The system is quite simple. One can either pay by credit card or by purchasing a prepaid card at one of the several telephone club card vending machines around town. The latter seems to be the preferred mode. On the the card, which may cost around 5000 yen for an hour or so of conversation, there are two ID numbers printed. When you call the telephone club, a recording will request that you enter the numbers. After they are confirmed, you will be told how many minutes you have to talk. Then, you wait. It may only be a minute, or it may be several, before you hear a chime that tells you there is another party on the line. This means you are off and running. The swift are able to arrange a meeting before their time expires on the card. The very swift can do so quickly enough to have time left for their next lonely evening. The rest get simply conversation, sometimes strained, sometimes sexy, until their card expires.

On the female side of the conversation, there are many varied kinds of callers. Not all, in fact, are female. Thankfully, though, the vast majority are. There are those that say nothing and soon hang up. There are those that say nothing, and simply breath until you hang up on them. There are those that simulate orgasm for a minute or two and then hang up, occasionally with a giggle. Then there are those who actually talk. If the talkers are not actually seeking a meeting right away, they are at least considering it. All of them say they are bored when they call, if not bored with their entire life. Meetings are often consummated, though it may take a persuasive male caller, a particularly carefree female caller, or both to achieve that. The number of married women who are fed up with their husbands seems to far exceed the number of teenagers on these lines. There are also several young single women who are simply bored with their boyfriends as well.

A number of the women are satisfied with a bit of dirty talking while their husbands are out, and call the clubs regularly for just that. Others really do want to meet someone, if not that very night, then perhaps after another conversation or meeting. For students of Japanese, even an unconsummated conversation can provide a memorable language lesson at the very least. Moreover, many of the housewives are eager to tell their innermost thoughts to a faceless stranger on the phone. That in itself makes these conversations far more interesting that the typical talk-over-drinks routine.

I did receive a warning that these cards could be dangerously expensive. Apparently, they are much like pachinko - you win big the first time your curiosity pushes you into trying it, and then forever after waste a fortune trying to hit big again.

"Auto dialer"