・Do I need to set aside four hours for the first meeting?

Maezawa from the President’s Office here as well. Thank you for your questions. > ・Do I need to keep four hours free for the first date? Yes, please keep four hours available. I believe the message from the branch office also says to leave four hours open. > ・If I’m on my period and can’t have an in-room date, do I have to spend all four hours having dinner? You only need to keep the four hours available. Once dinner is over, if he doesn’t invite you to continue with an adult relationship (intimate), you’re free to leave. Also, an adult relationship doesn’t necessarily mean going to a room. You might go out for drinks or karaoke instead. In that case, the two of you can decide how to handle the allowance. If your preferences don’t match and you decide to part ways, it’s fine to leave without waiting the full four hours. That said, if you’re thinking about seeing him again, many women probably don’t ask for an allowance when the adult relationship involves going out for drinks. Ultimately, it’s entirely up to you, so I hope you’ll consider everything carefully and act in a way you won’t regret. Incidentally, some men are fine with meeting even when you’re on your period. So if you’re comfortable with it, going to a room after dinner may still be an option. > ・What should I do if I can only keep about three hours free because of the distance and the last train? In that case, let them know when you receive the offer. If the meeting time can be moved earlier, you might move it up by an hour. If that isn’t possible, you could reschedule for another day when you can keep four hours free. If the man says he’d still like to meet even for just three hours, then he’s agreed to it, so you can proceed as planned. Those are generally the options. > I once read that it’s not four hours straight, but two hours for dinner followed by another two hours, for a total of four. Is that correct? Yes, that understanding is correct. However, if you decide to turn down a man because you feel he isn’t right for you and say something like, “I have plans afterward, so I can’t,” you may receive a complaint demanding a refund of the setting fee. If you have the full four hours available but decline by saying something like, “I just don’t feel ready today,” it shouldn’t result in a complaint. So while two hours is a general guideline for dinner only, there still needs to be the possibility of continuing the relationship afterward. That’s why we ask you to keep four hours free. On the other hand, if a man says, “Let’s go out for drinks after dinner—we can date for four hours, right?” he’s probably misunderstanding the arrangement a little. The time is only a guideline and isn’t mandatory. Once the suggested time has passed, it generally won’t seem particularly strange if you leave. In those situations, I hope you’ll find a smooth way to wrap things up.

I’m Paper Airplane, a male member. When it comes to meeting someone truly compatible, I think it’s best not to schedule anything afterward—just as you wouldn’t when meeting someone important to you. That way, both people can look forward to the meeting beforehand, and it’s more likely to lead to meeting someone great and feeling that you’ve found a genuinely good relationship. When time is limited, both men and women may be too accustomed to the club, too concerned about wasting time, unable to relax, or simply less likely to hit it off. Considering that this is a valuable opportunity to meet someone and that the time could eventually develop into a meaningful relationship, I think you should allow at least three to four hours—and preferably leave the rest of the day unscheduled.

I’m Kazu, a male member. >・Do you really need to leave four hours open for the first date? I understand it as a guideline and a request: two hours for the meal, plus another two hours in case the date doesn’t end with dinner only. As Aizawa-san mentioned, “in case the date doesn’t end with dinner only” includes dates other than a private-room date. My understanding is that this is separate from the transportation fee covered by the club’s rules, so you can still ask for an allowance even if you don’t have a private-room date. >・If you’re on your period and can’t have a private-room date, are you expected to spend all four hours eating? There shouldn’t be a rule saying that you have to date for four hours. Normally, the subject of a private-room date comes up during the meal. If you explain, “I’m on my period today, so I can’t have a private-room date,” I think the date would then end. However, if a woman declines by saying, “I have plans afterward, so I can’t have a private-room date,” then she would be ignoring the request to keep four hours open. In that case, the man might complain or submit feedback or a complaint to the woman or the club. >・What should you do if you can only leave about three hours open because of the distance and the last train? I think you should simply state that when replying to the offer in advance. For example: “I need to start heading home by 10 p.m. because of the last train. Would that be okay?”

Aizawa, Sub-Chief at Universe Club Tokyo, answers: For a first date, we generally ask members to allow around four hours total: two hours for a meal and two hours for free dating. Therefore, being able to keep four hours available is a prerequisite when accepting an offer. Free dating can include having another drink at a bar, playing darts, karaoke, going for a drive, and so on, so we ask members with Relationship Types A and B to keep four hours available as well. Of course, depending on the atmosphere and circumstances, you may end the date earlier or it may run a little longer. Once you have met, however, we ask that the man and woman discuss it together and decide when to wrap things up. If you know in advance that you cannot keep four hours available, please let us know before accepting the offer—for example, that you can only manage three hours that day for a specific reason. We will confirm with the gentleman, and if he agrees, we can finalize the arrangement. Bringing this up afterward can lead to trouble, so please discuss it with us in advance.