A 25-Year-Old Sweet and Innocent Woman Met Through a Paid Drinking App—Then She Said Something Unexpected

Paid drinking companionship is becoming increasingly recognized by the public, with a popular female YouTuber even announcing herself that she had registered for such a service. One factor behind this is the development of an environment where people can easily and safely participate in paid drinking companionship through apps. However, the practice still carries a questionable image, with incidents and online controversies occurring. What kinds of women are registering and participating through paid drinking apps? In Part 2, the writer uses the apps of two major companies and meets the women in person.

Part 1: Popular Female YouTuber R-chan Also Registered. A Comparison of Two Major Paid Drinking Apps as the Practice Goes Mainstream

 

Meeting a 25-year-old through an app where anyone can become a companion

As its name suggests, “aima” is a more casual service built around the concept of using the time between your spare moments. There is no screening process for women when they register. Anyone can start using it from the very same day. The system is also almost identical to “pato,” with users paying through an in-app points system. Compared with pato, the going rates are lower. Prices start at around ¥2,500 per 30 minutes, and quite a few women actually set their rates at the lower end.

When the writer sent a message to a 25-year-old woman whose rate was not particularly high, she replied quickly and courteously. The writer decided to meet her.

She, too, arrived before the appointed time. She was tall and had a good figure. She did not have the flashy look associated with a “Minato Ward girl”; if anything, she had a refined, wholesome appearance. She said she worked as a flower-arrangement instructor. Her rate was ¥4,500 per 30 minutes. After spending three hours together, the total came to ¥27,000.

She was also very talkative. As they chose drinks and food together, the atmosphere gradually became more relaxed. But as they talked, a shocking remark suddenly came out of her mouth.

“I’d only ever seen the term paid drinking on TV. I don’t really know much about it.”

She had only recently registered with “aima.” She had been invited by a woman she had become friends with through a service she previously used called “rental friends.” It is an even more casual service than “rental girlfriends”—essentially a jack-of-all-trades service.

“I’ve gone to aquariums with people and accompanied them to events. I’ve even had requests like, ‘Could you stand in line and buy my favorite idol’s merchandise for me?’”

The hourly rate was around ¥2,000. Apparently, some people even accepted jobs for around ¥500. Rather than being motivated by the money, the main purpose was simply interacting with other people. For her, “aima” seemed to be an extension of that.

“It’s interesting because I get to meet types of people I wouldn’t normally be able to meet through my regular work.”

It was an almost startlingly wholesome answer. I say this despite being the one who chose her, but I had assumed that a more hard-edged woman would show up, so I was completely caught off guard.

Not suitable for men with ulterior motives?

That said, she has certainly encountered dangerous situations.

“Once, I was suddenly invited into a private karaoke room on the day itself and told, ‘I’ll give you a tip, so let’s hug.’ When I refused, he said, ‘You’re a strange girl.’”

What was particularly interesting was her view on meeting someone directly, without going through the app.

“If it came up, I’d have to think about it. Negotiating the amount and things like that would be a hassle. Also, when we use the app, I don’t know how much the man is actually paying, so if we met directly, I’d be concerned that the man might end up losing out.”

She was concerned about whether the other person might be getting a bad deal. That was about as far removed as possible from the image one might associate with the term “paid drinking companion.

In the end, they drank for three hours, went to karaoke, and then went their separate ways. It was not a bad time—in fact, she was a very nice person. Still, a man with ulterior motives probably would not want to meet her again.

The basic premise of this type of service is to enjoy food and drinks with a woman. However, there must be quite a few men who use these services while harboring at least a faint expectation of maybe something more beyond that.

According to her, though, there are also plenty of customers who use the service for just one or two hours, simply asking, “Would you keep me company for a light meal?” Apparently, some are even men in their 20s. Perhaps the idea that a relationship with an agreed-upon payment is more comfortable is, surprisingly, a sentiment shared by today’s younger generation.

After trying out the two apps, what became clear was that the paid drinking system itself is remarkably well designed. Appointments are arranged quickly, and because money is involved, last-minute cancellations are relatively uncommon. Since payments are processed through the app, disputes are also less likely to occur.

An older man and a young woman spend time together one-on-one, with payment exchanged in return. If you look only at the structure, it is not much different from “papa-katsu”—sugar dating. But after actually meeting the women, the reality was quite different.

One young woman earned ¥1.5 million in two months, only to voluntarily give it up. Meanwhile, another woman who was not motivated by making money spent her spare time having meals with men she had never met before.

When I heard the term paid drinking, the world I imagined was one in which wealthy men whose occupations were unclear and “Minato Ward girls” would party until morning, sometimes leading to shady incidents. But what is actually happening is far broader than I had imagined.

The entry of alighter demographic—different from the women who put themselves on the line to earn large sums of money unavailable through their regular day jobs—may continue to grow in the future.