While we include a Home-Hosted meal for our travelers during Japan’s Cultural Treasures, a Japanese person craving similar companionship can always fork over a rental fee.
Question: Described as a heartwarming solution to loneliness, a popular new service in Japan named OK Obaachan lets you rent what?
Answer: Grandmothers
In a society where loneliness is a growing concern—particularly among members of younger generations who may lack close family ties—many Japanese would love to get that grandmotherly touch in their lives. To fill the void, OK Obaachan (OK Granny) will let you “rent” a grandmother for an hourly fee.
This innovative service run by a company called Client Partners connects clients with grandmothers that range in age from 60 to 94. Not actresses or “gimmicks,” these are real grandmothers with decades of life experiences. When interviewing potential candidates, what they look for is someone who is kind, committed, hardworking, and cares about the feelings of others. Because of this, grandmothers are able to assist with anything from tackling household chores to providing emotional guidance to mediating family disputes.
Started about ten years ago, OK Obaachan has proven wildly popular in Japan. Clients have praised the grandmothers for their ability to listen without judgment and to provide invaluable advice when they were facing life’s challenges. Client Partners’ website points out why grandmotherly wisdom is the real reason for the success of OK Obaachan: “The merit of age is the ability to remain unfazed by small things.” Which is a fancy way of saying that no matter how weird you think your situations are, they’re not going to faze someone who’s already seen it all. When you look at it that way, 8,000 yen an hour (about $55) is a small price to pay to rent a grandmother.
But it’s not just the clients who benefit from this rather unusual rental service. Seniors have been hit particularly hard by Japan’s cost-of-living crisis. With fixed pensions no longer covering the essentials, many pensioners are struggling to make ends meet. So for the grandmothers, OK Obaachan not only gives them a renewed sense of purpose, but a nice paycheck too.
Admittedly, the whole concept of “renting” grandmothers or any other person may seem odd—or even offensive—to Western sensibilities. But in Japanese society, this type of service is quite common and has been around for a long time. Many companies offer plenty of people to choose from that you can rent out for an hour, a day, or longer … in all shapes and sizes. While no one is renting out grandfathers quite yet, how about the next best thing?
Ossan—middle-aged men—for rent
Nishimoto Takanobu started Ossan Rental in 2012, an online rental service where middle-aged Japanese men—ossan—are available to rent. He began the company after overhearing a schoolgirl on a train saying she thought ossan were “creepy and always giving lectures,” making particular fun of their “hairy ears.” Wanting to prove to the world that ossan are cool, not creepy, he launched the business by renting himself out first.
He soon found himself as the CEO of a middle-aged empire. Candidates must go through a series of lengthy interviews by Nishimoto and only one in fifty applicants make the cut. Ossan provide similar services as grandmothers—mostly listening to someone’s personal problems and doling out advice. With the success of his business, Nishimoto is especially proud to be helping to restore the honor of ossan. “I never realized that ossan were disrespected that much,” he said.
Whether you’re looking for a father figure, seeking life guidance, or just want someone to play a round of golf with you, you can rent an ossan for just 1,000 yen (about $7) an hour—a lot cheaper than therapy!
Here’s the skinny on something else you can rent—plus-sized people
Hard as it is to believe, there’s a scarcity of overweight people in Japan. And anything that’s rare—just like diamonds—creates a valuable market. Japan’s obesity rate is among the lowest in the world—just 3.6% of the population is overweight (compared to more than 42% in the United States!). So, if you’re in the market for plus-sized people for an advertisement, an overweight model for a diet promotion, or (and this is right from the company’s brochure) “someone chubbier than you to make you feel better,” you’re in luck. For just 2,000 yen (about $18) an hour, you can rent a person certified to weigh more than 220 pounds.
The irony in all this is that unlike other countries who see obesity as a result of bad eating habits, Japan links plus-sized people to sumo wrestlers. Tipping the scales at well over 300 pounds, they are revered by the Japanese public as near gods.
