Japanese dating hurdles

I’ve been living in Japan for a few months now and so far most of my friends are fellow gaikokujin, and my coworkers who are marginally older than me. So I don’t really know what dating culture is like here.

But, when I was here years ago for an exchange program I made friends with this guy and his sister, and I developed a crush on him instantly. He was very kind to me always and we share a lot of hobbies and interests, and we had a great time together. Over time I thought it’d just go away, but now that I’m living here semi-permanently, I visited the city he lives in and the three of us hung out all night. And the feeling came back that I thought was gone.

He’s still so nice to me although not a very good texter at all (the language and tone is very friendly and energetic, just days in between replies) and we’re both busy with work so idk if it’s even worth pursuing but idk what Japan dating is like. Any advice on this specific situation with the culture in mind? Should I just brush this off as kindness or go for it despite the hurdles?

by lakakaksjjsisie