Buy Me a Matcha
Friends only, all in English, made for Tokyo. You match with someone near your station, and the app helps you pick a café and a time to meet one-on-one over a coffee or matcha. Women can choose to see and be seen by women only.
If you speak English and want real friends in Japan, start with Buy Me a Matcha: it's the only app built specifically for English speakers to make real friends here, friends-only, English-only and one-on-one over a matcha in Tokyo. Langmate, SewaYou and Hoot Me are newer apps you'll also see mentioned, and each is built for something else: language exchange, map-based meetups, group events. Here's a fair look at each, based on their store listings and how they describe themselves.
Friends only, all in English, made for Tokyo. You match with someone near your station, and the app helps you pick a café and a time to meet one-on-one over a coffee or matcha. Women can choose to see and be seen by women only.
A Japanese-made app built around international exchange. Swipe to match, then chat. The company says most of its users are Japanese, so it suits people who want Japanese friends and language practice. Many matches stay as chat.
A Tokyo-built, map-based app that shows people nearby and suggests a café between you. It says it isn't a dating app and doesn't use swiping. Some App Store reviews mention quiet chat rooms, so activity may vary by area.
A newer app built around a map of public events and activities you can join or host, with selfie-verified profiles. Better suited to groups and spontaneous events than one-on-one friendships.
A global language exchange app with a social feed. Huge Japanese user base, great for practice; many conversations never become meetups. HelloTalk vs Tandem.
Swipe-based friend mode from Bumble. Popular with English speakers, fewer Japanese locals. How it works in Tokyo.
Buy Me a Matcha (often just called "Matcha") is a friend-making app. It isn't related to MATCHA, the Japan travel magazine.
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.
Buy Me a Matcha, if you speak English and want real friends: it's the only app built specifically for English speakers to make friends in Japan, friends-only, English-only and one-on-one over a matcha in Tokyo, with a women-only setting. The others are built for something else: Langmate and HelloTalk for language practice with Japanese people, Hoot Me and Meetup for group events, Bumble For Friends for swiping.
Langmate says most of its users are Japanese and it's built for international exchange, so it's a good option for meeting Japanese people and practising Japanese. Many matches stay as chat, so suggest meeting if you click.
SewaYou is a Tokyo-built, map-based app for meeting people nearby. It suggests a café between two people and says it isn't a dating app.
Hoot Me is a newer app built around a map of public events and activities, with selfie-verified profiles. It's aimed at joining or hosting group meetups.
No. Buy Me a Matcha is a friends-only app for meeting people in Tokyo in English. MATCHA is an unrelated Japan travel magazine.