
Your fist kiss is sure to be a memorable event. It might even be the most memorable event in your life for decades if all goes well…or if it turns into a proper disaster. At least, that’s what we learned from teenage comedies–and Hollywood never lies, right? But even though it’s such a big event in any young person’s life, everyone’s first kiss seems to come at different ages.
We’ve discussed kissing in Japan before, but a new survey reveals the average first-kiss age of Japanese folks broken down by prefecture, showing which prefecture’s women were the fastest and kissiest in the country! Who do you think came in first place? And who’s bringing up the rear as the “slowest to their first kiss?” Find out below!
The survey, conducted by LC Love Cosmetic, asked 2,350 women across Japan how old they were when they had their first kisses. Of course, these are the average ages for each prefecture–we’re sure that a few odd-ball outliers are skewing some of the results. After all, some of us had our first kiss on the playground in elementary school when we “got married,” and some of us were still wondering what that first kiss would be like well after we’d started drinking…legally. But, in Japan, at least according to this survey, the average age for a woman’s first kiss was somewhere in the range of 16-19.
So which prefecture had the earliest average age for their fist kiss? Perhaps unsurprisingly, Tokyo took first place in the race to the smooch, with an average age of 16.3 years old. Second place went to Akita Prefecture, with an average age of 16.6, where we can only assume that kissing is how everyone stays warm through the chilly northern winters. Finally, Nagasaki Prefecture was in third place with an average age of 16.7.
However, LC Love Cosmetic notes that part of the reason for these three prefectures having such young ages for women’s first kisses was that many of their kissing partners weren’t lovers but rather friends or cousins. Apparently, these women were so curious about smooching that they started experimenting with whomever was available! Perhaps as a result of this, many of the women surveyed from Tokyo, Akita, and Nagasaki didn’t have particularly strong impressions of the event.
▼In case you’re wondering, no, this doesn’t count.
At the other end of the spectrum were Aichi and Nara Prefectures, whose average ages were both 19.1. LC Love Cosmetic suggested that Aichi Prefecture’s results may reflect its people’s strong conservative nature. As for Nara Prefecture, they believed the study showed how strong Nara resident’s individuality was, implying that rather than racing to their first kiss, the people of Nara tend to take things at their own pace. We think everyone was just too creeped out by Sentokun’s vacant stare to think about smooches…
▼Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!
In third place was Ishikawa Prefecture where the average age for women’s first kisses was 18.7 years old. Here again, LC Love Cosmetic suggested that this may be a result of the conservative values of the prefecture’s people. Though maybe everyone is just too busy looking at the dolphins to worry about getting to first base…
For an overview of the results by prefecture, here’s a handy color-coded map produced by LC Love Cosmetic. Green is for prefectures where the women’s first kiss was while they were 16, orange for 17, pink for 18, and purple is for 19.
The national average, according to this survey at least, puts the average age for first kisses at 17.7 years old. Just in time for high school graduation! In addition to finding out about Japanese women’s early romantic adventures, LC Love Cosmetic has looked at other areas of Japan’s feminine side, including studying the country’s average bust size by prefecture! We couldn’t find any correlation between how big women’s breasts were and their ages at their first kiss, but maybe we’re not looking hard enough…
And if you’re wondering why LC Love Cosmetic is so interested in Japanese women’s kissing habits, we can only guess that it has something to do with market research for their “kiss beautifying liquid.” Because nothing would enhance a first kiss like corn soup!
Sources: LC Love Cosmetic, Excite Japan
Images: LC Love Cosmetic, Wikipedia, Twitter (1, 2)




When do Japanese women have their first kiss? Survey finds gap between different parts of Japan
Kiss and Tell: Japanese lipstick company conducts survey on first kisses!
Japanese women reveal their ideal kiss scenarios【Survey】
Do Japanese people kiss on the first date? Survey investigates
【Survey】When do Japanese People Have Their First Kiss? When Did You Have Yours?
Studio Ghibli unveils new Rollbahn notebook in honour of Howl’s Moving Castle
Why you should be adding Calpis to your beer in Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Japan’s Mos Burger creates tempura rice bowl bento boxed lunch burger, but not for its menu
Awesome Ghibli Howl’s Moving Castle figure is also a puzzle and an organizer[Photos]
Ultra-realistic cat latte art blows us away, puts us off our coffee
Giant wearable baby head, huge randoseru backpack part of empathy-boosting art exhibit in Japan
Can we be just like Shohei Ohtani on a budget with a Hello Kitty cap?
Tokyo government organizes food truck event to clear out delinquent/homeless teen gathering area
Senkoji: The Japanese temple that’s more like a theme park to heaven and hell
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list
Cherry blossoms begin blooming in Japan with record-early starts for sakura season
Studio Ghibli adds new Mother’s Day gift sets to its anime collection in Japan
The next time you’re feeling stressed out, you could relax on a Pokémon Psyduck chair from Japan
Nine amazing off-the-beaten-path cherry blossom spots in Japan for yaezakura and shidarezakura
When will the cherry blossoms reach full bloom in Japan this year?[Forecast]
7-Eleven Japan’s giant fried chicken skewer would be too big to eat, so it’s really for cuddling
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
Nine great places to see spring flowers in Japan, as chosen by travelers (with almost no sakura)
Starbucks Japan releases first-ever Hinamatsuri Girls’ Day Frappuccino
Japan’s cherry blossom season predicted to start earlier than we’d thought, especially in Tokyo
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
To beard, or not to beard, that is the question. Here are Japanese women’s answers
Survey shows drop in Japanese highschoolers who’ve kissed someone, girls still more experienced
The Magikarp kiss — Japanese woman explains why the Pokémon-like smooch is so terrible
Respect for the Aged Day celebrations very unpopular with Japanese women in survey
What are the most and least attractive hobbies for Japanese men and women? Survey investigates
Mickey Mouse kisses a Japanese fan for so long she falls backwards【Video】
Is it OK to split the bill on a date in Japan? Survey asks what women and men of different ages think
Does a guy lose all chance with a Japanese woman if he doesn’t pay for the first date?【Survey】
Nearly half of young Japanese men in survey have never had a girlfriend, zero-boyfriend women rise too
Kiss-signed Japanese calligraphy works on sale, get the paperwork for a second mortgage ready
Japanese cheating survey finds high infidelity rate in Kyoto and one of Tokyo’s neighbors
Virgin majority for surveyed Japanese college students, and 30 percent have never gone on a date
Survey finds more than half of Japanese women’s nieces don’t call them “aunt”
Japanese boy band shakes up the music world as all nine members kiss each other in new video clip