Dating Differences: Incorrect Stereotypes About Japanese Men

A little over a year ago I started dating my Japanese boyfriend (Ren). It was my first relationship with someone from another culture and his as well. So what do you do when you don't know what to expect? You Google and use stereotypes to try to prepare yourself. (Or at least we did...)

Of course, generally stereotypes are bad, but they can give some insights in certain cases. Plus, some of them are just funny to me. About a month into my relationship my boyfriend and I shared some of the stereotypes we believed and found online. Today, I will talk about mine! Read about his in my last blog post.

I guess the biggest misconception about his country and culture would be that I thought that many Japanese men were unaffectionate, because that is what I heard and read. For example, I read that many Japanese men rarely hug, kiss, or say "I love you", but that was far from the truth. At least it is in my experience. Ren does all of these things, even in public.  This is a huge deal since PDA is still not huge in Japan. 

Another big stereotype I found online is that Japanese men tend to put their job/school first. In other words, Japanese men don't make much time for their girlfriends. For me, this would be a huge problem as I am used to meeting up with my significant other more frequently. Again, luckily this is not a problem with my boyfriend. He makes time for me at least twice a week (one full day date and a half a day date), and he sometimes surprises me by showing up at my place after I get off work! 

My favorite kind of date is any that involves ice cream!

The last stereotype that I read about was the struggle of getting Japanese men to help with house chores. While my boyfriend and I don't technically live together yet, we do stay over at each others houses for long periods of time. I tend to do the cooking and Ren tends to do the dishes. (Thank goodness because there is nothing I hate more than dishes! Haha!) Other chores such as laundry and cleaning we often do together. It is way more balanced than I could have hoped for! 

These stereotypes are just that, stereotypes; it is important to remember that they do not apply to all Japanese men. Reading them can actually make you pretty worried about dating a Japanese man, but worry not! Plus, even if you are having a problem related to one of these stereotypes, it is important to just talk about it. 

Have fun dating and good luck!!

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