21 ms·

A friendly reminder that Japan's rent-a-family industry was completely fake: https://newrepublic.com/article/160595/new-yorker-japan-rent-family-fabricated http

by Karuma 6y ago

A friendly reminder that Japan's rent-a-family industry was completely fake: https://newrepublic.com/article/160595/new-yorker-japan-rent-family-fabricated https://newrepublic.com/article/160595/new-yorker-japan-rent... Everyone loves stories about how weird Japan is (especially the Japanese), so these stories should be taken with a grain of salt.

gowld 6y ago
I wish there was a way to thank and promote fact-checkers/remindes like you to a level on par with the liars. We need better reputation network management tools.
Tade0 6y ago
I started questioning the western narrative about Japan when I learned that the fertility and suicide rates are actually worse in my country. Turns out a lot of "exotic" problems in this country are all too familiar.
- TravelPiglet 6y ago
  As long as people don’t ruin my view of Germany being the EU version of Japan kinky preferences and all
  - Tade0 6y ago
    To me Japan is more like asian Switzerland. The tidyness, amazingly punctual trains, mountains and general conservatism make both those countries stand out.
    - asutekku 6y ago
      Man, you have not been major city areas if you think japan is tidy. Sure, compared to the US it maybe is, but a lot of european countries are better. But travel a bit further from the city centres in japan and you’ll start seeing all those illegal trash sites at quiet mountain roads and yards full of old trash.
      - pezezin 6y ago
        I live in Aomori prefecture, and I have seen everything you describe first hand. Not to mention all the decaying abandoned buildings and the super dirty beaches. I wonder how much it's the fault of the ridiculous Japanese trash collection system. Sorting the trash in 20 different bags that you can only dispose of once a month... No wonder at some point people just get fed up and throw it away in a somewhat hidden place.
      - Tade0 6y ago
        Well, I must have fallen prey to the narrative yet again. That being said I can see an illegal trash site from my window, so I guess my reference point may be pretty far away from both the Swiss and Japanese standard.
    - fomine3 6y ago
      both own currency is considered stable.
  - Blikkentrekker 6y ago
    Leaving the sex out of it, a common statement is that England is the Japan or Europe. There are actually remarkable similarities in culture which are possibly influenced due to both being iland states. https://bccjacumen.com/uk%E2%80%93japan-closer-than-you-think/ https://bccjacumen.com/uk%E2%80%93japan-closer-than-you-thin... These do not dive all that much into sexual media however. The Anglo-Saxon is infamously sexually traditional and repressed, and the Englishman second only to the Australiaman. Australia recently actually banned the import of Japanese pornography. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDmbo5dxgQg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDmbo5dxgQg He's wrong, however — Eromanga Sensei is far from the worst. I would love for him to take a stab at Night Shift Nurses or Aki-Sora — the latter so amazing that even Tokyo itself made laws to contain it's carnal sins against mankind.
- jbay808 6y ago
  In terms of framing as a Western narrative... This is an article in the Mainichi, a major Japanese newspaper. Original Japanese version here: https://mainichi.jp/articles/20210111/k00/00m/040/021000c https://mainichi.jp/articles/20210111/k00/00m/040/021000c
not2b 6y ago
Has anyone found this guy's Twitter handle? That would be one way to check the story. Probably easier for a Japanese speaker to locate.
- scarmig 6y ago
  Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/morimotoshoji https://twitter.com/morimotoshoji Obviously the existence of the Twitter handle is just the first step in some kind of real verification. But it does confirm that, if it's a con, it's a long lived, dedicated one.
  - lhorie 6y ago
    The pinned tweet explains the service. Auto-translation is a bit broken, but should translate roughly to this: "I'm starting a service called 'rental person who does nothing'. [For example] for stores where entering alone is difficult[0], for matching the number of players in a game, to hold a hanami[1] spot. Please only use it for cases where one person is needed. I charge 10,000 yen, plus transportation fare from Kokubunji station, and food and drink (if applicable). I won't do anything other than very simple responses." So it's not strictly a listening service per se. [0] in Japan, there are food stores that are geared towards couples [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami (the context here is holding a picnic spot)
    - perennate 6y ago
      The translated tweet matches the impression I got from the article. The article didn't make me think that it is specifically a "listening service". > "People rent him for various reasons. At times he will participate in a gaming session to make up numbers, turn up to send off people who are moving away, accompany those filing for divorce, or listen to health care workers who have become mentally unwell due to their exhausting work."
      - lhorie 6y ago
        > The article didn't make me think that it is specifically a "listening service" Yeah, I agree, but it seems like people are drawing parallels to emotional support things like that rent-a-family thing. While they are both extremely unusual gigs, it seems like this guy's interactions would at best be just nodding along, rather than reciprocating (even if in a fake way).
moralestapia 6y ago
Yeah, I just spent a fair amount of time trying to find this guy's twitter account and got nothing ... If anyone finds it, please share.
ravenstine 6y ago
Yeah if you just read all these articles about Japan, you'd think that all young men beat off to hentai all day at their parent's home, and that everyone is visiting "love hotels", or buys used panties from vending machines. The media loves to spin up an image of Japan to naive westerners by exaggerating its quirks. It reminds me of HN. If you read HN too much, you might think that you can only write applications in Rust and Go using K8s, no JavaScript but Typescript only, but in reality the vast majority of apps being written are using boring technologies to implement CRUD around a relational database.
