Are you looking for free dating sites in Japan?
Then this article will help you find the best apps & sites to use in Japan.
Dating websites and apps have taken over our love life, and I can’t fault them. If you use the one that best fits what you’re looking for, you stand a great chance of finding the perfect someone for some good times.
And that someone will make your nightlife just so much better.
Without further ado,
What is the Best Dating Site?
Here are my 3 top picks for the best dating website to try this year. I’d mostly recommend using our #1.
1. Passion.com
Best for meeting hot singles ready for action.
Passion.com is a dating app for those who are looking for the one and only and not just a hookup. Users can choose between a 3-month, 6-month or 12-month plan, then start reviewing potential matches that may be compatible with them. The best part about this app is its algorithm, which has been designed to respond to both geographical preferences as well as personal preferences such as religion and sexuality.
It is one of the oldest and most popular dating sites out there with over 40 million people visiting every month. It has a very user-friendly interface that allows you to browse members by their interests, age, and location. The site also offers apps for those who want to take their search on the go.
2. Adultfriendfinder.com
Best for meeting single people looking for hookups.
Adultfriendfinder is a dating site for adults who are looking to have casual hookups with other people. The site offers a wide variety of features, including live webcams, chat rooms, forums, articles, county listings, personal ads, photo galleries, and more. Adultfriendfinder was created in 1995. It has grown steadily since then and hosts over 7 million members online. The site has an average of 100k visitors every day – the majority are male.
The site is not all about just hooking up. Yes, you can find that here if that is your particular flavor or fetish. But for most members, the site is more geared toward friends with benefits.
3. 99Flavours.com
Best for couples looking to expand their horizons.
When it comes to dating apps, they are all about the same. 99flavors is no different. If you are looking for something more traditional, this app is not for you. But if you want to have a little fun with your love life, this app has some great features that will make it worth the download. It’s tailored especially for swingers, couples looking for extras, or singles looking for couples to play with.
99flavors.com is a dating site founded in 2012 that’s designed to be fun, easy, and inclusive. It features a variety of different singles, couples and swingers from all over the world.
Dating Apps & Sites to use in Japan
So you moved to Japan hoping that the dating scene here would be great and full of new excitement. I think you will soon find the perfect Japanese for you and have a happy ending. Or enjoy it for a while. That’s a great idea, but it’s time to come true. Most foreign women living in Japan seeking a serious relationship have more footwork than abroad. Shyness combined with language and cultural barriers, and the fact that it’s a pandemic, makes dating even more stressful than usual.
Fortunately, we live in an era where you can find everything online-even relationships. A simple online search will show you dozens of different Deaikei (dating online dating) apps, but how can you find out what is helping and who is looking for what? Then I decided to survey my foreign friends quickly to find out which apps and websites were best for them and which ones didn’t work. When this article was first published in 2017, 15 international women living in Japan gave the original 5-star ranking, and 5 in the same group updated this ranking in the 2020 dating scene.It’s up to you to swipe right or left! Japanese dating apps have come a long way, whether it’s a casual gathering or a serious relationship. It starts as a dubious hideaway for pedophiles, easily adapts to your needs and becomes a practical and accessible tool that wants your potential partner.
Suppose you are looking for fun memories of your vacation in Japan or planning an extended stay and finding someone to share your life with. In that case, you should consider a dating app. However, it depends on the app you are using. In Japan, finding the perfect partner can seem like a maze, as there are significant differences in what users want from their partners and the general age group.
Here is the list:
Tapple
Developed by the well-known Japanese IT company CyberAgent, Tapple is a hobby-based dating app connecting users. Instead of typing in a profile or swiping to find other users, they are uniquely assigned based on common interests such as cooking, watching movies, and exercising.
According to data published by Tapple, 7,200 people find lovers through Tapple every month, and 4,500 users register daily. With over 5 million registered members and a total of over 2 billion matches, Tapple is one of the largest websites in Japan.
Suppose you plan to visit Japan, move to Japan, or already live in Japan. In that case, Tapple is a good option for creating new contacts and meeting future partners.
Sign up Process
To log in to Tapple, you need to log in Chinese or Japanese. You can log in by email or Facebook.
Next, fill in your name, date of birth, gender, and other Japanese or Chinese questions. Finally, select your password, accept the terms of use and upload your photos.
How to Locate Potential Matches
At Tapple, instead of choosing your match, you select your hobbies and interests to match other members. It will be in Japanese or Chinese, but there are pictures to help you choose what you like and are interested in.
Choose from options such as social media, playing musical instruments, concerts, games, television, art, fashion, sports, cooking, dining and more. You must select at least five to continue.
