I’ve been doing papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) for three years and have continued seeing two wonderful papas (male supporters), so I’m very happy with my situation.

I’m Tetsu, a male member. I don’t know whether marriage is what makes women happy, but at least I don’t think men can find happiness through marriage. I see marriage as a kind of training ground for life (lol). Most marriages don’t work out well if you get married simply because you’re thinking, “Maybe I should.” It’s better to wait until you genuinely feel, “I want to get married.” Whenever you meet someone, the time will eventually come to part ways. That applies not only to papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan), but to every kind of encounter—whether it’s with a person, an animal, or even an object. Even your favorite clothes will eventually tear, become unwearable, and end up being thrown away. But when you buy clothes, you don’t think about the day you’ll no longer be able to wear them, do you? Meeting people is the same. If you’re happy now, just enjoy that happiness. Worrying about the breakup itself is an unhappy and pointless waste of time. I don’t think getting married means you have to say goodbye to your papa (a male supporter). That’s a matter of each person’s values. I’m married, but since starting my club activities, I’ve become kinder to my family, so I’ve continued with them. The woman I’m currently seeing got married to another man after meeting me, but she says that even when she’s had an argument with her husband, she’s able to treat him more kindly after seeing me.

I’m Flag Maker, a columnist. I came across the phrase, “Marriage is the graveyard of life,” and thought, “Well, even if marriage is a graveyard, it still has meaning if you have children and grandchildren who come to visit.” Just the other day, a woman at work came to me with a really heavy divorce consultation. It left me feeling indescribably down, and I ended up going to a men’s esthe for the first time in ages. The woman I saw there had also been divorced, and she said, “I’m so glad we separated. Marriage just wasn’t for me.” I don’t believe that marriage is every woman’s ultimate happiness. I’ve also seen plenty of older women who suddenly became much more energetic after their husbands passed away. Writing this, I’m starting to wonder myself whether marriage is really a good thing or not, haha. Still, I don’t think I’ll ever get divorced.

Maezawa from the CEO’s Office here. Thank you for your question. I don’t know whether marriage leads to happiness, but if you’re feeling anxious, I think it would be a good idea to start looking for a partner with marriage in mind and see how it goes. You may gain some clarity along the way. If it’s been on your mind, I think you should take the first step.

I’m だて◎ゆめ, a male member. Japan is currently facing a declining birthrate and an aging population. Please get married and help raise the people who will support Japan’s future. I’m fully trained and certified!

I’m in Seattle. If you want to get married, the younger you are, the better your chances. Start looking for a spouse right away. Speaking as someone who’s divorced, marriage brought me nothing but trouble, so I honestly think you’d have more fun staying single for life.

I’m Kazu, a male member. I hear similar things from the women I’m seeing, too. It seems women face a lot of social pressure to get married. Apparently, one in three marriages ends in divorce. Since wanting to be with the person you love and legally registering your marriage are two separate issues, I have serious doubts that marriage necessarily makes women happy. I think whether someone should get married depends on whether they want children. If they do, marriage is probably the safest option. Also, compared with a dating partner, a spouse is more likely to keep providing financial support for the rest of a man’s life. The trade-off is that if infidelity is discovered, she may ask for a divorce. Depending on the man, a papa (a male supporter) might also decide to end things over infidelity.