- rchaud 6y ago
  But who's 'the media' here? Occasionally you'll see a piece in a major publication about Japanese consumer trends or strange products that become big hits. More recently I've seen articles about the hikikomori (sp?) "lost generation" people that graduated just as the bubble burst 30 years ago. But the rest of the coverage is 'normal'; political, business and sports news. The only place I ever see "weird Japan" content regularly is Reddit and western vloggers living in Japan posting the most sensationalist stuff possible.
  - dialamac 6y ago
    Case in point was already mentioned. The New Yorker is the outlet that ran with the bullshit rent a family story.
    - joe11 6y ago
      So lying Jewish scum, I'm not surprised.
    - glandium 6y ago
      It's not only the New Yorker. It was on many Youtube channels, many news articles, etc. It even made the news in Japan.
- Blikkentrekker 6y ago
  > Yeah if you just read all these articles about Japan, you'd think that all young men beat off to hentai all day at their parent's home, and that everyone is visiting "love hotels", or buys used panties from vending machines. Firstly, love hotels are a sign of not being lonely. They do not offer a prostitute; those batteries are not included Secondly, I do not gain the impression from that that all do it, merely that they note that the very existence thereof is exceptional. In particular, of the used underwear vending machines, when the story broke many would not believe it and thought it was a hoax, but it actually exists. No one thinks that every U.S.A.-man bought an assault rifle at a gas station or got one as a gift for opening up a bank account, but that the practice even exists, that the number of occurrence isn't zero — that is something remarkable in and of itself. > The media loves to spin up an image of Japan to naive westerners by exaggerating its quirks. What I must ask is why the term “western” invariably always drops whenever Japan is discussed. Experience taught me that more often than not “the west” in that context simply means “The U.S.A.”. There is no “west” relevant to what you claim. All that matters is “Japan” vs. “everything else” or at least anyone not particularly experienced with Japan which applies as easily to, say, India, Russia, Uganda, or Indonesia. > It reminds me of HN. If you read HN too much, you might think that you can only write applications in Rust and Go using K8s, no JavaScript but Typescript only, but in reality the vast majority of apps being written are using boring technologies to implement CRUD around a relational database. I find that every time an article about a, shall we call it “exciting language” is posted most of the comments, though impressed with the theoretical innovations thereof, doubt it's real world applicability.
Blikkentrekker 6y ago
The difference is that this article alleges the existence of a single individual, rather than a trend. The other article spoke in vague words of quantity, which is quite common in news articles, that a certain quantity is suggested, but actual numbers are never shown. They are then not technically wrong but know full well most readers would infer a more spectacular claim than what they know the truth is. I'd argue that when numbers actually be spectacular, news articles invariably cite them, and when they not be, cover them up in vague words — in this case however the number is 1, as it's about a single man only.
- CobrastanJorji 6y ago
  Yes, but the article's critique is a good one. "Look at this weird thing that they do in Japan" is practically a genre of online story. Japan gets a special media callout, to quote the article, as a "menagerie of the weird, the alien, the freakish." When you see these articles about folks in the U.S., it's framed at "this guy is weird." When you see these articles about folks in Japan, it's frequently framed as "Japan is weird, and anti-social, and they don't have enough sex, and if we're not careful this could be us one day!"
  - Blikkentrekker 6y ago
    Yes, it does seem to be about stereotypes, not so much quirks per se. The Japanese stereotype is that they are lonely, and it is true that in Japan various things that cater to that, such as Host Clubs, are more common place. There was also an article about how the Netherlands supposedly pays for prostitutes for the disabled, diving into the stereotype how the Netherlands tends to sit at the vanguard of encouraging sexual nontraditionality — the reality was less interesting and could be summed up as: A) disabled persons obtain financial support from the state; B) prostitution is legal. I also read articles about the Norwegian military having unisex showers and dorms, which also ties into stereotypical expectations, notwithstanding their existence in other places, I'm sure.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
1-6 6y ago
I think it only makes Japan a hotbed for interesting and new ideas. Don't start it up in Silicon Valley when you can get free press by doing it in Japan instead!
jogu 6y ago
> Japan's rent-a-family industry was completely fake That's really not what that article is claiming. It's claiming that a particular individual has lied about the industry and made it seem stranger than it actually is and the western media has sensationalized that even further. There absolutely are rental services for boyfriends, girlfriends, mothers, fathers, etc. in Japan, they're just not as bizarre as some of these articles would lead you to believe.
- Blikkentrekker 6y ago
  Girlfriend experience-escorts are also not that uncommon outside of Japan. Bars where one buys a good conversation along with the meal, cafés where the waiters roleplay as one's doting sibling, renting a parent, used underwear from vending machines, maid cafés, maid cafés where the maids are all cross-dressing males, cafés where the attractive male waiters make out with each other for the viewing pleasure of the customer base, cafés where the attractive female waiters wear no underwear, short skirts, and the floors are mirrored — well, that's the joie de vivre that has a big “only in Japan” sticker on it. The second place with distance is the U.S.A. that at least has cafés where the attractive female waiters wear skimpy outfits, cheerleaders, and bikini car wash — but the rest of the world that has nothing that comes close to this well-inspired madness.