Dine
Dine is a dating app that focuses on opportunities to experience social and new culinary adventures, not love at first sight. Are you tired of swiping endlessly from left to right, even though you just matched someone you don’t like in the first place? Dine introduces high-quality potential matches every day. Just ask them to eat, and if they accept, skip the little talk and meet your first date on the best food and drink in the world!
Dine has fewer users than Tinder and Tapple, but it has a unique concept different from the above two. With Dine, select the restaurant you want to date. If the prospect selects the same restaurant, the app will automatically make a restaurant reservation and set the reservation.
Here are some features of Dine:
- It did it for you for those who don’t know how to send a message with Japanese food! No need to exchange messages to meet the date.
- Are you worried that the date may not be displayed? Do not worry! This app has a system to prevent users from suddenly cancelling.
- (Unfortunately) Male users must purchase a Gold membership of about JPY 6500 per month to send unlimited messages and unlimited access matches.
Pairs
Pairs with over 10 million members are among the most popular dating apps in Japan. They are growing rapidly in a short period of time. Easy to navigate, singles can find other users and like each other, which leads to further discussion and possible romance. Couples are most popular with the younger generation. They are used for casual dates and dates and love and serious relationships.
Sign up Process
Users can log in using their Facebook account or mobile phone. You can fill in the basic information and what you are looking for in your match and write up to 1,000 words about yourself.
However, if you want to upload a photo and don’t want to enter other profile information, that’s fine. The app is very flexible about what you can and cannot do, and its layout is organised. When you’re done, Pairs will verify your account. After confirmation, you can start the search.
How to Locate Potential Matches
You can use the Exploration tab to find what you are looking for with your desired partner. Results can be filtered based on distance from you, age, type of relationship required, and more.
After filtering the results, the app will show you all the matches in your area. You will also see a single photo, and you can choose if you like it or not. To see the details of another member, click on that member’s photo. Matches are displayed based on each other’s friends on Facebook.
Omiai
Matchmaking aims to connect users who are serious about long-term relationships and possible marriages. Many apps are aimed at casual dates and dates, but matchmaking is the opposite. This app is free for women and matches people using Facebook profiles and mutual friends lists.
Sign up Process
To register, download the Omiai app and then log in with your Facebook account. You need to enter basic profile information such as name, age, and gender, followed by more advanced and detailed options such as income, physique, education, and nationality.
You also have the option to specify what you are looking for in your selected partner. The validation process is rigorous and is monitored every 24 hours to prevent the addition of fake profiles.
How to Locate Potential Matches
You can search for other profiles by setting filters to narrow down what you are looking for. You can filter by age, region, gender, etc.
You can also see when the user last logged in, so you don’t send a message to a user who is no longer an active user. Some users find it a little challenging to navigate the site and use the app in Japanese only; you need to learn Japanese.
How to Communicate with Other Members
Females can send messages for free, but males have to pay for their accounts to communicate with females. This gives women more assurance that men are serious about dating.
With
With has become one of the most popular dating apps in Japan among younger age groups, with more than half of its users in the student category. In general, most users don’t look for a spouse (unlike matchmaking), given that demographics are popular with younger age groups.
But finding someone every night isn’t great, and many of their users are looking for a lovely, clean, stable and serious boyfriend.
Some features of With are:
- The number of users is about 3.2 million, and more than half are students.
- Most popular with people in their early twenties.
- With is the first dating app they use for many users, and many are looking for someone to build the right relationship.
- Male users must purchase a premium membership to send and receive messages. Female users, all again for free! The membership fee is ¥ 3,600 per month or ¥ 22,000 per year (although this all sounds unfair). There are also one-week membership, three month or six-month pricing options.
OkCupidJapan
OkCupid is often referred to as “the best dating site in the world”. The Japanese version of OkCupid is much more detailed than Bumble or Tinder. The average time to fill in a profile is about 45 minutes. Of course, you can leave most of your profile blank, but I don’t recommend this because it’s likely to be overlooked based on the experience I’ve shared with me.
Serial Dating
According to one woman who used it, “OkCupid has a lot of serial daters, so using other dating apps/sites can be totally discouraging from the dating pool.”
With the 2021 Dating, it’s still a staple in the scene. However, the amount of imbalances and fake profiles between users is staggering. It is said that application is also troublesome. Therefore, unless you really decide to use them, you are less likely to have problems with other apps.
Of course, you can always log out and enter all the information, but the profile will remain empty, and the profile may not get much attention. OkCupidJapan is fun to use, and the matches are also suitable!
JapanCupid
Not to be confused with OkCupid, JapanCupid is another online dating app. It is part of the Cupid Media Group, a niche-based online dating site group.
JapanCupid is an international dating site with a strong presence in Japan. This site is owned by Cupid Media, a Sydney-based dating company that operates dating sites in more than 30 countries. JapanCupid is perfect for both locals and foreigners.
