ON 1

Is there really no substitute for experience?

While Japan can be quite unabashed in its admiration of the sexy female form, in picking dating partners, Japanese men often display a preference for women who haven’t been in many relationships before. But do women similarly gravitate towards guys who are relative newcomers to the dating arena?

In an attempt to find out, female interest Internet portal My Navi Woman polled 117 women between the ages of 22 and 34, asking them whether they prefer a man who’s used to spending time with a woman or one who isn’t. To clarify, the survey wasn’t specifically asking about a man’s sexual experience, merely whether or not he was experienced in going on dates.

When the votes were tallied 68.1 percent said they’d rather date a guy who’s doesn’t have that many dates under his belt. Many in this camp cited concerns about how faithful a guy would be after significantly sampling the rest of the dating pool, and one spoke of her insecurities by saying, “If he’s dated a lot, I think he’d be comparing me to women he’s gone out with in the past.”

In a more positive sense, others who preferred an inexperienced guy theorized that such a relationship would be more enjoyable for both them and their hypothetical boyfriend. “Things would feel fresher and more exciting,” opined one woman, while another added that a more-or-less blank dating slate allows a couple to grow together as equals.

The other side of the debate, though, also made some convincing arguments for an experienced guy. “I knew a guy before who had a lot of dating experience,” recalled one survey participant, “and he knew a lot of restaurants that women like, so it was always fun going out with him.” Others mentioned that more experienced men were more proactive in planning dates, a trait that’s often seen as desirable by Japanese women.

That said, while roughly a third of the respondents had a preference for experienced men, that seemed to be more a reflection of their perceived confidence and capability, so it’s probably best for a guy to let those qualities speak for themselves, and not expand too much on how many women he dated before acquiring them.

Source: My Navi Woman via Otakumu
Top image: Pakutaso

Follow Casey on Twitter, where his level of dating experience is a closely guarded secret.