"I think I've done enough" — The Day I Wanted to Quit After 8 Years of 'PAPA-KATSU'
 

Introduction

The other day, I received a message via Yoitoki yoitoki.
"I want to quit 'papa-katsu', but I don't know how."
The words written there were not flashy, but a quiet and sincere "voice of the heart."

Ms. R, a woman in her 30s who has been doing papa-katsu in Tokyo for 8 years:
 

I thought many people would surely relate to these words, so
with her permission, this time I am introducing her story on Yoitoki BLOG .
"I want to quit papa-katsu now."

Ms. R (30), who has been doing papa-katsu in Tokyo since her university days for 8 years, is now quietly searching for an "exit."

At first, I started with just "going for meals" on the Yoitoki app, and I was happy just to get transportation expenses.
Meet up, smile, say goodbye, and see you again tomorrow.
I used the vague value of youth almost like it was currency.

But as I got older, the way people looked at me, my partner's expectations, and even my own feelings, all began to subtly change.

"After turning 30, there were more guys who wanted to 'date' or 'become someone special,' closing the distance with me.
Each time, I felt, 'This isn't the kind of papa-katsu I used to do.'"

I could probably keep going if I wanted to.
But, she says, she suddenly became scared of the fact that her life was being controlled by her "papa-katsu schedule".

"It's not that I don't need money anymore.
But carrying other people's emotions more than necessary has probably just exhausted me."

The question "I'm not sure when is the right time to quit" is one I often see on social media too.
But Ms. R said this:

"If I quit now, maybe I can never go back.
But maybe that's okay.
I want to tell myself, 'You've done enough.'"

If, after reading this article, even a few people feel, "Maybe it's almost time for me too," I think that feeling is probably not wrong.