PeterRS

For some years I went to bars to Sundays with a long time friend. He seemed to love teasig the boys, most of whom hadn't a clue what he was saying and some were certainly uncomfortable. I tied so many times to get him to stop, but it must have been ingrained in his DNA.

Having looked at all the guys and their descriptions, I reckon that are all bascially top but some will bottom. If you click on each photo, you get a description that incudes whether they are bottom or top. For example, one guys has this - Interaction, top, bottom Top ◎ / Bottom ◎ which i take to mean he is both. Some have an x against bottom and again I assume that means he will not. Another is described s a gay guy and he has - Back-up Top (△) / Bottom (◎) One guy with a triange has in his description "He's basically a versatile top, but he says he can also be a bottom for guys with average-sized penises." I frankly would be wary of assuming this and other guys with similar triangles will be very effective bottoms. Note that some will not take reservations from foreigners. Only my personal view but 150 minutes with one guy whom you have never met nd may not be blessed to converse with seems a very long time. Why go for that length on a very first date? I would definitely not go beyond 90 minutes first time around, but that is just me.

I'll try and negotiate down to 10%. Is he worth more, do you think?

Where else but in the USA would anyone consider queuing for hundreds of meters underground before getting up to second level and another few hundred meters queue. Then another level. By the time this level is reached there is a notice saying approximate waiting time will be a further 250 minutes. Madness! https://edition.cnn.com/2026/03/23/us/video/houston-airport-security-checkpoint-lines-vrtc-digvid

Darn it! I forgot to add him!

Youtube still has it fortunately - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyos-M48B8U but for some reason does not allow it to be embedded. A quick click and paste job shows a masterly summing up! The TV series is also excellent -

More a nightmare to have that lawyer!

I am sure we all have stories like that. Many years ago I drafted a will for my UK assets which I asked a lawyer to complete in legal terms. I was quite happy to pay his fee. When I then wanted very minor alterations to certain clauses, I rewrote them exactly as he would have written them and sent them to the lawyer. He then sent me an invoice as though he had rewritten the entire will himself. I told him I'd pay 25% and not a penny more. It was accepted.

@Keithambrose mentioned the Jeremy Thorpe case in these columns just a couple of weeks or so ago. Am I not correct in suggesting this was a case where the various organs of law enforcement including the police, the defence counsel and even the judge were so biased and accepting of a whole multitude of lies that a fair trial was impossible? And are we not to some extent now witnessing the result of the same lack of enthusiasm for having explored all the evidence that must have existed for decades against alleged crimes committed by the now Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor?

I have called it a BL movie but I am not sure if that is the right description, if only because the boys in the movie - both amateurs who act superbly - are 13 and just about to reach puberty. In 2022 CLOSE was nominated for a Golden Globe, an Oscar for Best Foreign Movie and won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. Following the showing, the Cannes audience gave the actors a 10-minute standing ovation. Since then it has won a slew of awards all over the world. It is a movie which had quite an effect on me to the point where I was almost in tears at its beauty, an effect which it has had on many who have watched it, including hard-bitten reviewers. Having decided this was a movie he wanted to make, the young Belgian director wondered how on earth he would cast it. One day on a Belgian train he found himself seated next to a group of school kids all chattering and laughing. One stood out for him, one of the most animated and with the most amazing eyes. He asked the boy if he would be interested in a casting session and then discussed it with his mother. This boy was then cast as the main protagonist in the film, Leo, whose eyes tell much of the story. I don't want to give too much away, but the first 15 minutes or so of the movie are about Leo and his best friend Remi, about how they play together one summer holiday, have fun together as all kids do and even sleep over in Remi's bed. It is extremely beautifully filmed. There is nothing sexual here. But when they both go to the same secondary school, their close friendship attracts attention, the sort that Leo finds difficult to accept. I will go no further as that will give the rest of the story away. I will just say again it is a beautifully filmed, amazingly powerful movie. The review which I post here does have the spoiler so be prepared to look away at this point if you do not want to know what happens. The movie was shown two weeks ago on True Visions but ridiculously in French without English sub-titles. I have heard from True that it will be shown again towards the end of April with sub-titles.

Although it is years since i lived in Tokyo, I have returned many times since then. So I'll try and answer your questions. I'm sure others will add some things. 1. Guests in hotel rooms. I have stayed in several dozen hotels in Tokyo and can tell you that only the really very expensive might query a guest - but unlikely. I have never once had any issue taking a young man to my room, and from what I have read from other posts here, other members have found the same. 2. Room size. This might steer you towards an airbnb. You are correct that Japan hotel prices are partly based on room size. So a decent sized room is going to be reasonably expensive. I have been in cheaper rooms where when kneeling on the bed I stretch out my arms and can touch the two walls! But whereas most of the boys from the agencies will know the hotels, they might need help from you via the mama-san in finding your exact location in an airbnb. If you are not considering overnight, I have looked at the Re:Born site and the boys look much more of the hunk type rather than the skinny cute guys in many other agencies. The in-premises rooms also look really nice. They are only ¥1,000 extra for non-Japanese nationals. One question, though. That site does not have what I consider a usual list of outcall availability and timings. Indeed there seems to be very little information about out-calls apart from a list of what it will cost you from the premises. Overnights seem only to be on the premises when another additional charge becomes payable - ¥2,000. So please double check that before making a booking. A chat with the mamasan is obviously needed in advance. 3. Most of the agencies have websites which use icons to tell you exactly what your preferred companion will and will not do. So check them carefully. If you are looking for a bottom, do not expect a top to fulfil your desires! Likewise some boys do not like to drink alcohol. So please use mouthwash and brush your teeth before he arrives. I always found the boys liked a little conversation before showering and some will speak at least some English. When you make the booking on line, you can ask the mamasan which boys do have some English. 4. In almost al cases, if you book for a start time of 8:00 pm, that is precisely the time he will knock on your door or call up for you if the lift requires a keycard. 5. I am a little surprised that 130 minutes is the minimum time. I have never seen that before. Unsually the timings are now around ¥15,000 for one hour with other options for 90 minutes or 120 minutes. I suggest it depends very much on you and your precise requirements of the boy you choose. Generally speaking, if you have paid for one hour, you will get precisely that. So for 130 minutes, don't expect the boy to up and leave after a shorter time. On the other hand, bear in mind that if you are finished well ahead of 130 minutes and the two of you cannot converse, the extra unused minutes may drag on. Personally I would not go beyond 90 minutes, especially for a first time. Good luck and have a great time.

If you refer to Huang Tzu (Emperor) hot spring, the steam room was closed permanently some months ago and is now demolished.

I understand that @jason1975 lives in Singapore. May I ask him to advise on the best gay bars to visit. I will be there for a few days mid-next month to visit friends but have a coupe of evenings to myself. I used to visit Singapore regularly but have not been in the city state for at least 7 years. Backstage was one of my favourite bars sometimes followed by a visit to Zouk. Many thanks in advance.

I actually find progressive lenses great for daytime wear but quite quite difficult if I am looking at a fixed object, like a movie. Then it really depends where I am seated as I found that when I started wearing them sometimes I'd have to keep my head raised or lowered to see properly. Same with working on a computer screen for more than a few minutes. Good for a quick scan but not longer term working. When I had all my lenses changed some years ago I had an extra pair made that is effectively the distance between my eyes and the computer screen. If you work on a laptop, I thoroughly recommend that small extra expense.

Totally agree, but the devil with travel insurance is often in the small print. If a flight is cancelled primarily due to fuel shortages, will that be covered since the reason for the shortage could be regarded as an act of war?