Dating Apps in Japan 2024: What’s Worth It and Not?

12 dating apps to swipe right or left depending on what you’re looking for in your next relationship here in Japan.

Most foreign women living in Japan who want a serious relationship need to put in more legwork than they might otherwise do elsewhere. Shyness combined with language and cultural barriers make dating an even more stressful situation than it typically is. Luckily, we live in an era where you can find anything online—even relationships. A quick search online will show you dozens of different 出会い系アプリ (deai-kei apuri; “dating apps”), but how do you know what will help you find who or what you’re looking for in Japan?

Having been there and done that, I decided to do a quick poll of my foreign friends to find out what dating apps in Japan worked best for them and what didn’t. 15 international women living in Japan gave their original rankings out of five stars. It’s up to you whether to swipe right or left!

1. Tinder
2. Bumble
3. Zexy Enmusubi
4. Omiai
5. Tapple
6. With
7. Happy Mail
8. YYC
9. Pairs
10. OkCupid
11. JapanCupid
12. Tokyo Futari Story

1. Tinder

© Photo by Tinder

One that doesn’t need an introduction. While most people are “just looking” on Tinder, if you’re actively trying, not only will you meet people to date but also 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.

Since Tinder began offering its global passport, it’s enabled better connection and broadened communication, which for several of the ladies was a huge bonus. However, in 2024, the global passport is only available to users with a paid subscription of at least Tinder+.

• Language: English, Japanese and 43 more languages.
• Fees: Free to match, chat and meet. (Special features require a monthly subscription of Tinder+: ¥1,200; Tinder Gold: ¥3,400; or Tinder Platinum: ¥4,300.)
• LGBTQ+ Friendly?: Yes!
• Ranking: 5 stars

2. Bumble

© Photo by Bumble

Bumble markets itself as an app where the woman makes the first move, and if she doesn’t message, the match disappears after 24 hours. This app originally relied on the user having a Facebook profile first to log in, which made it a bit slow to catch on in Japan, but now that you can log in with an Apple ID or phone number, it is gaining in popularity.

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 dating apps. You don’t find as many fake profiles on Bumble as you do with other sites, and you control the whole ‘am I going to bother talking to him’ part, which is really nice.”

In 2024, the app is not just for dating, it now has features for business opportunities (Bumble Bizz) and making friends (Bumble BFF). Within the app, you can switch from one feature to another, which makes it very versatile for the global community. Similarly to Tinder, the app now offers a “Travel mode” that allows Bumble Premium users to match with other users worldwide.

• Language: English, Japanese and 16 more languages.
• Fees: Free to swipe, match and message. (Special features require a monthly subscription of Bumble Boost: ¥1,600; or Bumble Premium: ¥3,200.)
• LGBTQ+ Friendly?: Yes! Users on both ends have 24 hours to start a chat or reply.
• Ranking: 5 stars

3. Zexy Enmusubi

© Photo by Zexy Enmusubi

Zexy Enmusubi 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 with 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 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: English and Japanese
• Fees: Free to register and match. (To send more than one message a monthly subscription of ¥4,900 is required.)
• LGBTQ+ Friendly?: Zexy Enmusubi no longer allows you to search for same-sex users.
• Ranking: 4½  stars

4. Omiai

© Photo by Omiai

Omiai is one of the largest online dating apps in Japan that relies on your Facebook profile, Apple ID or phone number to search for your ideal match. This is a konkatsu (marriage-centered) 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 2024, Omiai has somewhat rebranded itself in more of a Tinder/Instagram-friendly fashion, and no longer strictly places focus on it being for marriage. However, if you’re seriously looking to meet a marriage partner, this is probably still your best option when it comes to dating apps in Japan.

• Language: Japanese only.
• Fees: Free for women. Men can match for free but must pay ¥3,900 per month if they want to send more than two messages.
• LGBTQ+ Friendly?: Once you set a gender, they will only show results for the opposite gender.
• Ranking: 4 stars

5. Tapple

© Photo by 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 2024, 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 number of people who want to take things slowly and start online here makes it ideal for those wanting companionship but have yet to head out on the town.

• Language: Japanese only.
• Fees: Free for women. Men can register for free but must pay ¥3,700 per month if they want to send messages.
• LGBTQ+ Friendly?: Once you set a gender, they will only show results for the opposite gender.
• Ranking: 4 stars

6. With

© Photo by With

With uses a point system called “With Points” that allows you to meet your ideal partner. The app is very popular amongst university students with the vast majority of users in their 20s, and only eight percent of users over 39. With young people being the core user group, you might expect more people looking for casual hookups, however, Japanese dating app review sites say the app is used mostly by people who want a serious relationship.