6 More Potential Rentals in Japanese Culture
- Apologizing can be awkward—why not rent someone to do it for you? No one really likes
confrontation. When whatever it was that you did—from a workplace blunder or a missed deadline to trouble
at home—demands an apology, just let someone do it for you. Apology professionals in Japan are
available to say “sorry” on your behalf. Agencies like AigaPro will send the injured party an
apology via email or telephone for about 10,000 yen ($70). Or if you blundered so badly that it warrants a
face-to-face meeting, it will set you back 25,000 yen ($170) and up.
When sorry just isn’t enough, however, and things escalate, many companies also offer legal assistance. - It’s rather befuddling, but there’s a rental for cuddling: Hugging and cuddling
services are another big thing in Japan. It sounds made up, but you can visit what are called
Soineya—cuddle cafés—and rent someone just to cuddle and nap with. There’s no funny
business involved, just the comfort of some human warmth (with a complete stranger, mind you!) for stressed out
people looking for some relaxation and emotional support. Ahh, you can’t put a price on something like
that, can you? … Actually, you can. Twenty-minute co-sleeping sessions cost about 3,000 yen ($20) plus
another 1,000 yen ($7) if you want the 3-minute back-patting session. C’mon, bring it in—group hug!
- For crying out loud, you’re not going to believe this one: When you need a shoulder to
cry on, contact Ikemeso’s Home Crying Service and they’ll send over one of their “handsome
weeping boys” to wipe the tears away. The service is especially popular for people in emotional distress
after a breakup, are homesick and miss their families, or just need to get it all out with a good cry. Prices
are negotiable, but a session usually runs about 5,700 yen ($38), which will get you a charming man to pat you
on the back, help you through your meltdown, or just cry along with you while watching a sad movie. File that in
the “you can’t make this stuff up” department ….
- Looking for a boyfriend or girlfriend? Yep, you can rent one: Experience the thrill of romance
without the long-term commitment by renting a girlfriend or boyfriend. In a service that is popular all over
Japan, certified “attractive persons” are available to be your temporary boy or girlfriend and
provide you with an authentic and meaningful experience. Strictly platonic, the service is proving to be a big
hit with singles, who get to hold hands, stare longingly into each other’s eyes, engage in deep
conversation, and pose for romantic photos. Prices begin at just 3,000 yen ($20) per hour. Sounds just like the
real thing (come to think of it, better than the real thing!).
- Need to vent? Just rent a rant buddy: Known as “complaint listeners,” companies like Family Romance will send you someone who will listen to your problems and provide you with a safe space to vent. For about 12,000 yen ($80) for three hours, you’ll get someone to patiently listen to you vent about work stress, relationship woes, your roommate’s hygiene, or just the terrible day you’ve had—without passing judgment. They’ve all been trained to provide empathetic responses or appropriate banter to keep the conversation flowing while you rant away.
- They’re all a bit strange, but this one’s downright creepy: There’s a longtime tradition in the Japanese business community of hiring “wakaresaseya,” better known as “breaker uppers.” Their specialty is breaking up relationships, either by drawing company associates into an affair or by producing incriminating evidence. What happens is an undercover employee will attempt to initiate an affair with the target. Or they may gather evidence of infidelity to use in a divorce case. But “breaking up” a relationship is the goal. The professional “breaker uppers” you hire will use lots of techniques to destroy a relationship—including intimidation, seduction, and entrapment.
The service isn’t cheap. Renting a wakaresaseya can cost anywhere from 500,000 ($3,400) to I.6m yen ($10,400) plus a "success bonus" of up to 800,000 yen ($5,400). Veterans of this rather sordid business practice say that men make far easier targets than women because the men will almost always fall for being seduced by attractive operatives. What a shock! They say that breaking up is hard to do. Well, not in Japan apparently …
We could keep going but you get the idea. It’s too bad, because we didn’t get to mention Japan’s “Resignation Professionals” who will quit your job for you. Or how you can rent a friend. Or you can rent an entire family to relive nostalgic moments from your childhood. You can even rent an adorable puppy (as long as you sign a waiver that you won’t “accidentally” try to keep it). There are lots of different types of people in Japanese society. And it sure does look like you can rent most of them …
From ancient traditions to quirky trends, let Japan continue to surprise you during Japan’s Cultural Treasures.
