5 Best Love Lessons from Netflix’s Love Village (Japanese Dating Show)

I binge watched Netflix’s latest dating reality show, Love Village, and after a ton of tears and pink bubbles of happiness I am here to tell the tale! 💞

Bringing you the latest report on a new Japanese reality dating show!

Love Village or Ai no Sato is a 2023 Japanese dating series and reality TV show. It part of Netflix Original Series with funny commentaries from Atsushi Tamura, Becky, and a rotating guest cast. It’s kind of like Terrace House in an idyllic setting, but imo it is way more interesting than other reality TV series!

What makes it stand apart from other dating shows in Netflix, however, is the age of the contestants! These single men and women come from different generations. Ranging from the youngest at 35 and the oldest at 60 years old, all of them had experienced love and loss. They all also come from various backgrounds! This created a more realistic expectation and a charmingly honest dialogue between each and every one of them.

Premise of the Show

Members of this Japanese reality show live in an old house in the countryside. The members do domestic activities such as renovating their living space, gardening, and cooking together. When one member falls in love, they can confess their feelings by ringing the Love Bell  at the back of the house. The other party can then take one day to decide, and ultimately give their decision the next day. If their feelings are mutual, the new love match will then leave the village. If they do not feel the same way, the person who rang the bell has to face elimination and leave Love Village. New people will replace any member that leaves the village, giving a chance to start anew.

These members moved to the Love Village house and renovated the old house themselves. They also have to be self-sufficient, gardening and harvesting their food. Is this a purposeful opportunity to create bond between the Love Village inhabitants or is it budget limitations? We might never know  What we know is they all went straight to the point! Conversations about sexual encounters, past relationships, divorces, children, adult diapers- topics that would NEVER pop up in any Love Island confessional, I am sure.

Good and Bad Impressions

I watched the first season of Love Village, and I fell in love from the first episode- what an original show!

What other series can turn a 50-year-old stuntman with a big ego and stumbling romantic approach into an imperfectly lovable human? So far, only Love Village can do so. I had tears in my eyes and was rooting for his success at the end of that story. It was, mind you, only one out of the many love lines in the show.

The series did have its downsides, mostly with the strangely choppy storyline. Sometimes there are plots that pop up but never seem to have a proper resolution. (They might have cut off too many scenes?) If you can power through them, it’s worth it!

I won’t spoil much more of the series, pinky promise you have to watch it yourself! I can only tell you that I had a more optimistic view on love at the end. Though I will share the love lessons I learned from this delightfully mature–and ultimately adorable–dating show  I think we can do with more swoon-worthy moments in our lives, can we?

Love Lessons from Love Village

1. Be clear and specific with what you want from a partner. If it is a make-or-break quality, it is best to communicate as early as possible.

In the show, the members come bearing their requirements, their must-haves. Some want partners who are openminded to children from a previous marriage. Some want a partner that can embrace their family, because their family’s love has been so vital to them. These requirements are completely ok, you just need a partner that can accept them and accept you.

It is hard to be honest when you just want to be liked. Moreover, it is tempting to conceal what you want in order to put others first. Being trapped in this limbo, though, will ultimately affect everyone negatively. You will be doing yourself a disservice and the other party will feel like they were lied to. Be straightforward and kind when communicating your needs and wants. If it is not meant to be, life has a better option in store for you!

2. It is never too late to find love!

The Love Village members showed that, no matter the age, there will be someone for everyone. Minane, the 60-year-old children’s book author, went through two rocky marriages. Her relationships ended in divorce due to her husbands’ cheating, and she just didn’t believe in love anymore. Her aim in this show is to find her final life partner- the one to change each others’ adult diapers with. When the all-too-familiar feelings of love came back into play, it was a shock to both her and the viewers.

People fear pain, and sometimes they think that closing themselves off completely is the best solution to stop it. It is not wrong to make that decision, as you know yourself best- but maybe, just maybe, you can find happiness later in life just like Minane.

3. Relationships will make us vulnerable, it is the beauty of it. Only by opening yourself up to pain, you can feel the happiest.

Relationships, of course, are not all rainbows and butterflies. Even by observing the closest people to us, we will find out how tricky and difficult it can be. Yet when there is higher risk, there is also a higher reward. Each one of the participants had to challenge their self doubts (aging, divorce, kids), take a leap of faith, and hope for the best. Meeting a soulmate requires many sacrifices, but sometimes you just have to hold your breath and jump in.

4. Sometimes what you want is not what you need.

One of the pairs really left a deep impression on me. The man was looking for a particular type: ability to support him with his current business and desire to create a good home. In reality, he had a lot of attraction to a member that was not suitable for the life he needs. Sometimes what you want is not what you need. Think long-term, what kind of companion do you want for life?

5. Failed relationships do not make you a failure

It is easy to get tunnel vision when you have just had a failed relationship or a divorce. These are hard events to go through, and everyone has had moments when they wonder if the right person will ever appear. This show has plenty of “real” cast members with their own failed relationships. Rather than letting these situations bring them down, they embrace where they are at in life and keep themselves open to new relationships.

Every relationship will teach you something new, be it about yourself or about love. These lessons are painful yet invaluable- and it is ultimately beneficial for your next relationship. Do not give up if you do want to find love, you will never know what life has in store!

Another gem from Love Village that I couldn’t get over is the above quote from a male cast member regarding a female cast member having been married with children. There are a lot of stigmas in Asian societies on divorces. It is just so refreshing to see a different point of view on past marriages; she has been so loved! 

Romantic relationships are so messy, vulnerable, painful, and sad at times. It can also bring so much happiness, growth, and togetherness. It can best of both worlds at its greatest form, and the complete opposite when it breaks down. Embrace the ups and downs in life, but be vigilant about who and what you allow into it. 

I personally really enjoyed this dating reality show, even more than Korean dating shows like Single’s Inferno. The self-sufficient life they show in the old house, the heart-stopping ring of the bell of love, the infatuated male contestants fighting over one woman, new couples getting together so adorably.. The whole thing is just so refreshing, full of new concepts! It’s my first time being so invested in a Japanese reality series, and I hope they get a second season.

Do you have any Japanese shows or any other reality-TV show that you’d recommend? Do you prefer scripted romance series or unscripted category shows? Comment to let me know!

Find the episodes of Love Village on Netlflix. Enjoy watching the show!

P.S. = If you are interested in chasing romance in Paris, the capital of love, check out my Louvre guide to reference on your romantic date!

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