For men in their 50s and older, your youth was during Japan’s bubble era, right? Did you ever play the role of a “Messy-kun” or “Assy-kun”? My mother, who’s in her late 50s, apparently always had several guys who took her out for meals and drove her around, so she never once had to worry about paying for food or taxis. I’m jealous.

I wasn’t doing papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) before, but my current papa is basically my driver, meal ticket, and masseur…

Hmm? I feel like the math is slightly off. I think the people who benefited from the bubble era were mostly those in their 60s or older. > My mother is in her late 50s. Women could benefit even while they were students, so I suppose someone in her late 50s could have experienced the benefits of the bubble era. But men generally couldn’t benefit while they were students. They had to start working, reach a position where they could use business expenses to some extent, and only then were they really able to enjoy those benefits. (Though I’ve heard some companies paid six or even seven months’ worth of bonuses, so they may have benefited a little.) Of course, some people may have enjoyed the perks by being taken along by their seniors, but basically, I think the men who benefited from the bubble era were those now in their 60s or older. > My mother always had several “messy” and “assy” guys around, so she never once had to worry about meals or taxis. I’m jealous. It doesn’t sound all that different from papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) today. But I’ve heard that more young men these days don’t own cars, so it may be harder to find an “assy.” That said, it wasn’t as though anyone could easily find an “assy” back then either. Women who couldn’t make men feel that there might be a chance with them probably didn’t have “messy” guys, either. Incidentally, I’ve heard that catching a taxi was incredibly difficult back then. At night in places like Roppongi, apparently people would suddenly emerge in groups like zombies in front of empty taxis, all trying to catch one. When you think about it that way, it seems like people without an “assy” had to leave before the last train if they wanted to get home. (Or walk home.)