I Was Surprised by How Dating Works in the West🌸

Before going abroad, I assumed that Western people were more casual about dating and relationships than Japanese people.

However, after living overseas, I realized that my image was not always correct.

In Japan, it is common to go on dates for a few months, confess your feelings, and then officially become a couple.

On the other hand, many of the Western people I met had a stage called “Dating.” Even when two people are interested in each other, they often spend time getting to know one another through dates before deciding whether they want a relationship.

What surprised me even more was that someone could be dating a person and still not consider them a boyfriend or girlfriend. There was often a stage that could be described as a “kind of relationship” — something between friendship and a serious relationship.

After that, people may spend even more time discussing their values, expectations, and future plans before deciding whether they truly want to become a couple.

I had expected relationships overseas to be more casual, so I was surprised to find that, in some ways, people seemed even more careful and thoughtful than in Japan when it came to choosing a partner.

Of course, every country and every person is different, but this experience taught me that ideas about love and relationships can vary greatly across cultures.