  - michaelpb 6y ago
    That's not true. Cafes that cater to lonely straight men or misogynistic businessmen exist worldwide. Just one example: All the different "café con piernas" cafes in Chile, which are very similar to Japanese maid cafes.
    - Blikkentrekker 6y ago
      How is that similar to maid cafés, let alone cafés where the waiters act as if they be one's doting sibling? You seem to have reduced my rather wild and spectacular examples to something so mundane as: “Cafes that cater to lonely straight men or misogynistic businessmen exist”, especially when most of my examples have nothing to do with “straight men” or “misogynistic businessmen”.
dumb1224 6y ago
I noticed this effect on me after years of living in Europe. The perception of Japanese culture / society I had from before I moved to Europe was quite different (these phenomena are to some extent well-known but not an obsession). Now I fear my understanding of all things Japanese is a little bit off (or at least diverged) from my peers in my country.
- Tijdreiziger 6y ago
  Your perception of Japan changed after you moved to Europe [from another country]? Fascinating, can you expand on that?
  - dumb1224 6y ago
    From China yes. The popular shows / movies (including anime) have quite different themes, which is easy to understand since countries import different productions. The exported culture for our consumption is mostly typical of asian interest, or more 'Americanised' / westernised even. Whereas comparing with western media there are more 'culture shock' type of eyeball-catching material, which to be frank doesn't stir much attention in east asia. There are good side effects though. I have been to so many museums with Japanese art exhibitions showcasing varieties of works since it draws much interest in western population. The latest (pre pandemic) being the "inspiration from Japan" in Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which is eye-opening (I never realised the Japanese art that have connections with European art). In conclusion, Japan portrayed in the west for me is more about obsession of elegance, extreme aesthetics, and bizarrity. These are merely my terrible personal generalisation / opinions.
sandworm101 6y ago
>> about how weird Japan is (especially the Japanese) Like countries where you can rent young girls to help launch your latest computer game? There are people in LA that can provide babies for TV/film appearances, preferably twins, with only a few hours notice. That's how the Olsen twins got started. The entire entertainment industry, from strip clubs to hollywood, is premised on renting people to pretend to be something they aren't, to provide personal appearances in places they would otherwise not. It only become weird when you describe it in non-industry terms.
- exclusiv 6y ago
  No the article is odd/fascinating because most people's "rent-a-person" would be a friend or family member. And there would be no exchange of money. It's kind of sad people have to hire people to do friendly things, but this is a pandemic. And you would "rent-a-person" to move probably in most places (unless you had great friends haha). Also this makes sense "I'm not a friend or an acquaintance. I'm free of the bothersome things that accompany relationships, but can ease people's sense of loneliness" So you want a throwaway friend. Or a casual therapist that does things with you. Rent them. Ok I guess not as weird as first glance. We have something similar in the US - life coaches which seemingly everyone on LinkedIn is nowadays.
manbash 6y ago
It doesn't mean that it's nonexistent. The news story is about one company that provided fake sources for a past article. Rent-a-friend/family in Japan seems like a real thing.
miles 6y ago
> Japan's rent-a-family industry was completely fake It is very real: ファミリーロマンス社【家族レンタル】家族代行・代理ならファミリーレンタル専門 https://family-romance.com/family.html https://family-romance.com/family.html 「他人になりきる」代行サービスが人気博す「叱ってほしい」という依頼も https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/19410877/ https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/19410877/
- glandium 6y ago
  Note that Family Romance is the company GP's article is about. It may not be entirely fake, but the stories that made the news were. (and both your links are about that company)
  - miles 6y ago
    Yes, it is the company cited in the article. It is very real and provides very real services: How to Rent Friends in Japan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jag6iyrSjsI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jag6iyrSjsI Rental families to heal lonely souls in Japan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OURBpPLewoU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OURBpPLewoU We Rented A Girlfriend In Japan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLBNO33bMX0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLBNO33bMX0 Behind Japan's Fake-Family Industry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEhYMirs7fk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEhYMirs7fk
    - glandium 6y ago
      You'll have to admit it's hard to take any of these seriously when they are all about the same company that has been reported to embellish things to put it mildly. Well, except for Max D. Capo's, he used a different service.
Seb-C 6y ago
Truth is, Japan is a country with a lot more freedom than most western countries, so it is not surprising to find weird things or things that most people would find unethical. You can certainly trash 99% of the "weird Japan" stories you see in western medias. Most of what you hear is from foreign people that did not even remotely try to learn the language or understand the culture. They make a fuss from minor cultural differences. It only gets worse when they experience Japan exclusively through the resonance chambers of the online expat communities.

