"Found a Girlfriend While Traveling in Japan"... Unexpected Hotspots on the Rise

Korea-Japan Matches Expand Beyond Tokyo and Osaka to Local Cities

Fukuoka and Nara Prefecture Rank High in Matches

Long-Distance Matches Also Seen, Such as Jeju to Hokkaido

As the trend of traveling to small cities in Japan spreads, meetings between Koreans and Japanese—which used to be centered around Tokyo and Osaka—are now expanding to local cities across Japan.

According to Korea-Japan matching data released on June 18 by Enrise (CEO Kim Bonggi), operator of the social dating app WIPPY, exchanges between Koreans and Japanese are shifting from being concentrated in major cities like Tokyo and Osaka to encompassing all regions of Japan, including smaller cities.

Image generated by artificial intelligence (AI) to aid in understanding the article. ChatGPT

In terms of the number of Korea-Japan matches, Tokyo and Osaka ranked first and second, respectively, but local regions such as Kanagawa Prefecture, Fukuoka Prefecture, and Nara Prefecture also ranked highly in match counts.

"Small City Matches Lead to 2.8 Times More Conversation"

Notably, matches with users from small cities led to much deeper conversations than those with users from major cities. The average number of messages exchanged with users from small cities such as Niigata, Kagawa, and Ehime was about 2.8 times higher than with users from Tokyo or Osaka. WIPPY explained, "While matches with users from major cities tend to result in quicker and broader exchanges, matches with users from small cities show a tendency for relationships to be maintained more consistently once a connection is made."

Korea-Japan matches are also expanding nationwide, not limited to specific regions. Long-distance matches across regions included examples such as Seogwipo in Jeju Island and Hokkaido (1,687.3 km), Goyang in Gyeonggi Province and Okinawa (1,274.6 km), and Iksan in North Jeolla Province and Aomori (1,316.9 km), with many matches occurring between areas more than 1,000 km apart.

This phenomenon is interpreted as a result of increased travel demand to small cities, a high proportion of female users, and the regional characteristics of having fewer opportunities for contact with Koreans compared to major cities. In small cities, the proportion of female Japanese users was 77.8%, whereas in Tokyo and Osaka, it was relatively lower at 61.6%. WIPPY analyzed, "Because there are relatively fewer opportunities to interact with foreigners, connecting with Koreans through online platforms is perceived as a more special experience."

Among small city users, those in their 20s accounted for 66%, with the average age being 28.8 years old. Korean regions with the highest matching rates with small cities included Suwon in Gyeonggi Province, Gangnam District in Seoul, Goyang in Gyeonggi Province, Gwanak District in Seoul, and Busanjin District in Busan, in that order.

Increase in Human Exchanges Such as Travel, Study Abroad, and Employment Leads to Surge in Korea-Japan Couples

The increase in Korea-Japan couples is also reflected in marriage statistics. According to marriage and divorce statistics from the Ministry of Data and Statistics, in 2024, the number of marriages between Korean men and Japanese women was 1,176 cases. This represents a 40.2% increase from the previous year and is the highest figure in a decade.

This change appears to be influenced by the increase in human exchanges between the two countries. In addition to the spread of K-content, there is analysis that increased travel, study abroad, and employment have deepened mutual familiarity.

In fact, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's "2025 Korea National Image Survey," the favorability rating of South Korea among Japanese people reached a record high of 42.2%. According to last year's survey by the East Asia Institute, the positive perception of Japan among Koreans was 63.3%, surpassing negative perceptions for the first time since the survey began.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.