#fake-friendship — every rant tagged

A foreign man in a small Japanese bar reluctantly holds up his phone as a stranger presents a LINE QR code across the counter.

culture4 min read

DO YOU HAVE LINE? YES, AND YOU'RE NOT HAVING IT

Thirteen years of collecting LINE accounts from strangers who never message again. A field report on the great tatemae friendship performance, and why I've finally stopped pretending.

26 July 2026100