Japan isn’t all about anime, sushi, and geishas. If you’re curious to meet real Japanese women and try international dating, this post is for you. I’ll share Japanese dating insights and guide you to the best dating sites for finding compatible Japanese matches.
Over 500K regulars use SakuraDate monthly (around 185K of them are Asian women). It’s a thriving dating pool for spouse-hunting, and ladies make the most of full premium access at no extra charge. For guys, rates start at $12.99 for 35 credits.
Standout features:
“SakuraDate is made for finding a marriage partner for everyone. Search filters help sort through the extensive dating pool, and detailed self-descriptions provide insights into potential matches. Advanced chat toolset is good for the early days of long-distance relationships.”
NaomiDate is a promising new arrival in the Japanese dating market. It has under 50K monthly visits and a solid 65/35 male-to-female ratio. Ladies enjoy full access for free, and credit packages are available for men, with rates starting at $12.99 for 35 credits.
Standout features:
“If you’re all about compatibility, NaomiDate has you covered. Profiles are full of personal details and lengthy descriptions, and the search comes with over a dozen filters. Even swiping comes with filters to narrow down your search.”
Around 100K Asian ladies frequent MagnoliaDate looking for flirting, romance, and friendship. Most are pretty young, though there are some women in their forties and fifties. Guys can sign up and test the platforms for free but will need credits to keep chatting. Rates start at $9.99 for 20 credits.
Standout features:
“MagnoliaDate has a familiar look of Instagram, with its endless feed of gorgeous photos. The best thing about the Newsfeed is that all the girls are single and eager to meet foreigners. Scrolling through the feed is the most natural way of finding suitable matches without engaging filters.”
With around 250K monthly users, Gochatty isn’t exclusive to Japan, so you can also run across other foreign female users. Most are under 35, though there are also ladies in their 40s. For girls, Gochatty is free, but guys need credits to chat and swap photos. Rates start at $19 for 4,500 credits, and live chat is 200 credits per minute.
Standout features:
“Gochatty’s sleek interface is perfect on smaller screens, and the dark mode is extra handy for late-night chats (or midday in Japan). It’s one of the few dating services I know that keeps upgrading the toolset, and disappearing photo and video messages definitely spice up chats.”
CharmRomance is the most competitive service on this list, as only 200K of the million-plus dating pool are female. Still, most girls are between 20 and 35, a perfect marrying age. So, even despite the cutthroat competition, guys are willing to pay $0.20 per credit to find their match.
Standout features:
“CharmRomance is not for the faint of heart, but the girls are more than worth it. Besides, most have verified profiles and plenty of photos, so you know they are real. Video messages are available, too, if you want to see more of the ladies and get to know them better.”
Unless your neighborhood is teeming with single Japanese women, online dating is the most likely way to a serious relationship. It goes like this:
Although the basic algorithm is the same, no two relationships are. You may need a few tries until you finally settle down with your perfect Japanese bride.
With dozens of options available on desktop and mobile, how do you pick the perfect online dating site? It takes a bit of work and time, but if you complete all four steps, you won’t have to repeat the process:
Luckily, reputable sites, like the ones on my list, come with a free trial. It should be enough to get a better feel for the premium functionality before you become a paying member of the dating pool.
Tinder, Tapple, and other mainstream dating apps are thriving in Japan, so why not use those instead of niche sites? Let’s compare and try to spot the differences to help you decide which platform would meet your needs best.
Niche dating apps
Pros:
Cons:
Mainstream dating apps
Pros:
Cons:
Japan boasts a thriving online dating market, with around 7 million singles using matchmaking sites and apps regularly. The pandemic gave the most popular dating apps a boost. As young Japanese singles believe dating is too much hassle to bother with, dating apps help mitigate the majority of related issues.
Casual users tend to seek new acquaintances and friends, as Japan sees a rise in the number of single-person households while young people put off marriage and starting families. On the other hand, there’s a significant number of singles looking for people with matching personalities and interests to form lasting relationships.
The Japanese online dating market includes mainstream apps for local connections, like Tinder, as well as arranged marriage and matchmaking services, like Omiai. Finally, there are niche apps specializing in international connections and marriage, like SakuraDate.
By the way, a recent survey shows that online dating promotes faster marriages. It falls behind meeting at work or school or being introduced by a friend among the ways Japanese meet their spouses. At the same time, online dating is the primary way of meeting marriage partners among the Japanese who got married within a year of acquaintance.
Overall, Japanese ladies appreciate the convenience and flexibility of online dating, especially when looking for partners abroad. So, using one of the niche platforms we’ve discussed is bound to help you meet the right person quickly.
Although outwardly Japanese dating may seem awkward and weird, there are striking similarities with American and European trends:
Use these insights to win over Japanese singles. For example, prove they won’t have to give up their freedom after marriage, and you’ll beat out younger Japanese men any day of the week.
After World War II, the Japanese were painted as villains by popular culture, and many stereotypes persist to these days. Here’s how they measure up to reality.
Myth: Japanese work 24/7 and don’t know how to have fun.
Reality: Japanese companies do breed competition among employees, and no one wants to be the first to leave work at the end of the day, so overtime is pretty common. Still, the Japanese work hard and play hard. Even after a long day at work, they enjoy nights out in bars, restaurants, karaoke, etc.
Myth: Japanese women are docile and subservient.
Reality: That may have been true a few generations back, but modern Japanese girls know how to stand their ground and get what they want. They are as ambitious and driven as American or European girls.
Myth: Kimonos are a typical everyday wear among the Japanese.
Reality: A full kimono is an expensive garment, and it’s pretty tricky to put on. Most Japanese only wear kimonos on special occasions, like weddings, formal ceremonies, and religious celebrations.
If something’s free, it means you’re the product, and it’s just as true for dating services as it is for other industries. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of paid and free dating platforms in Japan.
Free dating sites
Pros:
Cons:
Paid dating sites
Pros:
Cons:
Online dating is pretty popular among the Japanese in their 20s, around 50% of whom use it to find partners. Older singles prefer meeting through work, mutual acquaintances, or matchmaking events.
That depends on your dating goals. Tinder remains the leader for casual hookups, while SakuraDate beats out the competition when it comes to long-distance romance and marriage.
Individual motivations vary, but most are looking for alternatives to the rigid Japanese social mores that often significantly limit women’s independence after marriage. Many Japanese girls hope to find an equal partner in a foreign husband.
Japanese dating isn’t as mysterious or incomprehensible as it might seem at first glance. Sure, Japanese women are more subdued with strangers and tend to get married later, but they still want families and kids. Foreign husbands provide them with unmatched opportunities for personal growth and freedom. Moreover, they recognize the benefits of online dating, and the platforms I suggest offer the biggest chances of finding the right match fast. With free signup and welcome bonuses, there’s no risk in trying out one or two to chat with gorgeous Japanese girls.