by Karuma 6y ago

gowld 6y ago

I wish there was a way to thank and promote fact-checkers/remindes like you to a level on par with the liars. We need better reputation network management tools.

Tade0 6y ago

I started questioning the western narrative about Japan when I learned that the fertility and suicide rates are actually worse in my country. Turns out a lot of "exotic" problems in this country are all too familiar.

TravelPiglet 6y ago
As long as people don’t ruin my view of Germany being the EU version of Japan kinky preferences and all
- Tade0 6y ago
  To me Japan is more like asian Switzerland. The tidyness, amazingly punctual trains, mountains and general conservatism make both those countries stand out.
  - asutekku 6y ago
    Man, you have not been major city areas if you think japan is tidy. Sure, compared to the US it maybe is, but a lot of european countries are better. But travel a bit further from the city centres in japan and you’ll start seeing all those illegal trash sites at quiet mountain roads and yards full of old trash.
    - pezezin 6y ago
      I live in Aomori prefecture, and I have seen everything you describe first hand. Not to mention all the decaying abandoned buildings and the super dirty beaches. I wonder how much it's the fault of the ridiculous Japanese trash collection system. Sorting the trash in 20 different bags that you can only dispose of once a month... No wonder at some point people just get fed up and throw it away in a somewhat hidden place.
    - Tade0 6y ago
      Well, I must have fallen prey to the narrative yet again. That being said I can see an illegal trash site from my window, so I guess my reference point may be pretty far away from both the Swiss and Japanese standard.
  - fomine3 6y ago
    both own currency is considered stable.
- Blikkentrekker 6y ago
  Leaving the sex out of it, a common statement is that England is the Japan or Europe. There are actually remarkable similarities in culture which are possibly influenced due to both being iland states. https://bccjacumen.com/uk%E2%80%93japan-closer-than-you-think/ https://bccjacumen.com/uk%E2%80%93japan-closer-than-you-thin... These do not dive all that much into sexual media however. The Anglo-Saxon is infamously sexually traditional and repressed, and the Englishman second only to the Australiaman. Australia recently actually banned the import of Japanese pornography. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDmbo5dxgQg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDmbo5dxgQg He's wrong, however — Eromanga Sensei is far from the worst. I would love for him to take a stab at Night Shift Nurses or Aki-Sora — the latter so amazing that even Tokyo itself made laws to contain it's carnal sins against mankind.
jbay808 6y ago
In terms of framing as a Western narrative... This is an article in the Mainichi, a major Japanese newspaper. Original Japanese version here: https://mainichi.jp/articles/20210111/k00/00m/040/021000c https://mainichi.jp/articles/20210111/k00/00m/040/021000c

