I’m male member A. Is it generally standard to cover transportation costs every time? I assumed transportation costs were definitely necessary for the first meeting, since it might end after dinner only. But from the second date onward, excluding women who live far away in another prefecture, if she lives in the same city and I’m already paying a fee each time, is it still necessary to add transportation costs? I’d like to hear how everyone views this.

Maezawa from the President’s Office here as well. Thank you for your question. As a rule, Universe gives the woman compensation referred to as transportation expenses for the first date it arranges. From the second meeting onward, Universe doesn’t set anything, so the two of you decide what to do. And normally, that’s something the two of you should decide together. Whether additional transportation money is needed after the second meeting seems to depend on the amount of the allowance. If the amount is a little low and the woman feels she has no choice but to accept it, then I think separate transportation money would be necessary. On the other hand, if she feels the amount is sufficient, I don’t think additional transportation money would be necessary. Also, even if the allowance is usually sufficient and no separate transportation money is needed, if the meeting runs past the last train, I think a gentleman should cover the taxi fare generously enough. If you’re unsure what amount would be sufficient, why not try giving her ¥10,000 as transportation money? If she feels the allowance is already sufficient, I think she’ll often return the transportation money. That likely means she finds you attractive as a man and wants to continue seeing you, so she feels the allowance alone is enough. If she accepts the transportation money as well, I’d assume the allowance may have been slightly insufficient—or perhaps she doesn’t see much value in anything besides the allowance… P.S. I had simply been slow to make this visible, so I’ve just posted it.

Universe Club Tokyo staff member Kurasaki here, adding my answer as well. Basically, women go on dates expecting to receive transportation money. After the second date, the club is no longer involved, so it becomes an issue between the two of you. However, if they don’t receive what they were expecting, they’re likely to feel dissatisfied. They may end up thinking, “I’ll look for another papa who gives me transportation money every time…”

I’m Flagmaker, a column writer. Generally speaking, an allowance that includes transportation costs is expected—even for dinner only. Or do you mean a dinner date with no allowance? Those do exist, but that’s something the woman decides, not the man.

I’m in Seattle. From the second meeting onward, things are flexible. Be sure to clarify before meeting whether transportation costs are included. I negotiated by clearly stating that my quoted amount included transportation.