The second one is filling out your name, gender, and birthdate. Then you set the password and upload the photo. Be aware that all of those sections must be filled out in Chinese or Japanese.
Search and Matchmaking Features
The search and matchmaking algorithms will show you a list of hobbies you may prefer to choose. Since they all are written in Japanese, they have visual icons, so it would be easy to understand them without a translator. As you choose those that you prefer the most, you will see the list of members who share the same interests as you. That is how you find your Japanese match.
Chats and Communication
The chat option becomes available as you swipe to the right picture of the members in your list. Then you wait for a mutual reaction from their side. And if so — you can set off your conversation. There is a unique Outing function at the site. Due to the latter mentioned, you have only 24 hours to talk about your interests and set a date. Otherwise, the conversation will be deleted.
Dating Tips for Japanese Sites
Japanese culture is very traditional. Therefore, regarding matrimonial services, you may not find such things as older Japanese women dating sites. However, your romantic experience with a Japanese girl will be filled with tenderness and charm. The most popular Japanese dating sites are focused on building solid exclusive relationships. Therefore, honesty and straightforwardness are essential here. Keep it frank and accurate, yet be delicate.
And last but not least. There is such an utterly inexplicable thing: as soon as you see a person, you immediately 100% understand there is chemistry between you two or not. When you have many options to choose from to make your Japanese date genuinely good, use your intuition.
Conclusion
So what are the best Japanese dating sites? The answer is the one that suits you the most. You may search through tons of views, but the best option will be the one that will help you to find your happiness with the Japanese girl of your dreams.
10 dating apps to swipe right or left depending on what you’re looking for in your next relationship here in Japan.
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. While that’s a great mindset to have, it’s time to get real. Most foreign women living in Japan that want a serious relationship need to put in more legwork than they might otherwise overseas. Shyness combined with language and cultural barriers plus the not-so-little matter of a global pandemic make dating an even more stressful situation than it typically is.
But luckily, we live in an era where you can find anything online—even relationships. A quick search online will show you dozens of different deai-kei (出会い系 online dating) apps, but 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. 15 international women living in Japan gave the original rankings out of five stars when this article was first published in 2017, and five of that same group helped to update this ranking for the dating scene in 2020. It’s up to you whether to swipe right or left!
1. Tinder
One that doesn’t need an introduction. While most people are “just looking” on Tinder, if you’re actively trying, you can not only meet people to date, but new friends, drinking buddies, networkers and activity mates. I found a whole group of men and women to check out summer festivals with, so I can speak from experience when I say that Tinder isn’t just for hanky panky.
In 2020, Tinder began offering its global passport, normally a paid service, for free to all users. It enabled them to better connect and communicate, which for several of the ladies was a huge bonus.
- Language: English, Japanese
- Fees: Free, special features require a monthly subscription
- Original Ranking: 4 stars
- 2020 Ranking: 5 stars
2. Bumble
Free Dating Sites For Seniors
Bumble markets itself as the app where the woman makes the first move, and if she doesn’t message, then the match disappears after 24 hours. This app also relies on the user having a Facebook profile first in order to log in, which has made it a bit slow to catch on in Japan, but it is gaining in popularity because of its “women get to choose” option.
One of the women I surveyed (and who found her current Japanese boyfriend through this app) summarized it as follows: “There are a lot of guys on there, and most of them aren’t on other apps as well. You don’t find as many fake profiles on Bumble as you do with other sites, and you get to control the whole ‘am I going to bother talking to him’ part, which is really nice.”
In 2020, the app is not just for dating, but also for business opportunities, and making friends too. Within the app, you can switch from one feature to another, which makes it very versatile for the global community, and also a great way to keep in touch and build your social circle from a safe distance.
- Language: English, Japanese
- Fees: Free, special features require a monthly subscription
- Original Ranking: 4½ stars
- 2020 Ranking: 5 stars
3. OkCupid Japan
Billed as “the best dating site on Earth,” OkCupid’s Japanese version is much more detail focused than Bumble or Tinder, with the average time to fill out your profile coming in at around 45 minutes. You can of course opt to leave most of your profile empty, but based on the experiences shared with me, it isn’t recommended, because you’re most likely to remain unnoticed. According to one woman who has used it, “OkCupid has a lot of serial daters on it, so if you use other dating apps/sites, you may be discouraged by the dating pool overall.”
In the 2020 dating scene, it’s still a staple, but the imbalance in users and the volume of fake profiles is staggering. It’s also said to be a hassle to sign up for too, so unless you’re really determined to use it, you’d probably have less trouble with a different app.
- Language: English, Japanese, and others
- Fees: Free, special features require a monthly subscription
- Original Ranking: 3 stars
- 2020 Ranking: 2 stars
4. JapanCupid
Not to be confused with OkCupid, JapanCupid is a part of the Cupid Media Group, a niche-based dating site group, that connects users with people from around the world rather than just in their immediate area. While this makes it somewhat less appealing to users in Japan, JapanCupid is popular with those who will not be staying in Japan for the long term, and with those who are looking for someone to marry—though apparently there are far more Japanese women on this site than there are Japanese men.
Unfortunately in 2020, not much seems to have changed, and when a different friend logged in, she was inundated with a number of obviously fake profiles and soon deleted her account. “Claiming a 20-year-old Korean pop star is really you, but you’re a 36-year-old Japanese man? No thanks.”
- Language: English, Japanese, and others
- Fees: Free, special features require a monthly subscription/fees
- Original Ranking: 3 stars
- 2020 Ranking: 1 star
5. MatchAlarm
MatchAlarm was a Japanese language only dating app that recommended a new person to you every morning at 8 a.m. based on your social information gleaned from your Facebook profile and behavior. You had 16 hours to respond to an alarm, after which it would disappear, and would require three coins (a part of the in-app payment system) in order to tap the “Might Like You” button. But unfortunately, MatchAlarm is no more, and therefore no longer part of the ranking.
