I’m Papuwa, a female member. I’m sorry—you’re probably thinking, “You again?!”

I’m Basil, a male member. I’ve only ever given 1 as an allowance. During my membership interview, I was told, “The standard is 0.5 to 1, but most people give 1, so you should think of it as 1.” It costs women a fair amount to meet men, and I don’t see any point in being stingy over the one-time 0.5 for a first meeting and making a bad impression, so I’ve never questioned it. That said, I may try Mac’s approach once since it sounds worth considering. Having a nearly two-hour conversation with someone you don’t share any interests with can definitely be tiring.

I’m Saito, a column writer ♪ My answer is much the same as everyone else’s. If he only pays ¥5,000—the minimum under the rules—I think you should lower your expectations for future meetings. Of course, there are also plenty of attractive men who are wonderful people, are fine with that amount, or would even be happy to meet for free. So I think it ultimately comes down to how Papuwa feels. As you meet other men, compare your experiences and treat this as a good opportunity to learn what your appeal is worth. I think it’s best to look at it positively.

Maezawa from the Corporate Planning Office here—I’ll answer as well. > I was surprised because one of the staff members replied in this post that “giving only the minimum amount of ¥5,000 is bad manners.” There haven’t been many posts from the other staff members lately, but I don’t remember writing that it was bad manners, so I’m wondering whose response that was. That said, I do remember writing something along the lines of: “Most men give ¥10,000. Some apparently give ¥5,000 when they didn’t like the woman.” If that’s what you were referring to, I apologize. The club rules set the allowance at ¥5,000–¥10,000, so giving ¥5,000 is neither against the rules nor bad manners. I think you can feel reassured about that. However, when a man deliberately gives the minimum amount of ¥5,000, it’s hard to imagine that he chose that amount for particularly positive reasons if you think about why he settled on ¥5,000. Even if you enter into an arrangement with someone like that, you may not gain much from it. So I think you should take your time evaluating him carefully until you’ve thought it through and decided for yourself that he seems trustworthy. It would be better to begin seeing him only after you’ve reached that conclusion.

I’m だて◎ゆめ, a male member. > “I went on a two-and-a-half-hour dinner date and received 5,000 yen. Since I lived nearby, it didn’t feel strange to me.” Transportation expenses are usually between 5,000 and 10,000 yen, so I imagine both the person she met and Papua-san were able to interact without feeling anything was off. I don’t think it was a breach of etiquette. The person she went on the date with may have been a low-income member of the dating club, just like me. I don’t know what the terms of the arrangement that follows will be, but if both parties are satisfied with the substance of it, then I think that’s perfectly fine. Transportation expenses are transportation expenses, after all. In my case, I prepare the allowance before meeting and bring it with me to dinner. The male member she met may also have prepared it in advance and simply handed it over. After meeting her, he may have thought, “Papua-san was wonderful—I should have offered more.” > “Everyone says things like, ‘I always give 10,000 yen for transportation,’ or ‘I receive 50,000 yen per meeting’… You’re all talking at such a high level that I feel left out! LOL” Since everyone is a high-income earner, I don’t think many people are overly stingy. Still, I believe everyone makes a reasonable effort while keeping the going rate in mind. Of course, I’m sure everyone does their best based on how much they like the woman they met and their own financial situation. I’m also a low-income member of the dating club, but I do my best. If you feel that amount isn’t enough to satisfy you, perhaps registering with The Salon and expanding the scope of your activities would be a good option.

I’m a male member from Seattle. I’ve met seven women so far, and I usually give them 1 within five minutes of meeting. I haven’t given anything beyond that. I’m talking about the first meeting, and most of them were B-course arrangements. None of them lived extremely far away. Some lived nearby. I was told by the club that the usual amount is 0.5 to 1, so I don’t think that violates the rules. Papua, I hope you’ll judge the other person as a whole, not worry too much about the first meeting, and have a wonderful second meeting.