JapanCupid.com

JapanCupid has more than 700,000 members worldwide. However, the site activity isn’t as high as some of its other Asian niche offerings with about 4,300 daily log-ins.
Not surprisingly, most of the visitors to the site are from Japan, which makes up 47.1%. Meanwhile, 22.7% of the visitors are from the US, 2.5% are from Germany, 2.5% are from the UK, while the rest are from other parts of the world.

Females ages 25-34 and 35-44 constitute the majority of the members, making up 25% and 22% respectively. Many of the female members on the site are looking for foreign partners. There are significantly more foreign male members compared to Japanese females. Whether it’s the affluence of Japan or another reason, there isn’t the same tradition of dating westerners as there is in the likes of Thailand, Philippines and other S.E. Asian countries. Nonetheless, the Japanese have a fascinating culture. It would be glib to try and describe the culture in a couple of sentences but if you are really interested in finding a Japanese partner we recommend seeking out good books such as Culture Shock Japan that will give you a good insight.

Sign-up and profile creation in JapanCupid is free. However, there are some limitations for free members. The site offers two types of paid membership for members who want to access additional functions, Gold and Platinum. JapanCupid also offers discounts for those who want to avail membership for a longer duration. Below is the price list for both Gold and Platinum memberships.

Gold Membership

Platinum Membership

JapanCupid is available in many languages including English, Dutch, French, Japanese and Korean. The translation is not just for messages, even the profiles of members can be translated.

A user cannot do much with the standard membership. Free members can create their profiles and search for matches, however, they can only communicate with paying members. Below are the detailed functions for the free members:

● Create A Profile
Basic information is required to be filled out. This includes full name, password, email address, date of birth, gender, gender seeking, country, state, and city.

Meanwhile, the ‘About You’ and ‘What You’re Looking For’ tabs can be filled out or not based on the user’s discretion. The information that will be shown on the profile page depends on how much the user decides to fill out.

The ‘About You’ section includes details about appearance, lifestyle, habits, cultural background, family, education, religion, star sign, willingness to relocate, Japanese language ability and others. There is also a short essay introduction which can include a greeting, profile heading or what the user is looking for in a partner.

The ‘What You’re Looking For’ tab includes basic details such as country and age range, as well as all the other details from the ‘About You’ tab. Only the user will fill out the details for his or her preferences in a partner.

Users can upload up to five photos, one as the main photo shown in the profile while the other four are shown in a slideshow. There is also an option to ‘hide’ the photos to make them private.

● Search and Matching
There are three ways to look for potential matches for free members. The easiest way is to browse the automated matches in the ‘My Matches’ tab. The results of the automated matches are based on the user’s answers on ‘What You’re Looking For.’ These preferences can be changed at any time.

The second way is through a manual search with the use of basic search filters, which includes gender, age range, country and mile distance from user’s location, availability of photos and date last active. Standard members can also use ‘Cupid Tags.’ These are keywords used by members for in their profiles. The keyword can be anything related to the member like hobbies or interest. This makes seeking matches easier via cloud search.

● Interaction and Messaging
Standard members can only send emails to paying members. The only way for free members to interact with other free members is by sending their ‘interest.’ This is by clicking or tapping the heart symbol in their profiles. Those profiles will be listed in ‘My Interests’ tab and the site will send a notification to the user.

Communication on the site is a little difficult without upgrading membership. The Gold membership is cheaper than the Platinum membership. However, Platinum membership offers more privileges. Below are the additional features available for Gold members:

● Add-free browsing
● Double profile space and additional ‘Personality’ section in the profile
● Send an email to all the other members
● Live chat and Instant messaging
● Ability to send personal information, including email address and phone numbers in messages
● ‘Advanced Search’ which can filter members by appearance (height, weight, body type, hair color, eye color and ethnicity), lifestyle (drinking and smoking habits, occupation, marital status, whether they have or want children and willingness to relocate), and personal background (religion, nationality, education, Japanese language proficiency, languages spoken, and horoscope sign)
● Profile highlighted above free members
● Option to hide profile and browse anonymously

On the other hand, on top of the features accessible for Gold members, Platinum members can enjoy the following additional features:

● Profile highlighted above Gold members
● Option to translate messages to another language
● View video profiles of other members
● Send and view video emails to all members

JapanCupid also has a mobile app available for Android, which is downloadable for free from Google Play Store.

The layout of JapanCupid is similar to other Cupid Media sites. It is simple and functional. The fonts are easy to read and the color combinations are easy to the eyes. Meanwhile, the graphics are not overwhelming and it uses uncomplicated icons that are easily recognizable. This results in an excellent overall readability of the site. There are also no annoying pop-ups. The functions and links are carefully organized making it easy to navigate.

