Could you tell me about the party? I’m considering attending the Tokyo event on Wednesday, July 31, 2019. There’s a ¥10,000 difference between the regular back seats and regular front seats—what accounts for that difference? VIP seats come with champagne, but do regular seats include any kind of service? Since it’s a standing buffet, I’d like to eat—will the food be brought to me? Somehow, attending the party seems like the better deal.

I’m Saito, a column writer♪ I’ve attended both the parties and LSE. ① There isn’t much difference between the regular seating in the back and the front. If anything, I’d say the back is slightly better… but if you’d rather not spend the extra ¥10,000, the front is perfectly fine. The service is exactly the same. ② Are the parties a better deal? I only attended one party, but the male members crowded around the limited number of women. In particular, the lower-ranked male members clung to the Black women, making it practically impossible to get in and talk to them. In the end, a few Black men who weren’t pushy ended up leaving without connecting with anyone. (It may be different now than it was back then.)