I’m Seattle, a single male member and column writer, around 50.
① Former men’s salon therapist, nurse (31)
We’ve been seeing each other for eight years, on and off. She’s very attentive, so we exchange around ten LINE messages every day. Even now, she’s the person I message the most—small talk, cat pictures, and so on. Her messages are always funny.
We meet about once every four months and stay overnight. She’s traveled with me more than anyone except my ex-wife—30 trips in total. We’re basically friends now, so there’s no allowance. I might give her ¥10,000 for her birthday or something.
② Drum-barrel-sized unemployed woman (29)
Things ended once, but we got back together, and we’ve been involved for about five years altogether.
We meet once every two months for a week at a time, since she lives far away. I give her ¥300,000, and she lives on that alone. She’s a shut-in, so she keeps getting bigger and bigger.
She’s the third person I’ve traveled with the most—25 trips. We have similar tastes in food and the same sense of humor, so being together isn’t tiring. Whether we talk or just sit quietly, it never feels exhausting.
When we’re together, we’re kind of like a happily married couple.
These are the only two relationships that have lasted more than five years. I don’t want to get married, but I suppose they’re both the kind of people I could live with even if we did—there’s a comfortable atmosphere, and talking with them is always fun.
The two women I’ve been seeing through Universe for exactly a year now seem to be more about physical compatibility, but after a year, sex naturally starts to get a little boring. I think the relationships that last longer are built on the kind of honest, uncomplicated fun I have with the two women above.
Oh, the 31-year-old nurse just sent me a weird sticker（笑), so I’ll stop here.
I’m Date◎Yume, a male member.
> What would be the ideal form of a long-term extramarital relationship?
If neither person is married, I’d call it a relationship between lovers. If one of them is married, it would commonly be called an affair.
If you’re married, I think it’s better to avoid extramarital relationships.
In my case, I don’t consider my relationship through the dating club to be an “extramarital romance.” Of course, we care about each other, look out for one another, and treat each other thoughtfully, but it doesn’t feel like an “extramarital romance.” It feels more like having a girl I’m very close to.
We’re about to enter our second year together.
I’m Paper Airplane, a male member.
Ideally, I suppose it would be a romantic relationship that began with both people naturally meeting and feeling they wanted to get married, and then continued for many years.
In my case, I’ve been married several times, so I’m still in relationships that have lasted for decades with women who were once my fiancées or wives.
It almost feels as though I have two additional wives besides my current wife. Unlike with my wife, though, we can talk about all kinds of things, and I sometimes hear and see the true feelings and sides of these women—things my wife would probably never reveal in a lifetime.
With a club or papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan), money is involved, which makes it possible to find an ideal relationship quickly and with little effort. That makes it highly valuable and very satisfying.
On the other hand, papa-katsu is a contract involving money, so it isn’t romance or a conventional relationship. When it comes to an affair, relationships outside the club are more common, since money isn’t the main focus, and they tend to last longer.
