Timeleft Japan Review: Does This Friend App Really Work?

Tokyo Weekender

2 days ago

If you're a 20- or 30-something in Tokyo, you've probably seen a
Timeleft
ad on Instagram. Typically featuring a group of young people grinning at dinner with wine glasses in hand, the photos look more like your friend's recap of a fun night out than an ad.
Timeleft's premise sounds intriguing, albeit a little cheesy. It's 'a new way of meeting people without expectations,' according to the app's Instagram account. 'Every Wednesday, we gather as strangers around a table to take a chance, share our stories and open up to each other.'
The concept certainly piques curiosity, but not everyone is brave enough to take the plunge and risk the potential awkwardness of meeting a bunch of strangers via an app. Plus, there's the logistics of it all. How do you get matched? Who pays? Is it safe?
Luckily, one of
Tokyo Weekender
's trusted sources was kind enough to provide some details about her experience attending a Timeleft gathering. Meet Nozomi, a 27-year-old Tokyoite working in advertising.
Timeleft Participant Interview
Can you tell us about yourself?
I'm Japanese, but I was born in Kobe and grew up in the US. I came back to Japan and spent my middle and high school years in Kansai, and went to Australia for university. Some of my hobbies are Pilates — I hold group lessons in English every month — podcasting (about topics like career, relationships, beauty and fashion for girls in their late 20s) and traveling. I've been living in Tokyo for two years now, and I love it so far! There are so many things to do.
What do you love most about Tokyo? And what are some of the challenges of living here?
The city feels so big, and you can meet such a wide variety of people. Even though I'm Japanese and have lived here for more than half my life, it feels so new. But as a young professional, sometimes it feels like all you're doing is just commuting between your home and your office — you know, home, office, home, office. Then on the weekends, you're just so exhausted that you just want to rest and stay at home, and not really branch out as much.
When you worked in Australia, were people more open to making new friends?
Yes, having experienced western cultures, I do sometimes think it's harder to meet new people in Tokyo. Generally, I think that as adults, a lot of people just aren't as interested in expanding their existing friend groups; they're happy with their circle already.
For me, I know I already have a lot of great friendships from school — they are my closest friends and we've known each other for over 10 years. I do, however, still want to branch out and expand my circles, especially since I teach Pilates on the side. My vision is to create an international social-slash-Pilates community this year.
How did you first come across Timeleft?
I saw ads on social media and websites even when I was living in Australia. But I always just thought it was a scam, so I never had the guts to sign up. After I kept seeing targeted ads in Japan, I just decided to go for it.
How does it work?
After downloading the app, you take a short personality test, then choose a location out of a few areas in your city. I opted for Meguro or Ebisu. You then decide whether you want to get dinner, or just drinks. The gatherings are on Wednesdays, or more recently, on Tuesdays for girls only.
You can select your budget from three tiers, your dietary preferences and preferred languages. I chose Japanese and English. You also have to pay to attend — It's ¥1,890 for one-time participation, meal price not included, and ¥2,290 for a monthly subscription.
A few days before the dinner date, you get a notification from the app about your group, consisting of the other four people's nationality and occupation, as well as the restaurant details. You can't contact any of the people beforehand; you just have to show up to the restaurant.
That seems so nerve-wracking, like going on a blind date.
Yes, it really is. You don't have any clue who's coming. You might even run into someone you know.
How did the evening unfold?
I consider myself an extrovert, but I was honestly so nervous. It felt like a first date. But when I showed up to the restaurant and sat down, we were all instantly able to connect. It probably helped that we were speaking in English rather than Japanese; I often feel that I can get closer to people much quicker when conversing in English. My group had three Japanese girls, one Kiwi guy and one Taiwanese girl.
We just started out by introducing ourselves, and asking basic questions about our jobs, backgrounds and hobbies. The app also gave us icebreaker questions, like 'what would you want to do on your last day on earth?' Things like that. I think we got lucky with our group chemistry, so none of us felt awkward. After dinner, we got a notification about the second location, which was TenCups, a bar in Shibuya.
What does the second location hangout entail? Was it just your group?
No. Timeleft basically put together a bunch of groups who had also been having dinner around Ebisu, for more opportunities to mingle. The whole bar space was rented out; we just had to pay for our drinks.
Interestingly, I did notice that not every group was as friendly with each other as ours. So I do think group chemistry can be hit or miss. You can also choose to forego the second location. One of the girls in my group felt tired, and just went home after our dinner.
Did your group make plans to meet up again?
Yes, we exchanged contact information and made a Line group chat immediately. We made plans to golf together, and some of them wanted to join my Pilates class. Last month, we merged our group and another group together, and we have another house party coming up this month.
So, it definitely didn't end as a one-time outing, which is great. I also know of a girl who met another girl at a Timeleft gathering, and they found out they live really close to each other. Now they're basically best friends.
Would you go to another Timeleft meetup?
Yes! I definitely want to. And I already recommended it to so many of my friends here and abroad. If you have wanted to meet more people outside of work and your close friend circle, I think Timeleft is a great tool.
Do you think the app is going to be successful long-term?
I can see it lasting long-term, especially because connections and social interactions these days rely so heavily on digital avenues; I think in-person meetups will become more and more valuable!
Follow Nozomi on Instagram
@nozzzieee
, The Sunday Brunch Club Podcast
@sbc_podcast
and check out her bilingual pilates classes
@noz_pilates
.
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