not2b 6y ago

Has anyone found this guy's Twitter handle? That would be one way to check the story. Probably easier for a Japanese speaker to locate.

scarmig 6y ago
Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/morimotoshoji https://twitter.com/morimotoshoji Obviously the existence of the Twitter handle is just the first step in some kind of real verification. But it does confirm that, if it's a con, it's a long lived, dedicated one.
- lhorie 6y ago
  The pinned tweet explains the service. Auto-translation is a bit broken, but should translate roughly to this: "I'm starting a service called 'rental person who does nothing'. [For example] for stores where entering alone is difficult[0], for matching the number of players in a game, to hold a hanami[1] spot. Please only use it for cases where one person is needed. I charge 10,000 yen, plus transportation fare from Kokubunji station, and food and drink (if applicable). I won't do anything other than very simple responses." So it's not strictly a listening service per se. [0] in Japan, there are food stores that are geared towards couples [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami (the context here is holding a picnic spot)
  - perennate 6y ago
    The translated tweet matches the impression I got from the article. The article didn't make me think that it is specifically a "listening service". > "People rent him for various reasons. At times he will participate in a gaming session to make up numbers, turn up to send off people who are moving away, accompany those filing for divorce, or listen to health care workers who have become mentally unwell due to their exhausting work."
    - lhorie 6y ago
      > The article didn't make me think that it is specifically a "listening service" Yeah, I agree, but it seems like people are drawing parallels to emotional support things like that rent-a-family thing. While they are both extremely unusual gigs, it seems like this guy's interactions would at best be just nodding along, rather than reciprocating (even if in a fake way).

moralestapia 6y ago

Yeah, I just spent a fair amount of time trying to find this guy's twitter account and got nothing ... If anyone finds it, please share.

ravenstine 6y ago

Yeah if you just read all these articles about Japan, you'd think that all young men beat off to hentai all day at their parent's home, and that everyone is visiting "love hotels", or buys used panties from vending machines. The media loves to spin up an image of Japan to naive westerners by exaggerating its quirks. It reminds me of HN. If you read HN too much, you might think that you can only write applications in Rust and Go using K8s, no JavaScript but Typescript only, but in reality the vast majority of apps being written are using boring technologies to implement CRUD around a relational database.

rchaud 6y ago
But who's 'the media' here? Occasionally you'll see a piece in a major publication about Japanese consumer trends or strange products that become big hits. More recently I've seen articles about the hikikomori (sp?) "lost generation" people that graduated just as the bubble burst 30 years ago. But the rest of the coverage is 'normal'; political, business and sports news. The only place I ever see "weird Japan" content regularly is Reddit and western vloggers living in Japan posting the most sensationalist stuff possible.
- dialamac 6y ago
  Case in point was already mentioned. The New Yorker is the outlet that ran with the bullshit rent a family story.
  - joe11 6y ago
    So lying Jewish scum, I'm not surprised.
  - glandium 6y ago
    It's not only the New Yorker. It was on many Youtube channels, many news articles, etc. It even made the news in Japan.
Blikkentrekker 6y ago
> Yeah if you just read all these articles about Japan, you'd think that all young men beat off to hentai all day at their parent's home, and that everyone is visiting "love hotels", or buys used panties from vending machines. Firstly, love hotels are a sign of not being lonely. They do not offer a prostitute; those batteries are not included Secondly, I do not gain the impression from that that all do it, merely that they note that the very existence thereof is exceptional. In particular, of the used underwear vending machines, when the story broke many would not believe it and thought it was a hoax, but it actually exists. No one thinks that every U.S.A.-man bought an assault rifle at a gas station or got one as a gift for opening up a bank account, but that the practice even exists, that the number of occurrence isn't zero — that is something remarkable in and of itself. > The media loves to spin up an image of Japan to naive westerners by exaggerating its quirks. What I must ask is why the term “western” invariably always drops whenever Japan is discussed. Experience taught me that more often than not “the west” in that context simply means “The U.S.A.”. There is no “west” relevant to what you claim. All that matters is “Japan” vs. “everything else” or at least anyone not particularly experienced with Japan which applies as easily to, say, India, Russia, Uganda, or Indonesia. > It reminds me of HN. If you read HN too much, you might think that you can only write applications in Rust and Go using K8s, no JavaScript but Typescript only, but in reality the vast majority of apps being written are using boring technologies to implement CRUD around a relational database. I find that every time an article about a, shall we call it “exciting language” is posted most of the comments, though impressed with the theoretical innovations thereof, doubt it's real world applicability.

