Saturday, May 18, 2013

How to make Japanese friends online

I guess this would interest many who are interested in Japanese culture and would like to have real Japanese as friends. However, this post does not guarantee that you can successfully make friends with Japanese. After all, making friends is all about having both parties agreeing to carry on the friendship/conversation and also sharing the same interest. Many can agree to be friends with you but through my experience, not many will always be there to hold conversations with you. Like after awhile MIA due to busyness or whatever reason.

And please don't expect all Japanese to be interested in Japanese fashion or makeup. But in general, you can learn Japanese culture and the language from them. At the same time, those who usually are interested to make foreign friends are those who are interested in culture/language exchange.

1// ☆ japan-guide.com
This is a site where most Japanese will post up advertisements for foreign friends request or language exchange. Similarly, you can also do the same and see if anyone "knocks at your door". Don't be surprise if a non-Japanese "knocks at your door" too. Other than making friends, you can also get some help through this site if you are planning an itinerary for upcoming Japan trip (I hope mine will come soon! (≧▽≦)☆).

2// ☆ Interpals Penpals
Interpals is a platform to make foreign friends from all over the world and quite a lot of Japanese are in it too. There is a 'Looking for' section where it indicates what one is looking for. There's penpals, language exchange, friendship and etc. You can try your luck in find one here by messaging them but I won't say they will 100% reply you even if they show no interest.


Snail mailing is part of the culture in Japan. I remember reading somewhere that in schools (not sure is it all schools or just some), there is actually a snail mailing activity for the students. They actually have a platform for students to communicate with foreigners (I think students too) through letters. When New Year Day (1st January) is nearing, they would also mail out new year postcards (年賀状 nengajo) like how we mail out Chinese New Year  or Christmas greeting cards. So, if you are interested in snail mailing and would like to do some swaps with Japanese, the site listed below is for you.

3// ☆ Postcrossing
Postcrossing is a well-known platform to exchange postcards from all over the world. Most snail mailers are on this site. Hence, you can try spotting Japanese who are looking for penpals or you can do some private swap (postcards or package) with them or try your luck to build up a friendship. However, please note that you have to be active on this site before asking for swaps or anything. Cause being active with successful number of mailed out postcards reflects an evident of trust that you actually will mail things out.

4// ☆ Instagram
This is mainly for swaps or penpalling. Because we get to see what others has mailed out or received, it became a platform for potential swaps or pen-palling to take place.

5// ☆ Pen Friend Club of Japan
If you have problem finding a Japanese penpal or don't know how to start, you can just mail your application form to Pen Friend Club and wait for a letter to reach you. I don't exactly know how this works since I haven't tried this system before, but at least, I guess, you can find your ideal penpal (eg with same interest or around the same age etc). Of course, in the application form you have to state what kind of penpal you are looking for.


This is it for now. I'll update more if I happen to find out more sites. Other than japan-guide.com and Pen Friend Club of Japan, you can actually find other foreign friends too. You don't have to find only Japanese friends. Having foreign friends from different countries can actually be a fun thing to learn about their culture and lifestyle that differs from ourselves. But please note that building a friendship requires time and effort, so do not flood inboxes and end up finding yourself with too many friends that you cannot handle. Take your time and you'll eventually find one or a few that can hold good conversations with you. (〃º╰╯^ ) ~☆

Have fun making new foreign friends!  ♪(*^^)o∀*∀o(^^*)♪ 

1 comment :

  1. Well, this post is kinda interesting. Really got interested in number 5.

    ReplyDelete