I’m a male member.

A late addition here. Personally, I think transportation costs should always be paid upfront—an unconditional “1.” But the club’s rules say “0.5–1,” so I suppose that’s fine. Fewer rules are better, after all. Mack says he always gives 0.5, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. If anything, I think it’s kind of cool. The only thing I find a little odd is the rule saying “1 for blacklisted women” as transportation money. Some of you may not know about it. Officially, my class is not supposed to know about that, so it feels a bit contradictory. Well, it’s a minor detail.

I’m Basil, a male member. Regardless of the class, I’m a model member who always puts 10,000 yen in an envelope and gives it to her upfront. This is somewhat unrelated, but lately, much like Ms. Mamiya’s blog, the staff have been making surprisingly specific comments about amounts. If they’re only talking about transportation expenses, it’s no big deal, but I haven’t spoken directly with the staff during an interview or anything, so I’m not really sure—is an unspoken going rate for allowances being established and communicated among the management?

I’m Marika, a female member. I agree with what you said. And honestly, unless the date ends after just 15 minutes like with Mac, I think they should still give you 10,000 yen, even if things don’t progress to an additional allowance arrangement that day. So, like someone mentioned (Joe, maybe?), a straightforward 10,000 yen with no questions asked feels best. Speaking of dying in the saddle, I once received the largest allowance I’ve ever gotten while dating a man in his 40s or 50s. As we were saying goodbye, he showed me the amount and variety of medication he was taking, and I was absolutely shocked. I’m really glad he didn’t die in the saddle. Since we lived far apart, that was the end of it, but I have a feeling it could happen someday while he’s with some other girl. (Though it might be the ultimate ending for him!) He was a really nice person, but even with a generous allowance, the risk felt far too high. It was the first time I thought, “There definitely won’t be a second date for that reason.” Sorry for going completely off topic.

I’m Hikōki, a male member. So ¥10,000 is the standard, huh? At least in the Kanto area… Date ◎ Yume, I never thought of it that way?? > They’re probably living on a pension anyway, right? Huh? Seriously?? Wouldn’t they instead think, “I can’t take my money with me when I die, my income will keep coming in anyway, and I have nothing to spend it on…”? Isn’t it more like this? The younger the woman, the more she receives, and the older the man, the more he gives. I think even an older man can get away with paying less only when the woman is fairly old herself. I think the reason women at these clubs like older men is simply that the allowance is higher. They often receive twice—or even three or four times—as much as they would from younger men. If he’s an old man, they can get a generous allowance without even going to a hotel. (Going into a hotel together would be a bit much…) I imagine that’s what young women are thinking. P.S. If he gives ¥5,000 for transportation at the start, and it’s dinner only (no intimacy): - If the man is 40: an additional ¥5,000 - If he’s 50: an additional ¥10,000 or more - If he’s 60: an additional ¥20,000–¥30,000 or more - If he’s 70: an additional ¥30,000–¥40,000 or more - If he’s older than that: an additional ¥40,000 or more I imagine girls around 20 have that kind of amount in mind.

