Most of us are familiar with the dating process in the West because that’s what most countries are used to. It’s as simple as boy-meets-girl, and then they start seeing each other or dating when they feel that their togetherness can blossom into a serious relationship. It’s quite different in Japan because a Japanese girl and guy practice something called a love confession.

Kokuhaku: When Japanese Girl And Guy Confess Love

We’ve already discussed some differences between the East and the West‘s dating cultures, but we haven’t talked about kokuhaku yet. Kokuhaku is a Japanese term which literally means “confession”. It is a term used when describing the act of a Japanese girl or guy confessing his or her love to someone.

Kokuhaku In A Nutshell

In the West, all a guy needs to do to date a woman is to ask her out. In Japan it is different because a male and a female can hang out together or with a group of people, but, technically, they aren’t officially dating or in a relationship yet.

Either the man or the woman confesses their love to the person they are interested in. When the person they admitted it to agrees or accepts their love confession, it is official – they are a couple. A person’s kokuhaku can be refused too. The one making the confession is really putting himself or herself out there, so a good amount of courage is needed.

Is This Practice Too Commitment-Focused?

This is a great question because telling someone “I love you” or “I have feelings for you” might be too commitment-focused. What if the relationship doesn’t work out or you find out after a few months that the relationship is not compatible?

One primary factor that you should be looking at is the word “love” in Japanese. It can be translated to either “like” or “love” which does not have a serious meaning.

The Japanese language does have a more serious translation for love which is aishiteru. This word isn’t used as much because it is reserved for intense and true feelings. So, don’t worry because kokuhaku is not like a marriage proposal.

Kokuhaku For Foreigners

With all this in mind, should foreigners do kokuhaku? Yes and no. Yes, if this particular foreigner is familiar with the practice and has lived in Japan for quite some time. A foreigner shouldn’t do kokuhaku when they do not understand it fully. The same goes for a Japanese girl who is interested in dating foreign men. But, the subject of kokuhaku can be a fabulous ice-breaker when chatting with Japanese ladies online.

This difference in dating culture is interesting. You can know more about it by getting first-hand information from a Japanese girl. You can meet some at AsianDate. If you want more dating advice, don’t forget to check out more posts from our blog.