One man’s unusual blind date experience has gone viral after he offered to take his date for dinner and a trip to Tokyo.
Texas-based author and entrepreneur Nick Gray certainly set the bar high regarding dating. On April 17, he shared a callout looking for a blind date and asking people to share it with “a friend who likes sushi.”
“Do you like sushi? Do you like exploring new cities? Do you like blonde guys with glasses?” he wrote. “Come to Tokyo with me for a blind date next weekend. It will be fun.”
Gray said he was looking for a woman with a passport who likes Japanese food and can ride a bike in a big city.
“I’ll pay for everything, but in return, you film a few stupid videos of me on my iPhone that I can post on Instagram,” he wrote.
In addition to paying for the flight, hotel room, and all expenses, he included a three-day itinerary exploring the city, shopping, and eating.
“I expect nothing in return. You should have a passport and be a savvy and relatively low-maintenance traveller,” he wrote.
I want to do a blind date and go to Tokyo next weekend
If you’re a woman with a passport who likes sushi and Japanese food and can ride a bike in a big city… let’s go
I’ll pay for everything but in return you have to film stupid videos of me for my socials
More info here or…
— Nick Gray / How to Make Friends (@nickgraynews) April 17, 2024
Friends vouched for Gray’s character, with one stating in the comments, “LADIES! Okay, can confirm that Nick is A+ and very nice. This post is hilarious, and he’s well-meaning and not strange.”
In an update, Gray said he finally picked a date after receiving 400 applications “from the most incredible women.”
“I’m flying to Tokyo soon to meet a woman I’ve never met for this blind date,” he said. “With any luck, I’ll share a photo of us both smiling in Tokyo on Thursday.”
“I’m overly invested in this story,” wrote one commenter.
“I’m thinking an exhaustive YouTube vlog of the entire experience is in order,” wrote another.
Several days later, he shared another update on X, this time from Tokyo, explaining the anxiety of waiting to meet someone for the first time.
I picked her up at the airport and we have officially met in person now
This is my Tokyo Blind Date update
Waiting for someone at the airport is humbling
You are scanning hundreds of people to find 1 person that you’ve never met before
Each passing person is a No, not her,… pic.twitter.com/wbRP0HVBtv
— Nick Gray / How to Make Friends (@nickgraynews) April 25, 2024
Flowers and airport ✅ Tokyo Blind Date pic.twitter.com/RgTDFftx5L
— Nick Gray / How to Make Friends (@nickgraynews) April 25, 2024
Followers stayed tuned as the pair went on a ramen tour, visited museums, ate sushi in Omotesando, biked all over the city, and stopped to listen to enjoy a performance by a live band.
“It is a little bit insane, right?” Gray wrote on X. “To fly 15 hours and then spend the next 72 hours with someone you’ve never met.”
Although she preferred not to reveal her name, he finally did get to share a selfie with his Tokyo blind date.
I would like to introduce you now to my Tokyo Blind Date
She works as a mechanical engineer in the medical device industry
I am not going to give her name for her privacy but maybe she will post here on my account soon
She saw my post for the trip and sent me an email
Her… pic.twitter.com/PlLgTN15vJ
— Nick Gray / How to Make Friends (@nickgraynews) April 27, 2024
Netizens were charmed by the pair’s spontaneity.
So good to have some positive, genuine stuff happening on an increasingly noisy, negative, bitter and overall sales-ly internet. Good for you ❤️
— Ricardo Sousa (@ricardojrsousa) April 27, 2024
When you thought Twitter was lost forever, @nickgraynews single-handedly saves it with this wholesome story.
— Shaun Alex (@ShaunAlexBRS) April 27, 2024
This has been the coolest social media story I’ve followed in a long time. Happy to see it’s been a fun adventure
— Coach Kav (@CoachKavanaugh) April 27, 2024
If y’all get married, netflix is buying the rights to this movie for $10m
— Mr. FOMO (@MrFOMO88) April 27, 2024
Their three-day date led to more acquaintances, with Gray organizing a meetup with people following his story.
I am hosting a Tokyo meetup now 👋
These people saw my Tokyo Blind Date posts and we are all hanging out in the park today
I brought name tags for everyone and have been leading rounds of intros to help everyone make new friends
The weather is so nice today! pic.twitter.com/FZdOHmEd3H
— Nick Gray / How to Make Friends (@nickgraynews) April 28, 2024
However, as the two prepared to wrap up their three-day adventure, Gray realized he wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye and shared their conversation in his most recent post.
“I have a crazy idea. Do you want to stay until Tuesday?” he asked. “Stay and give us another day or two to explore?”
“Yeah! Let’s do it,” she responded.
Many applauded Gray’s “wholesome energy.”
NIck this is the wholesome energy that we all need.
I am so happy for you and this wild adventure. No matter the long term outcome this is one wild memory that you will have forever.
I hope you have the best next couple of days.
— John Brewer (@LeadAuthentic) April 28, 2024
Can I be your blind date next time you do this??
— Robert Sterling (@RobertMSterling) April 29, 2024
Another pointed out that Gray has now set the standard for blind dates.
Dudes are flexing cars and houses and whatnot, but the real flex is just randomly flying to Tokyo for a blind date.
— Robert Kirby (@veryfailed) April 25, 2024
The pair are now set to fly out on Tuesday night.
“Maybe three days is the most amount of time you would want to spend with a stranger in a foreign land,” Gray stated. “But maybe she’s not a stranger to me now.”
What are your thoughts on this story? Let us know in the comments.