I’m a female member, and I have a question about the allowance for offers from outside my prefecture. I often receive long-distance offers from men in Tokyo, and the allowance is usually ¥100,000 or more—often around ¥200,000—not including transportation costs, so I’m happy to accept even if it’s a bit far. Recently, though, I received my first offer in Nagoya. I’ve always had the impression that Nagoya has lively entertainment districts and that people there spend pretty lavishly, so I assumed the allowances might be as high as in Tokyo. If I can expect a generous allowance, I’m thinking of accepting the offer, but what is it generally like? I’d appreciate hearing from anyone who has accepted an offer there or has heard about it from people they know.

Maezawa from the President’s Office here. As you said, Tokyo has all kinds of people, from ultra-wealthy men to those who are less well-off. If you happen to meet a man who offers a generous allowance, getting a double-digit allowance is fairly common. Of course, not everyone is like that. In Tokyo, it’s probably best to think of the range of allowances as being quite broad. I’m not sure what Nagoya is like, but generally speaking, there are fewer extremely wealthy men in regional cities, so I imagine your chances of finding a generous supporter are lower as well. That said, if you focus too much on the odds, you might miss an opportunity. I get the impression that Nagoya has its share of generous men too. You could accept the offer and, if he isn’t particularly generous, you’ll at least get firsthand experience of what it’s like. If there’s even a 1% chance of receiving a double-digit allowance, I think it’s worth accepting. As I was writing this, though, I realized that depending on the person making this offer from Nagoya, I might be carrying the heavy responsibility of changing people’s image of Nagoya. (笑)

I’m Tetsu, a male member. Wow—double digits, 20. That’s incredible, just incredible. I’m in Tokyo, but I couldn’t possibly offer you that much. Oh, I didn’t answer your question, did I? I don’t know.

It really depends on the person—you can’t give any other answer. The allowance isn’t determined by the location; it’s determined by the people involved. Marika