Blikkentrekker 6y ago

The difference is that this article alleges the existence of a single individual, rather than a trend. The other article spoke in vague words of quantity, which is quite common in news articles, that a certain quantity is suggested, but actual numbers are never shown. They are then not technically wrong but know full well most readers would infer a more spectacular claim than what they know the truth is. I'd argue that when numbers actually be spectacular, news articles invariably cite them, and when they not be, cover them up in vague words — in this case however the number is 1, as it's about a single man only.

CobrastanJorji 6y ago
Yes, but the article's critique is a good one. "Look at this weird thing that they do in Japan" is practically a genre of online story. Japan gets a special media callout, to quote the article, as a "menagerie of the weird, the alien, the freakish." When you see these articles about folks in the U.S., it's framed at "this guy is weird." When you see these articles about folks in Japan, it's frequently framed as "Japan is weird, and anti-social, and they don't have enough sex, and if we're not careful this could be us one day!"
- Blikkentrekker 6y ago
  Yes, it does seem to be about stereotypes, not so much quirks per se. The Japanese stereotype is that they are lonely, and it is true that in Japan various things that cater to that, such as Host Clubs, are more common place. There was also an article about how the Netherlands supposedly pays for prostitutes for the disabled, diving into the stereotype how the Netherlands tends to sit at the vanguard of encouraging sexual nontraditionality — the reality was less interesting and could be summed up as: A) disabled persons obtain financial support from the state; B) prostitution is legal. I also read articles about the Norwegian military having unisex showers and dorms, which also ties into stereotypical expectations, notwithstanding their existence in other places, I'm sure.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

1-6 6y ago

I think it only makes Japan a hotbed for interesting and new ideas. Don't start it up in Silicon Valley when you can get free press by doing it in Japan instead!

jogu 6y ago

> Japan's rent-a-family industry was completely fake That's really not what that article is claiming. It's claiming that a particular individual has lied about the industry and made it seem stranger than it actually is and the western media has sensationalized that even further. There absolutely are rental services for boyfriends, girlfriends, mothers, fathers, etc. in Japan, they're just not as bizarre as some of these articles would lead you to believe.

Blikkentrekker 6y ago
Girlfriend experience-escorts are also not that uncommon outside of Japan. Bars where one buys a good conversation along with the meal, cafés where the waiters roleplay as one's doting sibling, renting a parent, used underwear from vending machines, maid cafés, maid cafés where the maids are all cross-dressing males, cafés where the attractive male waiters make out with each other for the viewing pleasure of the customer base, cafés where the attractive female waiters wear no underwear, short skirts, and the floors are mirrored — well, that's the joie de vivre that has a big “only in Japan” sticker on it. The second place with distance is the U.S.A. that at least has cafés where the attractive female waiters wear skimpy outfits, cheerleaders, and bikini car wash — but the rest of the world that has nothing that comes close to this well-inspired madness.
- michaelpb 6y ago
  That's not true. Cafes that cater to lonely straight men or misogynistic businessmen exist worldwide. Just one example: All the different "café con piernas" cafes in Chile, which are very similar to Japanese maid cafes.
  - Blikkentrekker 6y ago
    How is that similar to maid cafés, let alone cafés where the waiters act as if they be one's doting sibling? You seem to have reduced my rather wild and spectacular examples to something so mundane as: “Cafes that cater to lonely straight men or misogynistic businessmen exist”, especially when most of my examples have nothing to do with “straight men” or “misogynistic businessmen”.

dumb1224 6y ago

I noticed this effect on me after years of living in Europe. The perception of Japanese culture / society I had from before I moved to Europe was quite different (these phenomena are to some extent well-known but not an obsession). Now I fear my understanding of all things Japanese is a little bit off (or at least diverged) from my peers in my country.

