About paying transportation expenses in advance. I read somewhere that this rule hasn’t really taken root, especially among longtime male members, but rules are rules, so wouldn’t it be a good idea to remind men once again when making an offer or confirming the date the day before? We repeatedly tell women to take care of their health and not cancel at the last minute, so I would like men to be treated the same way. (If this is already being done, I sincerely apologize for my presumption.)

I’m Rula, a UC male member and a member of the new salon. This topic comes up quite often, doesn’t it? I feel it’s difficult to establish a rule about when transportation money should be handed over, given the basic premise that the club’s involvement ends with arranging the meeting, and that everything after the two people meet is entirely a matter of free choice. In other words, while the club says, “After you meet, it’s entirely a private relationship,” isn’t it somewhat contradictory for the club itself to decide when, during that private time, the allowance should be handed over? There’s also some validity to the argument that since it’s a private date, deciding when to hand over the allowance should be left to the people involved during the date. In principle, the club’s involvement ends with making the introduction. So if the rule were: “On the day of the date, please hand over the transportation money when the woman contacts you by phone and you meet her—in other words, at that exact moment. The date begins after the transportation money has been handed over,” then, regardless of whether that would actually be a good policy, I don’t think the contradiction mentioned above would arise. If setting such a rule is difficult or inappropriate, perhaps the club should avoid specifying when the transportation money must be handed over and instead take the lead in resolving the matter if it is accidentally forgotten. Personally, I don’t find it particularly stressful to hand over the transportation money in advance, so I follow the rule because I’m told it’s a rule. Still, that doesn’t mean I have no questions about it… Since both male and female members have their own opinions on this issue, I think it would be worthwhile for the club to reconsider how it wants to handle the matter.

Maezawa from the CEO’s office here as well. I agree with the questioner’s opinion. I think that’s the way it should be done. However, for some reason, I haven’t been able to get much support. (Or maybe people just don’t want to get complaints from men.) It really makes me feel my own limitations.

I’m Saito, a column writer♪ For reference, I’d also like to know why the allowance was paid upfront, just like the person who asked the question.