I’m the person who asked the previous question. I’m sorry, but perhaps because I wrote such a long post, some people didn’t see the actual questions and only shared their own opinions, so I’m posting just the questions again.

I’m Fuu, a columnist. 1. Don’t worry. Not every 19- to 22-year-old thinks that way, and not every papa (a male supporter) is looking for a serious relationship. One thing I can say for sure is that Fuu might make you an offer because of your attractive appearance, but it wouldn’t continue, so please rest assured. 2. People pay money because they want to gain some kind of satisfaction. Being praised is probably more satisfying than being criticized. 3. I think you should go ahead and try that. The papas will gradually drift away from you, though. 4. Try number 3 yourself and let us know how it turns out. papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) is about finding a match between what both people want. You seem to lack respect for the other person as a human being. On the papa side, the only ones left will be papas who also lack respect for you and think, “As long as she’s cute and I can have H, that’s all that matters.” That sounds painful. It’s sad that you’re limiting your own possibilities until you can only date such crappy papas...

You shouldn’t get involved with anyone you don’t like. I agree with Aya. Most of them either misunderstood the situation or came in thinking they could get away with misunderstanding it, so even if you throw a question like this at them... No way. I believe papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) is about each person pursuing their own goals with a sense of purpose and self-respect. The best policy is simply not to get involved with people you don’t like. Akari

I’m Tetsu, a male member. 1. I don’t have that kind of feeling myself, so I can’t really say. But everyone thinks differently, so it’s not surprising that some people feel that way. Judging from the questions posted here, genuine romantic feelings come up fairly often, so it’s a fact that there are at least some people like that. 2. A lot of people—both men and women—aren’t used to being complimented. I guess they get carried away when someone praises them (lol). Complimenting others is a really good thing. You haven’t done anything wrong. 3. That may be true. But if you demand an unreasonable allowance and they actually agree to pay it, I feel like things could become even more complicated. I think the best thing is to clearly say no to anything you don’t want to do. 4. From my perspective, you’re worrying about what someone else’s person—the papa-katsu man—is thinking, so honestly, I don’t know and I don’t really care. No one can truly know what another person is thinking, so why do you want to know? What good would it do you even if you found out? Don’t you think you’re creating an unhappy period for yourself by dwelling on someone you don’t even like and letting it weigh on your mind?

I’m Aya, a female member. Hmm, I wonder. A lot of men tend to be delusional and have overly high opinions of themselves. And when they’re wealthy, people around them may not give them honest feedback, while hostesses flatter them so much that they lose the ability to see themselves objectively… I try to stay away from men like that. I’ve already told my current papa (a male supporter), “If you go after girls who are, like, 20, I’ll be totally put off and break up with you, okay????”

I’m Shingo Lee, a column writer. People tend to surround themselves with others who think the same way. Just because something doesn’t exist around you doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist in this world. 1. A woman fresh out of high school or college wouldn’t seriously want to date a wrinkled, potbellied older man unless she specifically liked older men. Isn’t it pathetic to use money to pressure someone into that kind of relationship? >> I’m not involved in papa-katsu, but I’ve had 18-year-old girls ask me for a serious relationship, so yes, it does happen. I think people want to believe in those dreamlike things because they do happen “to some people.” Looking at marriage statistics, wasn’t it something like one in every 200 men in their 40s marries a woman in her 20s? 2. Is it wrong to compliment someone by saying things like, “You’re wonderful”? >> Maybe the problem is that “You’re wonderful” is such a clumsy compliment. When a man tells a woman, “You’re wonderful,” I think it sounds incredibly awkward. You should compliment specific qualities that work in your favor instead. - If you want money, praise her “financial support.” - If you don’t want intimacy, say something like, “I love how you sometimes remind me that there’s more to you than just your body.” *I’m not a woman, so I can’t say for sure, but I imagine it would work the same way in reverse.* 3. Would they stop getting the wrong idea if I made it clear from the start that I won’t meet unless there’s more money involved? >> If you’re tired of going through the pointless cycle of them developing genuine feelings and then cutting things off later, I think it’s better to establish that persona from the beginning. Use your head and think of a way to rephrase “I won’t continue this relationship without money” so the other person can accept it comfortably. 4. Or are men like that simply incapable of thinking any other way, making all of this pointless? >> I think the problem is simply that you haven’t thought it through enough.