Tijdreiziger 6y ago
Your perception of Japan changed after you moved to Europe [from another country]? Fascinating, can you expand on that?
- dumb1224 6y ago
  From China yes. The popular shows / movies (including anime) have quite different themes, which is easy to understand since countries import different productions. The exported culture for our consumption is mostly typical of asian interest, or more 'Americanised' / westernised even. Whereas comparing with western media there are more 'culture shock' type of eyeball-catching material, which to be frank doesn't stir much attention in east asia. There are good side effects though. I have been to so many museums with Japanese art exhibitions showcasing varieties of works since it draws much interest in western population. The latest (pre pandemic) being the "inspiration from Japan" in Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which is eye-opening (I never realised the Japanese art that have connections with European art). In conclusion, Japan portrayed in the west for me is more about obsession of elegance, extreme aesthetics, and bizarrity. These are merely my terrible personal generalisation / opinions.

sandworm101 6y ago

>> about how weird Japan is (especially the Japanese) Like countries where you can rent young girls to help launch your latest computer game? There are people in LA that can provide babies for TV/film appearances, preferably twins, with only a few hours notice. That's how the Olsen twins got started. The entire entertainment industry, from strip clubs to hollywood, is premised on renting people to pretend to be something they aren't, to provide personal appearances in places they would otherwise not. It only become weird when you describe it in non-industry terms.

exclusiv 6y ago
No the article is odd/fascinating because most people's "rent-a-person" would be a friend or family member. And there would be no exchange of money. It's kind of sad people have to hire people to do friendly things, but this is a pandemic. And you would "rent-a-person" to move probably in most places (unless you had great friends haha). Also this makes sense "I'm not a friend or an acquaintance. I'm free of the bothersome things that accompany relationships, but can ease people's sense of loneliness" So you want a throwaway friend. Or a casual therapist that does things with you. Rent them. Ok I guess not as weird as first glance. We have something similar in the US - life coaches which seemingly everyone on LinkedIn is nowadays.

manbash 6y ago

It doesn't mean that it's nonexistent. The news story is about one company that provided fake sources for a past article. Rent-a-friend/family in Japan seems like a real thing.

miles 6y ago

> Japan's rent-a-family industry was completely fake It is very real: ファミリーロマンス社【家族レンタル】家族代行・代理ならファミリーレンタル専門 https://family-romance.com/family.html https://family-romance.com/family.html 「他人になりきる」代行サービスが人気博す「叱ってほしい」という依頼も https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/19410877/ https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/19410877/

glandium 6y ago
Note that Family Romance is the company GP's article is about. It may not be entirely fake, but the stories that made the news were. (and both your links are about that company)
- miles 6y ago
  Yes, it is the company cited in the article. It is very real and provides very real services: How to Rent Friends in Japan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jag6iyrSjsI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jag6iyrSjsI Rental families to heal lonely souls in Japan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OURBpPLewoU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OURBpPLewoU We Rented A Girlfriend In Japan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLBNO33bMX0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLBNO33bMX0 Behind Japan's Fake-Family Industry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEhYMirs7fk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEhYMirs7fk
  - glandium 6y ago
    You'll have to admit it's hard to take any of these seriously when they are all about the same company that has been reported to embellish things to put it mildly. Well, except for Max D. Capo's, he used a different service.

Seb-C 6y ago

Truth is, Japan is a country with a lot more freedom than most western countries, so it is not surprising to find weird things or things that most people would find unethical. You can certainly trash 99% of the "weird Japan" stories you see in western medias. Most of what you hear is from foreign people that did not even remotely try to learn the language or understand the culture. They make a fuss from minor cultural differences. It only gets worse when they experience Japan exclusively through the resonance chambers of the online expat communities.