6. Omiai
The largest online dating site and app service in Japan that relies on your Facebook profile (or Apple ID, or phone number now) to search for your ideal match. This is another konkatsu service, so unless you’re looking for a serious relationship, Omiai might not be the site for you. There are 24 points that you can filter your results by, including nationality and income level, which some users pointed out makes this site seem more for sugar daddy searching than anything else, but overall, no one had any serious complaints about this site.
For daters in 2020 with the Japanese language skills to keep up, Omiai has somewhat rebranded itself in more of a Tinder/Instagram friendly fashion, and strictly placed focus on it being a relationship/marriage-centric app. If you’re seriously looking to meet a marriage partner, this is probably your best option when it comes to dating apps.
- Language: Japanese
- Fees: Free for women, ¥1,950 per month (for the 12-month plan) for men
- Original Ranking: 4 stars
- 2020 Ranking: 4 stars
7. Tapple
Tapple is a dating app where, instead of filling out a profile and searching for people, you fill out the qualifiers of what sort of man you’re interested in, and then join different groups based on your hobbies. Then, you’re shown a selection of men who share that interest and meet your criteria, and you can either like, skip, or super like their profile.
While I had some positive experiences meeting and talking to people on this app, when the time came to actually meet in person, the people that I spoke to were very hesitant to meet offline. One guy actually said he preferred to talk and date online exclusively. Other foreign female users I spoke with had similar results, so this might not be a good choice if you are seriously looking to meet someone.
Thanks to numerous updates to a more streamlined, Tinder-like service, plus TV and online commercials in 2020, Tapple has become a very competitive app, preferred by those in their 20s who are looking for a relationship that could lead to something more. Plus, the numbers of people who want to take things slowly and start online here make it ideal for those wanting companionship but not willing to head out on the town just yet.
- Language: Japanese
- Fees: Free for women, monthly subscription fee for men (varies by number of months desired)
- Original Ranking: 2½ stars
- 2020 Ranking: 4 stars
8. YYC
YYC has been around for twenty years now according to its website and still lists itself as Japan’s largest dating service. When you join, you are given an automatic 300 points to use in order to meet and match with others based on your own search parameters. The vast majority of this service’s users are young professionals. YYC is a dating site designed for people who want to combine the blogging space of LiveJournal with the influencer lifestyle of Instagram, so if you aren’t the type to frequently update and message, you might find this site to be more of a hassle than anything else. “Casual users tend to just disappear after their free points run out, so it’s not a place for you if you aren’t ready to commit to the effort,” said one user.
None of the ladies I spoke with still used YYC, so I gave it an honest try, and I have to say, it wasn’t all that bad, but I did find it somewhat repetitive. If your Japanese isn’t up to par, it can be a struggle to navigate as well.
- Language: Japanese
- Fees: Free for women, monthly subscription fee/points system for men
- Original Ranking: 3½ stars
- 2020 Ranking: 3 stars
9. Pairs
Pairs is another online dating site and one that has had numerous TV and train commercials since going online. This site and its related app also uses your Facebook profile but allows you to hide your full name, enabling its users to go by initials instead. Their target audience tends to be younger Japanese men, “so there are plenty of guys to choose from, but those that are interested in pursuing a serious relationship with a non-native Japanese speaker are few and far between, at least in my experience,” according to a user.
“It’s updated a bit, but nothing really major has changed about the quality of the users,” says the same person as above in 2020. “I still use it, and sometimes you find someone nice, but it’s more work than some of the other apps out there now.”
- Language: Japanese
- Fees: Free for women, monthly subscription fee for men
- Original Ranking: 3 stars
- 2020 Ranking: 3 stars
10. Zexy Koimusubi
100% Free Japanese Dating Sites
Zexy Koimusubi is a dating app that is part of a popular Japanese wedding services company. The app overall works on the same principles of matching based on shared interests and uses your Facebook profile to compile this data, but otherwise, it seems to have a fairly high success rate. Whether this is due to their association with weddings and marriage already is anyone’s guess, but of the people that I know that have used this site, two married someone they met on there, and one is planning her wedding now, so make of that what you will.
“I met my husband on this site, so of course I would recommend it to anyone that is serious about marriage, having kids, and staying in Japan. It does work, if you’re brutally honest with yourself about what you’re looking for. If you’re still trying to figure that out, don’t bother with this app.” (Jane, American, 31)
- Language: Japanese
- Fees: initial one time ¥108 fee for women (for ID check purposes), monthly fee for men
- Original Ranking: 4 stars
- 2020 Ranking: 4½ stars
11. Bonus App—Happy Mail
Happy Mail first began in 2001 but wasn’t a major player in the dating app scene for a long time. According to their website, thanks to consistent efforts over the last twenty years they have the largest number of members of any dating/matching app in Japan. There are just over 25 million people on Happy Mail, looking for everything from pen pals to serious marriage partners.
Based on testimonials from male friends and a few women, it’s quite similar to Pairs but has more of the immediacy of Tinder in terms of matching, so it all comes down to what or how you want to go about dating in 2020 whether this app is what will work for you.
Free Dating Sites In Japan
- Language: Japanese
- Fees: Free for women (plus a 120 coin present as some services require points), points/pay as you go fees for men
- Ranking: 4 stars
Before subscribing to a Japanese “serious” dating app, keep in mind that most of them are likely to require you to submit a photo of an official ID before using their services. This is because they are quite literally trying to find you a suitable husband. If that’s your goal, don’t mind the screening! Good luck in finding the best for yourself, ladies!
Have you ever used a dating app or site in Japan? Share your experiences in the comments.