The website and app have a section for Western singles and Japanese singles. If you want to play a creepy match the next time you come to Japan, this is the page for you. Also available in Japanese and English.
Some of the main features are listed below.
- Choose from tens of thousands of local Japanese and Western singles.
- You can choose from three plans, rates, and two premium subscriptions on this site.
- You can also access real user profiles and interesting single photos.
- This site and app are perfect for Japanese locals who want to meet their international love interests. It is also ideal for those who visit Japan in a hurry.
How Does it Work
JapanCupid works in three simple steps. First, open an account and register your profile. Please upload as many photos as you can. Profiles with lots of real photos are more likely to be compared. Then start browsing the images of other users.
Please also try the search function of the website and app. It helps to exclude possible matches based on specific attributes. Find the people you like and send them “interests”. If they want you, you can start talking through a message.
YYC
According to the YYC website, YYC has been around for 20 years and is still listed as Japan’s largest dating service. When you join, you will automatically receive 300 points that you can use to meet and match others based on your search parameters. The majority of users of this service are young professionals.
YYC is a dating site for anyone who wants to do something else by combining LiveJournal’s blog section with Instagram’s influencer lifestyle. “Casual users tend to disappear when they run out of free points, so if you’re not ready to work, it’s not a place for you,” said one user.
The woman I talked to about YYC hadn’t used YYC again, so I tried it honestly, and I think it wasn’t too bad, but I repeated it a little. If your Japanese is not up to standard, it can be challenging to find your way.
Quick Notes
- Language: Japanese
- Fees: Free for women, monthly subscription fee/points system for men
Zexy Koimusubi
Zexy Koimusubi is a dating app that is part of Japan’s popular wedding service provider. Overall, the app works on the same principle of matching based on shared interests and compiles this data using the Facebook profile but otherwise seems to show a reasonably high success rate. I can’t tell anyone if this is due to a wedding or marriage. However, two of the people I know who used this site married the ones I met there, and one is currently planning her wedding.
“I met my husband on this site, so of course, I would recommend it to anyone serious about marriage, childbirth, or staying in Japan. It’s cruel and honest to yourself about what you’re looking for. It works at some point. If you’re still trying to find out, don’t worry about this app. (Jane, American, 31)
Quick Notes
- Language: Japanese
- Fees: initial one time ¥108 fee for women (for ID check purposes), monthly fee for men
Happy Mail
Happy Mail started in 2001, but it wasn’t a significant player in the dating app scene for a long time. According to their website, thanks to the consistent efforts of the last 20 years, they have the most dating/matching apps in Japan. Happy Mail has over 25 million people looking for everything from pen friends to serious spouses.
It’s pretty similar to a pair based on a letter of recommendation from a male friend and a few females. However, Tinder’s immediacy in matching makes this app work for you.
Quick Notes
- Language: Japanese
- Fees: Free for women (plus a 120 coin present as some services require points), points/pay as you go prices for men
Hatch
Hatch is also an app for women that acts like a bumble. If you agree, only women have the right to start a conversation. In same-sex matches, both parties can send a message first.
Matches will also expire within 24 hours. Hath is only available as an iOS app. It’s also location-based, so it’s great to meet people in your city.
Here are some of the main features:
- Female friendly real single app
- Provides a “spotlight” color system that can match people with similar interests
- This app can also filter potential matches based on language
- English and accessible in both Japanese
How Does it Work
The first step is downloading the iOS app from the App Store and installing it on your mobile phone. Sign in with your personal information and start swiping. Hatch allows you to color-code your interests to meet people similar to you. Green means you’re looking for a casual encounter, yellow means you want to do something serious, and red means you’re being taken but want to make more friends. Be sure to specify color spots and filter your search for these colors.
Therefore, once you find a potential date, it’s up to the woman to send the message. This should be done within 24 hours. If not, the match disappears, and you start over.
Tinder
Anyone who is even slightly familiar with the world of online dating has heard about Tinder, arguably one of the most famous mainstream dating apps. I can even go as far as to say that the word ‘dating app’ is synonymous with ‘Tinder’!
Founded in the year 2012, Tinder has grown into the most famous dating app used worldwide. Although it was intended to be an app used for casual dating or hookups, people started meeting their potential partners on Tinder!
Personally, Tinder remains one of my favorite mainstream dating apps- mostly because of how simple, straightforward, and easy to use it is. Moreover, you can find almost everyone on this app! Fortunately, the app doesn’t allow users to send messages to each other unless they have mutually ‘matched.’
Why Should You Choose It?
The primary reason why I would recommend Tinder to anyone is simply because of its vast user database. Of course, I must admit that this app does have a reputation for being a ‘hookup centric’ app. But this doesn’t mean that you can’t find your ‘knight in shining armor’, or your ‘Miss. Right’ here. You just might.
