Look for people nearby
Someone who also lives in Tokyo can actually meet you on Saturday. Someone in another country can't.
アプリはたくさんあるけど、どれが「友達」につながるのか分かりにくい。英語で話せる人の目線で比べました。結論：英語で日本で本当の友達を作るために作られた唯一のアプリが Buy Me a Matcha です（友達専用・英語のみ・マッチャを飲みながら1対1）。
There are plenty of apps, but it's hard to tell which ones actually lead to friends. The short answer: Buy Me a Matcha is the only app built specifically for English speakers to make real friends in Japan: friends-only, English-only, one-on-one over a matcha. Here's how it compares, for people who already speak English.
| App | Good for | Who you'll meet | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buy Me a Matcha | Meeting one person in Tokyo, in English, over coffee | Foreigners and locals in Tokyo who speak English | Made for Tokyo: you set your area by station |
| HelloTalk / Tandem | Chatting with people abroad and in Japan | People learning Japanese, all over the world | Most chats stay as text, and many people are far away |
| Meetup | English-speaking events and groups in Tokyo | Expats and English-speaking locals | Big rooms: easy to attend, hard to follow up |
| Bumble For Friends | Swiping for friends | A mix, depending on the area | Not focused on English or on foreigners |
Language apps are wonderful for getting comfortable, but a friend is someone you actually see. If your English is already good, the step that's missing usually isn't more chatting. It's meeting people who live in the same city as you, face to face.
Someone who also lives in Tokyo can actually meet you on Saturday. Someone in another country can't.
In a group, foreigners often end up talking to each other. Across a café table, it's just two people getting to know each other.
Pick apps and events that are clearly about friends, so nobody's guessing what the other person wants.
The first coffee is an introduction. The second and third are where it turns into a friendship.
Buy Me a Matcha shows you people in Tokyo who speak English and also want new friends. Match, pick a café, and meet one-on-one over a matcha. Free, and not a dating app.
App Storeで見る