There seems to be a certain stigma towards dating apps here in Japan. American magazine Fast Company claims that if asked, almost no one will confess using them.
This might go back to scams that happened in the 90s. Websites would require men to pay fees to subscribe in order to call beautiful women. These "beautiful women" were regular company employees some of whom were not women at all running a catfish scam colloquially called sakura , collecting the subscription fees as long as they could. While lots of legit apps are on the market now, in eight executives of several popular Japanese dating websites have been arrested on similar allegations, as reported by The Daily Mail.
Nowadays, however, an increasing number of young people seem to be comfortable looking for a partner online.
If we think for a moment about the changes that have happened in society over the years, this makes perfect sense: more and more people move to larger cities for their job hunt, losing their social connections in the process.
Long gone are the days in which your elementary school friend or your grandma would hook you up with that cute girl or guy they think is perfect for you. Now you've got to be proactive and hunt on your own! If you're convinced and you want to give it a try, read below for a selection of the hottest apps of the moment!