Bumble
In this day and age, women empowerment and safety is paramount when it comes to online dating. Due to failed attempts to match authentic users or have their inboxes frequently penetrated by creepy, persistent men, women often find online dating experience less than enjoyable.
Thankfully, Bumble understands this all too natural problem and has decided to give women back the power.
I applaud Bumble for its genuine efforts to make women feel safer on their dating app. On Bumble, women can make the first move, leaving men in a ‘losing position,’ but women feeling much more secure.
Moreover, this app is LGBTQ inclusive, which is another bonus. This app allows users to make healthy connections- not just in terms of relationships or hook-ups, but also friendships.
Why Should You Choose It?
If you are a woman, then I’m pretty sure that I’ve already made my case. There is no other mainstream dating app out there that will offer you the same security and Bumble will. If you are a man, then there are several other reasons to choose this app.
To begin with, the entire process is straightforward and effortless. It will take you a maximum of 1 to 2 minutes to register a new account on this app. Since the app asks permission to sync with your social media accounts, the lengthy sign-up process is relieved off your shoulders. The app automatically imports all your information, allowing you to begin browsing within minutes.
Quick tips for using dating apps in Japan
Great Idea to Try Japan Dating
Since the start of online dating in Japan, the Japanese online dating market is expected to grow 3.32 times from 2017 to 2023, and the global online dating market is expected to grow 1.56 times over the same period.
Government Facilitates Online Dating
Did you know that the Government of Japan supports online and offline dating? Well, here’s some more information for you. Japan’s declining birthrate and aging population have led to the worst population and working-age population decline among the selected countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Hookups or casual dating are strong taboos and frowned upon in Japan
Culturally, in Japan, sexual intercourse outside of “official” relationships is considered “dirty”, even among non-religious people (who make up the majority of the population). For example, kissing a girl is not possible until you become a boyfriend or girlfriend or have an official relationship.
Japanese prefer a more in-person type of relationship
While online dating is a really useful tool for finding relationships in Japan, it is worth noting that Japanese people prefer personal and loving types of relationships. Many Japanese believe that “real relationships” occur only in the real world, not through meeting someone on the Internet. By around 2015, more than 72% of couples met through work, mutual friends, family, or school.
Frequently asked questions on dating apps in Japan
What dating apps do Japanese use?
The most commonly used matching apps include Tinder, Bumble, Pairs, and Omiai, but you can try many other apps. Tinder is a popular app in Japan, not just for clerical work.
What is the Japanese dating culture like?
In Japan, group dates (or goukon) are usually the first. This is a way to assess mutual interest and suitability and interact with potential partner friends. You may think this sounds like a bit of pressure compared to American dating habits. However, there is still a lot to emphasize.
Is it accessible to date in Japan?
Dating in Japan is usually relatively easy for men. It’s really easy to put at least one female to sleep at a time, even if you’re pretty ugly! Overall, it’s relatively easy for foreign men in the West to find Japanese girls and build good relationships here in Japan.
How does romance work in Japan?
Asian couples usually do not express their affection for each other in public. Expressions of affection between members of the opposite sex, such as kissing, hugging, and holding hands, are considered rude. Even families rarely touch, hug, or show physical affection in public.
How do couples communicate in Japan?
Unlike some cultures, the Japanese tend not to share emotions and words directly. Japanese generally want the respect of their partners, who listen to their ideas non-stop.
Is kissing a big deal in Japan?
Affection has always been disliked, but it is still the case. Kissing your lips is a serious business. Casual kisses are all the rage in Japan. The results seem to suggest that kissing was no longer a big deal.
Conclusion
It’s great to find someone to spend much time with, live with, or get married to.
When considering living with a partner or living in Japan, it is crucial to discuss expectations, needs and future as culture can make unexpected differences. Does your partner expect you to prepare him a bento and do all the chores every day? Do you care about partners who often come home late after overtime (overtime)?
If I get married, where will the wedding take place? Where do you want to live? If I want to make a family with this person, can I raise a child in Japan? There are many things to consider when a relationship becomes serious. Building relationships with people from different cultures and backgrounds requires a lot of thought and communication.
Before subscribing to Japan’s “reputable” dating app, please note that most apps require you to submit a photo of your official ID before using the service. This is because they are literally trying to find the right husband for you. If that’s your goal, screening doesn’t get in the way! Find the one that suits your woman and do your best!
If you’re not looking for a romantic dating app, you should give it a try, as you can use these apps to establish networks and other types of connections. These online dating apps in Japan can help you build your own community to enjoy together. Good luck and gal with everyone!
Whatever your age, gender, or goal of using a dating app, knowing which app is right for you is an efficient way to find the right partner. Enjoy your time in Japan from a new perspective. Liven up your life and enjoy getting to know someone!