Maezawa from the Corporate Planning Office here as well. > I always handed her ¥10,000 in a small envelope at the beginning of our meetings. That’s excellent. Of course, following the rules is only natural, but since so many people don’t, it’s actually refreshing to see someone follow them properly. Could you perhaps be the person I interviewed when you joined? Thank you for following the rules. And as you said, if the allowance is paid upfront, it’s perfectly reasonable to say that you can’t judge whether someone actually likes the woman or not based on that. I wrote that because some people don’t follow the rules, but you’re right that it could be taken as condoning those people. I’ll correct it later. As for changing the rules, that’s something the company decides, so it’s not up to me. Just to be safe, I’ll restate the current rule: “Whenever you go on a date, please provide transportation expenses in advance (a token of appreciation for the date: ¥5,000–¥10,000).” I don’t think there are any club members who don’t understand the meaning of the word “must,” so thank you for your cooperation. P.S. Wait, I’m not criticizing any particular individual. (笑) If the woman had a good time, enjoyed herself, and wants to meet again, then there’s no problem at all. As long as the club doesn’t receive complaints like, “I only got the allowance and wasn’t given transportation expenses,” I think everyone can be happy. The best outcome is for someone to join Univa and meet a good man—or for someone to meet a good woman. P.S. 2: What date◎yume wrote seems to me to be the opposite of what usually happens. From talking with women, quite a few say they can’t be with someone older than their own parents. Most people naturally imagine dating someone around their own age, so even if they receive an allowance, many think they would be comfortable with someone no more than about 10 years older. However, wealthy men are generally much older, so their thinking gradually shifts to: “If I can receive an allowance, I’m okay with someone significantly older.” There are also women who meet someone and come away thinking, “Older men are kind and wonderful; younger men aren’t for me.” If you meet a lot of women like that, you may arrive at the perspective date◎yume has expressed. But not everyone feels that way. Normally, women have very few opportunities to date older men or experience their positive qualities, so they tend to think that a younger man would be preferable. During interviews, women sometimes ask things like, “Can I limit the man’s age to 30 or younger?” Then the conversation may go something like this: “Most of the men registered with us are around 40, so if you set the limit at 30, you may not receive any offers. We do have some men under 30, though…” “Oh, I see. In that case, I’m okay with men up to 40.” “But you can’t always tell someone’s age just by looking at them, right? Some people are 60 but look around 40. Why not meet them first and then decide?” “Understood. I’ll decide after meeting them. There doesn’t need to be an age limit for the men.”

I’m Rin, a female member. Date◎Yume, if I may say so, don’t you have it the other way around? Young, attractive women know their own worth, so I feel that the older the man is, the more they tend to feel like they’re doing him a favor by meeting him. Also, honestly, I think many women want to receive transportation money regardless of how old the other person is or what he does. Now that I’m considerably older, age honestly doesn’t bother me. But if you’re around 20, wouldn’t a young, handsome business owner make you think, “I don’t even need transportation money!”? That’s exactly the impression I get from comments by the occasional young male member I come across—“brother-katsu,” and so on.

I’m Date◎Yume, a male member. I think the travel expense covers not only the actual transportation costs, but also the sentiment of “Thank you for coming despite your concerns about what kind of man I might be.” So rather than having the club standardize the amount, I think the individual who made the offer should decide the amount and give it voluntarily. Specifically… For example, if a young, energetic, handsome male member in his 30s to 50s makes an offer, the woman may think, “Why would someone so young use a dating club?” or “He must have plenty of financial freedom.” Personally, I feel that, naturally, she would expect a relatively generous travel allowance. By contrast, if the man is in his 60s or 70s, she might think, “Shouldn’t Grandpa be doing end-of-life planning rather than using a dating club?” or “He’s probably living on a pension anyway.” In that case, she might feel that a smaller travel allowance is understandable. If that’s the case, I can’t help thinking that it would be appropriate to treat the woman according to the expectations she had when accepting the offer. Mac, what do you think about women’s expectations regarding travel expenses based on the man’s age? What do you think of my reasoning? I’d especially appreciate your thoughts on the specific examples（笑） P.S. Mac, Kami Hikoki, Rin, and Mr. Maezawa, thank you for helping me reconsider my views. > Young men are held to a higher standard! > What Date◎Yume wrote seems to be the opposite. I guess that really is the case（笑） There was also a bit of my own personal sentiment behind my reasoning（笑） Reality is extremely harsh. When I take my clothes off, I sometimes look wistfully at how the muscles in my chest have wasted away, and how my abdominal muscles—especially around my sides—aren’t nearly as firm as they were when I was younger. I do think women generally prefer someone with a solid, well-built physique.

I’m in my 60s and feeling lost. That’s perfectly understandable.