About allowances: From the perspective of a financially well-off man, does an allowance of ¥80,000 versus ¥100,000 feel like much of a difference?

It feels like things haven’t changed much. I’ve never met a woman through a club whom I wanted to date badly enough to pay that much, though…

That really comes down to their attitude toward money. Some people are financially well-off but very strict about spending, while others have little money yet spend their entire fortune. If they have several million yen a month in disposable income, it probably wouldn’t bother them.

This is just my personal impression, but I don’t think the amounts themselves differ all that much. That said, if I give an allowance of 80,000 yen to a woman I have a good relationship with, I’d almost never offer 100,000 yen to someone I’ve only just met.

Why not date someone you can talk to openly without worrying about saying the wrong thing…? A relationship where you can’t even say what you really think… sounds so boring. Since money is obviously something to consider when starting papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan), you’re better off seeing someone you can talk to whenever something bothers you, hurts, or causes trouble—even if it’s only a little. You probably have plenty of things you’d like to ask for or discuss. Whether they’re the kind of person who can understand without you having to say everything, or someone you can actually talk to, is something you may not know until you take the chance and address it. Whether you keep things as a transactional relationship or pursue the kind of relationship you really want—that’s something you’ll have to choose for yourself. If you like each other enough to be able to say anything to one another, a difference of a few tens of thousands of yen probably won’t matter much. But if you can’t let your guard down around someone, talking about money won’t feel good either—you’ll probably just end up completely fed up with them.