Meet the Japanese ‘rent men’ who are paid just to listen
Those who use ossan service say it allows them to forget the expectations of their family and friends and speak freely
From lonely pensioners to Japanese schoolgirls with shattered dreams, Takanobu Nishimoto and his crew of middle-aged men will lend an ear to clients who would never dream of spilling their guts to a therapist or worse, their families.
Anyone in need of company can sign up to his online service to rent an ossan – a man aged between 45 and 55 – for 1,000 yen (US$10) an hour.
“For me, the service is a hobby more than anything,” said Nishimoto, who first came up with the concept four years ago and now has a growing network of some 60 men across Japan. “The initial idea was to improve the image of guys my age, people who might not be spring chickens anymore and not taken so seriously.”
The people who rent me are just asking me to keep them company for an hour or two, mainly to listen to them
And while the 48-year-old professional fashion coordinator is used to renting himself out, he insists conversation is all he offers to between 30 and 40 clients a month, roughly 70 per cent of whom are women.