When international audiences think of romance in Japan, a very specific, almost cinematic image materializes. It is a world of fleeting eye contact on a crowded Shibuya crossing, confessions beneath a canopy of cherry blossoms, and the quiet tension of a "love hotel" neon sign flickering in the rain. From the globally dominant medium of anime to the gritty prestige of Japanese cinema and the algorithmic whispers of dating apps, Japan has cultivated a unique romantic lexicon. But how much of this is reality, and how much is a carefully constructed national image?