I’m Katsu Otoko, a male member. 1. I’ve never met a papa-katsu woman whose waist is slimmer than mine, but I assume you have a six-pack, right? Also, I’m at least a B cup, so shall we compete over who has the deeper cleavage? 2. I’m used to being told things like, “Mr. Katsu Otoko, you’re amazing,” and “You must be popular, right?” So even if you tell me I’m wonderful, it won’t move me one bit. Rest assured. 3. I have no trouble meeting people even without joining a dating club, so if you told me, “I don’t need an allowance—please meet me,” I’d be far more likely to turn you down. 4. I really wish women would stop developing serious romantic feelings for me. Yesterday, while having tea with my representative at Universe, I told them about cutting ties with a woman I’d been keeping as a backup after she recently asked for a genuine relationship. I’ve cut off three women over the past three months for wanting that. Genuine romance is a hassle, so please, just let me pay you. I don’t even have serious romantic feelings for my regular favorite. Seventy percent is fatherly affection, and the remaining 30 percent is romantic affection between a man and a woman. I give her ¥100,000 a month precisely because my fatherly feelings are so strong. It seems you’re the one misunderstanding things, so please straighten up and act accordingly from today.

I’m Osaka, a male member. Mack’s answer is excellent.

I’m a male member, Paper Airplane. If you’re going to force yourself to endure it—or rather, if you can endure it—you’d be better off going to a sex-service establishment. The ideal, or ultimate form, of papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) is for the woman to be able to let loose and relieve stress however she wants, receive gratitude and an allowance from her papa (a male supporter), and enjoy herself. For that to happen, both people need to meet by chance: a man who doesn’t feel stressed about making the woman happy, a woman whose appeal goes beyond just her looks, and genuine compatibility. They also need the luck to find each other and the initiative not to let the opportunity pass them by. Both sex services and dating clubs are things that may or may not suit different people, men and women alike. If you’re able to keep things purely transactional, perhaps sex services would be less painful for you. With sex services, creating that “false impression” is the clearly defined purpose of the job, so I think it’s easier to keep things separate. You know plainly that if you can create that “false impression,” you’ve succeeded. Denying the existence of a “false impression” in relationships between men and women involving money is tantamount to denying your own activities. It’s precisely because that impression is created that the arrangement works. Isn’t that “false impression” essentially what the allowance is for? You’re unhappy, and this simply isn’t for you, if you’re carrying on with someone who doesn’t find that false impression pleasant. P.S. And at the very least, start by not dating: > men with big bellies P.P.S. I also read the long question that was deleted. My answer is this: You’re being tested. He’s judging your reaction to see whether you’re inexperienced with papa-katsu or already have several papas. If that were the case, he’d want to cut ties quickly and look for someone else.

I’m Maezawa from the CEO’s office, and I’ll answer as well. Your question is a little hard to understand. Is that because you’re making a lot of assumptions? 1. A woman who has just graduated from high school or college would never want a serious relationship with a wrinkled, pot-bellied older man unless she specifically liked older men. “Would never want that”...? Are you saying you can’t understand that there are women who do want that? Honestly, there are so many things to point out in the question itself that it isn’t really a question at all. So the latter part— “Don’t you feel empty, forcing women to seek that kind of relationship through the power of money?” —is also based on a false premise. No one is forcing anyone to do anything. The questioner’s assumptions are so strong that the question no longer functions as a question. The wording itself is the problem. For example, if a foreigner asked, “Japan is a dictatorship. Don’t you feel miserable living in such an uncomfortable country?” First, we’d wonder why they thought Japan was a dictatorship when it isn’t. Some people may find Japan difficult to live in, but if the question assumes that everyone finds it difficult to live here, we’d have to say, “It isn’t necessarily difficult to live here, so how does that lead to whether we feel miserable?” 2. Is it wrong to compliment someone by saying things like, “You’re wonderful”? There’s no cause-and-effect relationship between complimenting someone and the first question. So before answering whether it’s wrong or not, I’d say the question itself is incorrect. (The first question is based entirely on assumptions, so it doesn’t really qualify as a question.) 3. Would they stop getting the wrong idea if I made it more obvious that I wouldn’t meet them unless they paid more? There does seem to be some connection there, but since the first question itself falls apart, every question related to it also fails to be a valid question. 4. Or are men like that only capable of thinking that way, making it pointless to do anything? Since the premise of the first question is flawed, this isn’t really a question either. > These are my four questions. I look forward to your answers. Please try writing some more sensible questions. If your question is something like: “Since there’s no air on Earth, don’t you find it hard to breathe?” then I’ll hide it next time. (There is air, isn’t there? Saying that it doesn’t exist is just something you believe, and almost nobody else believes that.)

I’m Kazu, a male member. 1. Only the person themselves can know. 2. I don’t think you should say things you don’t genuinely mean. 3. I don’t think so. It’s probably best to stop giving unnecessary compliments. 4. Who knows? The questioner only says that their usual behavior is to “compliment him by saying things like, ‘You’re wonderful, Mr. ○○,’” so it’s hard to understand the situation. I also can’t tell whether the men are genuinely falling in love, and even if they are, I don’t think there’s a method that applies to everyone. All respondents can do is share their own opinions. You’re giving us too much credit.