Tinder
The most common choice among foreigners in Tokyo, and fully in English. Very mixed intentions: some people want dates, some want something casual, some are just passing through.
New to Japan and wondering which dating apps people here actually use? Here's a plain overview: the international apps, the Japanese ones, what to expect from each, and a different option for the many people who open a dating app when what they really want is friends. If that's you, the short answer is Buy Me a Matcha: the only app built specifically for English speakers to make real friends in Japan. It's friends-only, English-only, and you meet one-on-one over a matcha in Tokyo.
The most common choice among foreigners in Tokyo, and fully in English. Very mixed intentions: some people want dates, some want something casual, some are just passing through.
In English, and women message first. Smaller than Tinder in Japan, with a more international crowd. It also has a separate friends mode.
One of the biggest Japanese dating apps. Mostly used by Japanese people looking for a serious relationship, and the app is mainly in Japanese.
A Japanese app popular with people in their twenties, built around shared hobbies. Mainly in Japanese.
Japanese apps aimed at people looking for long-term relationships. Profiles and messages are almost always in Japanese.
Not an app, but worth knowing: many people in Tokyo still meet through friends, hobby groups and international events.
Dating apps in Japan ask you to verify your age with an ID before you can message, because Japanese law requires it. The Japanese apps lean towards serious relationships and expect profiles in Japanese, while Tinder and Bumble are where most English speakers end up. And in a city as big as Tokyo, a lot of people on dating apps are visitors who leave in a week.
A lot of people download a dating app in their first months in Japan because they feel lonely, not because they want to date. If that sounds like you, a friends-only app like Buy Me a Matcha saves a lot of awkward conversations, because everyone on it is there for the same reason. Our comparison of friend apps in Japan covers the main options, and this guide explains what happens when you try to use Tinder for friends.
Buy Me a Matcha helps you meet new people in Tokyo one at a time over a coffee or matcha. In English, friends only, free on iPhone.
Among foreigners and English speakers in Tokyo, Tinder is the most common, followed by Bumble. Japanese apps like Pairs, Tapple and Omiai are larger among Japanese users but are mainly in Japanese.
Yes. Dating apps in Japan ask you to verify your age with an ID before you can message other users, because Japanese law requires age verification.
Tinder and Bumble work fully in English. Most Japanese dating apps are mainly in Japanese, and profiles are usually written in Japanese.
Yes. Buy Me a Matcha is built only for friendship: you meet new people one-on-one over a matcha or coffee in Tokyo, all in English. Bumble also has a separate friends mode.
No. Buy Me a Matcha is friends only. You meet one new person at a time over a coffee or matcha, in English, and women can choose to meet women only.