7. Mutual hobbies
One of the biggest frustrations foreigners have with making Japanese friends is that while the conversation may start off okay awkward silences eventually start to happen after a few minutes. There are many basic self-introduction topics to talk about such as your names and where you are from however these will only last for a few minutes. Another frustration is having the same self-introductory conversations over and over again and not being able to dive in deeper when speaking with Japanese people.
This means that it is really important to find a Japanese friend that has mutual hobbies and interests with you. Similar to making friends in your home country, the more areas you have in common with someone Japanese, the more likely you are to become friends. This may take longer than ideal as these hobbies can become more apparent over time but having a few questions prepared for when you meet Japanese people such as:
8. Make friends of friends
Another way to make more Japanese friends is to make friends of friends. This can work in two ways. Firstly you can ask your other foreigner friends if they have any Japanese friends they could introduce to you. Explain that you are hoping to make more friends and that you would like to hang out together. This way the situation won’t be too awkward as you are already friends with one of the people.
Another way to do this is to ask a Japanese friend if they can introduce you to some more friends. A good way to do this could be to suggest playing a sport that requires around 3 or 4 people. You could ask them whether it might be good to invite more people to hang out and suggest you both invite an extra friend.
Asking friends if they know of any events where you can make new friends is also a good idea. Remember to be proactive in seeking out new friends!
9. Take the initiative/Show curiosity
When trying to make Japanese friends showing initiative is one of the most important things you can do. Even if you are shy in person, making the attempt to message and make plans with Japanese people will go a long way.
One thing to note is that many Japanese people make plans far in advance. Sometimes this can even be a month in advance. Remember to take the initiative and message people long before the actual date to check that they are free and secure fdating dating a slot in their planner.
Also, if you need to cancel plans last minute make sure to suggest a date the plan can be rescheduled to! Some Japanese friends will take a cancellation to heart, especially if they have saved the date for you so far in advance. Suggesting another date will save hurting someone’s feelings and keep your friendship going strong.
10. Download Japanese social media apps
One thing to note when trying to make Japanese friends is that the social media apps that are popular in your home country are not necessarily popular in Japan.
Line is very similar to whatsapp and is mainly used for messaging people. There is also a neat QR code function that allows you to make friends by showing someone a picture of your own unique line account QR code.
If you are more interested in dating, we have an article on Japanese dating apps on our sister media site BFF Tokyo.
For Japanese people to make foreign friends they will have to be patient, they will have to spend time with someone who does not necessarily understand what they are saying and they may have to explain many cultural things too. You need to think about why a Japanese person would want to be your friend and this can be for numerous different reasons but it really depends on what you can offer to a friendship. Reasons include, help with English, general interest in foreign cultures, being more open and direct than Japanese people and some Japanese people simply want a new and interesting friend different from their current friends.
Japanese Humor – Yoshimoto:
At Japan Switch our target audience is people who are perfectionists who are afraid of making mistakes as well as those who get overwhelmed in language exchanges. If you are feeling nervous or would like to start meeting people in a comfortable and supportive environment, check out JapanSwitch . We are a Japanese language school that helps you build confidence in your Japanese, provide teachers that can answer many of your questions about Japan and get you ready to make the switch to becoming independent in Japan and get you out of the foreign bubble.