For those who prefer using their smartphones, JapanCupid has a mobile app which requires Android 5.0 and up. It contains all the functions of the desktop site. However, there it is not available for iOS. Apple users can only opt for the slower mobile-optimized site from their browser.

Registering for an account is very fast and easy. The site only needs the basic information and you can directly enter the site. Meanwhile, users can also opt for a one-click sign-up process and photo upload via Facebook.

Meanwhile, finding matches can be easy or difficult based on gender. It is fairly easy to find appropriate matches for female members with the site’s abundance of male users. Meanwhile, male members will need to have extra patience.

JapanCupid does not do in-depth background investigations or individual profile checks for each member. This means it is possible for other users to fake their profile information. JapanCupid advice its members not to easily give out personal details, especially financial information to someone they haven’t met personally. More detailed tips could be found on Cupid Media’s OnlineDatingSafetyTips.com.

The site is strictly monitored for malicious activities. There are accessible ‘Report Abuse’ buttons found on the profile of each member, on the instant messaging window and on the email system while reading a message from another member. JapanCupid takes every malicious report seriously and suspends questionable profiles.

They also review every photo uploaded to the site. Blurred or pixelated photos, as well as those which do not show the face properly, would not be accepted.

The most convenient way to contact JapanCupid’s support staff is using its onsite Help and Support System. It only needs an email address and verification code along with the query or complaint of the user.

For those who want to live, person-to-person contact to the customer service staff. Users can call Cupid Media’s customer service hotline available every weekday, Monday to Friday from 9am-4pm (GMT+10):

For US and Canada customers (toll-free): 1-800-787-0838
For UK customers (freephone): 0800 056 9427
For Australian customers: (07) 5571 1181
For other international customers: +61 7 5571 1181

Meanwhile, CupidMedia can also be contacted through mail or fax:

Mail to: Cupid Media Pty Ltd
PO Box 9304
Gold Coast MC QLD 9726
Australia
Fax: +61 7 3103 4000

Positives:
● Fast and easy registration
● Call Center and other customer service options are available
● Profiles can be translated into other languages

Negatives:
● Low number of female members compared to men
● Membership cost is high
● No mobile app available for IOS
● Communication features restricted for free members

CherryBlossoms- This is one of the oldest and most trusted dating sites for those who are looking for Asian singles, It has a large user base which is fairly active, thus it is sometimes better to look for Japanese singles in the site rather than in some Japanese-centered websites with lower memberships. The site’s security and unique features made CherryBlossoms a leading name in the online dating industry, especially in Southeast Asia.

TrueLoveJapan- This site has been gaining popularity with good reviews from its users. It has many unique features and there is also a function to translate messages. Similar to JapanCupid, it has high membership fees.

Omiai- The word ‘miai’ or ‘omiai’ refers to a Japanese custom where two individuals meet for a prospective marriage arrangement accompanied by their parents. The site uses Facebook profiles to look for appropriate matches. Omiai is for those looking for serious relationships. It is free for women but has fees for men.

YYC- It has been running for 12 years and is listed as the largest dating service in Japan. YYC targets young professionals and has great features. In this site, users do not just create profiles and send flirts and messages. Instead, it is like a blog journal or Instagram where users can frequently post updates or photos.

Through the years, JapanCupid has been a great tool for those who are looking for their one true love in Japan. Here are some testimonies of those who found their perfect match.

● Thank you Japan Cupid for your great website! I found a beautiful lady and we got married because of our membership with you. Blessings! -John and Lucy.
● I found the love of my life on Japan Cupid , she’s two and one, she is my ying and my yang, I travel thousands of miles to meet her and she was all I could ask for and more. –Stephen.
● I found my wife on this site we met 3rd July 2017 and we married 29th August 2017 in Saitama, Japan. We thank you for this Dating Website, we are now planning to have a baby! – Idrees and Jean

JapanCupid is very helpful for those who are looking for friends or serious relationships. Overall it has all the functions needed for a dating site. It also has a good and very functional website layout. The translation function is very good for interracial dating.

However, one of its biggest pitfalls is the low number of female members. Though it is obviously a good thing for females as they will be spoilt for choice. For foreign men, however, you need to be prepared for a competitive challenge if any specific member appeals.

Although it has all the necessary functions, the website also does not have unique features that will make it stand out from other sites in the same niche. It has the uniformity and ease of use of other Cupid Media sites. It would be good if the website would have more Japanese orientated features to emphasize its niche. The site is a good option for males who are interested in visiting Japan and want to make friends or form long distance relationships prior to traveling.

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