I live in a rural area (although it does have a Universe Club branch), and I’m considering joining. There are two major cities nearby, so I’d like to do papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) there as well. Would that be possible?

Maezawa from the Business Planning Office will answer as well. Your registered branch is determined by your current address. Even if you live near two major cities, women are assigned to a branch based on their address, so some women interview at one branch but register with another. You mentioned wanting to be active in two areas. Many men will consider women from nearby branches as well. That’s because few women find it difficult to travel to a meeting location when it’s nearby. In fact, many women commute to that city even if their homes are a little farther away, so quite a few prefer meeting there. With that in mind, you may be able to receive offers from men whose activity area includes a nearby branch without having to do anything yourself, meaning you can be active in both areas. However, women are generally in a passive position, so it ultimately depends on whether men send you offers.

I’m Marika, a female member. For women, it seems your branch is automatically determined by the location of your address. That said, if there are places that are easier for you to get to depending on the train lines, or if you’d prefer dates in a neighboring prefecture rather than in the city where your registered branch is located, you can simply mention that in your profile. For example: “Registered with the Yokohama branch, but I’m also available for dates in Tokyo.” Of course, many men filter by branch, so if your photos or profile don’t immediately catch their attention, they may not even open your profile. Since you’re still considering joining, you may not have thought that far ahead yet. In short, you can be active in two major cities. You could also mention that you’re willing to travel farther away. That may lead to dates in distant locations, with the other person covering your bullet train or airfare.

I’m a male member based in Seattle. There’s a lot of competition in major cities, so I don’t think your chances really change much no matter where you do it. That said, if you have something distinctive in your profile, you may still receive offers from people farther away. I’ve even offered to meet someone who supports the same team, solely to go watch a baseball game together.