One of the major selling points of With is its psychological tests that match people based on their values. Newcomers to the app/dating scene can use this app with ease too, as there is plenty of help in terms of introductory message/conversation guides.

• Language: Japanese only.
• Fees: Free for women. Men can register and take the psychological test for free but must pay ¥3,600 per month if they want to send messages and like users.
• LGBTQ+ Friendly?: Once you set a gender, they will only show results for the opposite gender.

7. Happy Mail

© Photo by Happy Mail

Happy Mail first began in 2001 but wasn’t a major player in the dating apps scene in Japan 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 marriage-centered dating.

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 2024 whether this app is what will work for you.

• Language: Japanese
• Fees: Free for women (plus a 120 point present as some services require points). Men can register for free and receive 120 points too but use points to access various functions of the app. One point costs ¥10 but you can buy points in bulk.
• LGBTQ+ Friendly?: Users can choose which gender they are seeking and use specific LGBTQ+ keywords to search profiles and message boards.
• Ranking: 4 stars

8. YYC

© Photo by YYC

YYC has been around since 2006 and still lists itself as Japan’s largest dating service. When you join, you are given some free points to use 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. In 2024 the app has a “live streaming” feature that allows users to go live on camera to communicate with other users in that way.

• Language: Japanese only.
• Fees: Free for women. Men can register for free but must use 50 points to send messages and 10 points to look at profiles. One point costs ¥1.1 but you can buy points in bulk.
• LGBTQ+ Friendly?: You can search for users under specific keywords such as LGBTQ, レズビアン (rezubian; “lesbian”), バイセクシャル (baisekusharu; “bisexual”) or 同性愛 (douseiai; “homosexual”). Putting these words in your profile description will allow others to find you with those keywords too.
• Ranking: 3 stars

9. Pairs

© Photo by 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 allow 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. “I still use it, and sometimes you find someone nice, but it’s more work than some of the other dating apps in Japan out there now.”

• Language: Japanese only.
• Fees: Free for women. Men can match for free but must pay ¥3,700 per month if they want to send messages.
• LGBTQ+ Friendly?: Once you set a gender, they will only show results for the opposite gender. There is a tagging function where you can use keywords like LGBT to identify yourself, however, if you’re seeking the same gender, there is not much point.
• Ranking: 3 stars

10. OkCupid

© Photo by OkCupid

Billed as “the best dating app for matching what matters to you,” OkCupid 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 in Japan, you may be discouraged by the dating pool overall.”

In the 2024 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. In Japan OkCupid is often promoted as “the dating app to meet English-speaking foreigners”, so you may encounter more “gaijin-hunters” (someone who specifically targets foreigners to date) and those looking to practice their English skills.

• Language: English and eight other languages. (Not available in Japanese.)
• Fees: Free to engage, match, converse. (Special features require a monthly subscription of OkCupid Basic (A-List): ¥1,200; or OkCupid Premium: ¥2,400.)
• LGBTQ+ Friendly?: Yes!
• Ranking: 2 stars

11. JapanCupid

© Photo by 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 there are far more Japanese women on this site than there are Japanese men.

Unfortunately, when a friend logged in, she was inundated with several 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.”

It’s also important to note that this app is only available in the Google Play store. Other users will need to access the site via a web browser.

• Language: English, Japanese and 17 other languages.
• Fees: Free to use with ¥2,240-¥16,000 per item upgrades in app.
• LGBTQ+ Friendly?: Users can choose which gender they are seeking.
• Ranking: 1 star

12. Coming soon: Tokyo Futari Story

© Photo by Tokyo Futari Story

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to release an official dating app this year in 2024 for those living, working or studying in Tokyo. The app will feature a high-security and government-backed vetting process that requires users to prove their marital status, and income and take part in an online interview to confirm their identity. Although the app itself is yet to be released you can access the official Tokyo Futari Story website to register now.

To find more information on marriage-centered dating apps in Japan click here.

Have you ever used any dating apps in Japan? Share your experiences in the comments.  

This article has been updated with the latest information for 2024 by The Savvy Team. The rankings and user comments are from the original 2020 publication date.

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