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On a Date with my Girlfriend! Japanese Twitter Trend Makes Your Dreams Come True

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On a Date with my Girlfriend! Japanese Twitter Trend Makes Your Dreams Come True

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The dream of dating your favorite idol has come true—a little. And if you need the proof the pictures are all there on Twitter, sealed with your date’s permission. Who wouldn’t want to say they’re on a date with Kanna Hashimoto, the “once-in-a-thousand-years” idol?


One of the most popular memes to hit the Japanese Twittersphere this year is the “kareshi/kanojo to deeto nau ni tsukatte ii yo” (#彼氏(彼女)とデートなうに使っていいよ) hashtag, which translates to “use this photo to say you’re on a date with your boyfriend/girlfriend now”. It’s caught on quickly among celebrities, who have been using it themselves. It kills two birds with one stone; they post a cute photo of themselves while essentially inviting their fans out on a virtual date. So who began this trend in the first place?

The first person to use this tag was reportedly Beboga! (Niji no Conquistador Yellow Group) member Rin Kaname, also known as Perorin Sensei. Back in February she uploaded a photo of herself at a yakiniku restaurant to Twitter, captioning it “Feel free to use this and say you’re eating yakiniku with your girlfriend!” It was an instant hit with her followers and racked up almost 7,000 retweets and 15,000 likes. Perorin Sensei later followed it up with shots of her on a hotel bed, this time inviting her followers to use them as photos of their “hotel stay with my girlfriend now”.

Not long after, famous voice actor Kouichi Yamadera picked up on this fun meme. He tweeted a casual picture of himself: “‘On a date with my boyfriend.’ Feel free to use this picture for that.” It blew up on Twitter, and gained a whopping 375,000 likes and nearly 200,000 retweets. That same day he tweeted, he later said he was perplexed by the overwhelming response and joked that his unknowing wife had suspected him of cheating for a moment. Nevertheless, the trend continued to blow up.

The next big star to stoke the fire was none other than Kanna Hashimoto, the apple of every idol fan’s eyes. She cheerily hopped onto the bandwagon with a photo of her in a school uniform, adding that it had been taken on the bus back from her high school graduation ceremony. With such a cute explanation for an even cuter photo, it melted her followers’ hearts instantly and went viral on Twitter as everyone came looking for a date with the cutest high school graduate on social media. The tweet hit a record-breaking 491,000 likes, once again proving the undefeatable charm of Kanna.

Since then, many idols and talents have contributed to the trend with their own tweets. It’s a fun way to share photos of themselves and let fans join in on the fun too. Which of these would you want to go on a date with?

Jurina Matsui (SKE48)

Erina Mano

Ayane Fujisaki (Dempagumi.inc)

Not only idols, but other companies and characters have also been raking in the likes with their own date pictures.

Gudetama

Deadpool


Twitter is a hotbed for memes, and Japanese people certainly know how to play with it. While viral hits are constantly popping up, this “on a date with my boyfriend/girlfriend” trend doesn’t look like it’s stopping anytime soon. Till then, enjoy your date!

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Author
Sharuru

College student in Tokyo and lover of Ghibli and Hello! Project.

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