What should I do if my friends or acquaintances are about to find out that I’m doing papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan)? I feel like someone I know saw me.

If they’ve already seen you, there’s not much you can do now… If all they saw was you walking hand in hand with him, you could probably say he was a relative or something. But if they saw you coming out of a hotel, there’s really no way to explain it away… I think it depends on exactly what they saw. I’m neither married nor in a relationship, so I don’t really mind being seen. I’m not that young myself, so I don’t think it looks all that strange. I chose a club called SALON, where profile photos aren’t shown, because I figured it would be fine as long as no one found out I was registered with a club. It would probably be best for you to think in advance about what you’ll say if someone finds out. For example, don’t hold hands in public, and when you go on dates outside, keep things looking like you’re with a relative, acquaintance, or someone from work.

It sounds like someone has already seen you. I think it would be best to keep a low profile for a while. You should avoid doing compensated dating near your home or in places your friends usually go. In my case, I take the train for about an hour and a half, so I’ve never run into anyone I know.