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Fran Lu

The Post recaps the latest odd news from Asia, featuring a phone call and text messaging service for lonely people, an “ugly man” who rents himself to women, and a middle-aged man whose carefree dancing went viral.
TikToker offers ‘sleep call’
A Malaysian TikToker who goes by the pseudonym “Embunn” has launched a creative business on the platform to provide solace to the isolated through phone calls and text messages.
According to a list of the prices, Embunn offers a “sleep call” service with a range of prices based on the time of the call.
For 5 ringgit (US$1), Embunn will call a client for one hour and 10 ringgit for two to three hours or until the person falls asleep.
“Feeling lonely? You have me,” they wrote in the post.

Other services include a one-day “unlimited package”, in which the client receives as many messages and calls as they want for 24 hours. It costs 15 ringgit a day and is intended to show the love and care of a long-distance lover.
People can also hire a person from the account to play online games with them for 5 ringgit an hour.
One of the price advertisement posts has 75,000 views and 2,300 likes.
Ugly man for rent
A Japanese man has found success running a business he calls “rental busaiku” or “not-so-good-looking guy for rent.”
Former comedian Rui Shinohara, 34, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, in 2020 that he started renting himself out to those who wanted to use the services of an “ugly man”.

The offerings include having an average-looking guy nearby for men who want to stand out at group blind dates, or getting hired by women who want to rehearse for their dates with good-looking men.
He also suggested he could be available for fashion brands who need ugly models.
Shinohara added that customers could “bully the ugly man, but not too much”.
His post received 36,000 likes and 30 service requests after posting the tweet.
Shinohara said he had to close the business when the number of customers fell dramatically because of Covid-19. During the pandemic, he moved to the Philippines because of the more affordable cost of living, but he moved back to Japan after a year due to immense work pressure.
Shinohara restarted his ugly man rental service after returning to Japan. He now charges 10,000 yen (US$62) for between two and three hours of his time, and clients must pay for food and transport costs.
Hip-swinging dancing man

A middle-aged Chinese man gained widespread attention online for his unique square dancing technique during a class, where he jiggled his beer belly and swayed his hips without inhibition.
Despite his athletic movements, he looked so “out of tune” with his environment that there were rumours he was “taking the dance class on behalf of his daughter who had lost interest”.
The man from central China’s Shanxi province, surnamed Wang, told Chinese media outlet Zonglan News on July 3 that the rumours were not true and that he was simply a man who “loves square dancing”.
Wang signed up for the class himself and said he loved it as it helps him deal with his work pressure, activate his muscles and refresh his spirit.


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Trending in China

Quirky news: nightly comfort from strangers, ‘ugly men’ rentals, hip-swinging dancing dad

In Asia, a TikToker offers comfort to strangers, a man sells “ugly man” services and a dancing dad goes viral. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Baidu/Instagram@rental_busaiku

Loneliness can indeed lead to innovative business opportunities like providing online companionship services. Photo: Shutterstock

The services offered involve providing the option for men seeking to enhance their presence at group blind dates by having an average-looking companion nearby. Photo: gmedia.com

A middle-aged Chinese man went viral for his square dancing style, joyfully shaking his beer belly and swinging his hips. Photo: Baidu

Thai man offers heads of 99 pigs to Buddhist deity who ‘gave’ him wife and children

A grateful man in Thailand has gifted 99 pig heads to a Buddhist deity after his wishes for a wife and children were realised. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Khaosod

The 99 pig heads in all their glory. In Thai culture the number nine and multiples of it are considered fortuitous. Photo: Khaosod

Offering rituals involving pigs and other items are common across Asia in countries with large populations of Chinese descent. Photo: Shutterstock

Cabbage trick stops China toddler going off rails on high-speed train

A father in China found an ingenious way to keep his toddler daughter occupied on a train journey. He gave her a cabbage to peel. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

The little girl quietly peels the cabbage, allowing her father to sleep and keeping her fellow passengers happy. Photo: Weibo

After the peeling job was completed, the toddler put the cabbage leaves in a rubbish bag. Photo: Weibo

Japan youth pay ‘resignation agents’ to handle quitting, wage disputes, boss conflicts

Young people in Japan are hiring so-called resignation agents to deal with the often difficult task of quitting a job. Photo: Shutterstock

Staff who quit Japanese companies can face psychological pressure tactics from bosses. Photo: Shutterstock

Japan’s declining population can bring pressure for management to retain staff, placing stress on employees who want to quit. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Pursue your dreams’: woman proud of mother, 53, graduating from top China university

A woman has expressed her pride in her 53-year-old mother, who successfully balanced work, and family responsibilities, and recently graduated from a prestigious university in China. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo

The mother’s success in her career and education has inspired many on mainland social media. Photo: Weibo

The mother’s story symbolises a growing trend where individuals pursue higher education later in life, showing that age is not a barrier to academic achievement. Photo: Weibo

School in China makes students stand to eat in canteen, separating boys from girls

In a Chinese school, students are required to stand while eating in the canteen, with segregated arrangements for boys and girls. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu/Douyin

Some have explained that the separation of male and female students aims to deter early romantic relationships to prioritise their studies. Photo: Baidu

The school said that students are encouraged to stretch their legs and move around after prolonged periods of sitting in the classroom. Photo: Baidu

News

People & Culture

In one strange story from Japan, a man offers himself to perform ‘ugly man’ services such as rehearsing dates for women


In the oddest stories from Asia, a TikToker makes money by offering comfort to lonely people, a man sells his “ugly man” services, and a hip-swinging dancing father goes viral.


Malaysia

Japan

Quirky news: nightly comfort from strangers, ‘ugly men’ rentals, hip-swinging dancing dad

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}In one strange story from Japan, a man offers himself to perform ‘ugly man’ services such as rehearsing dates for women

In one strange story from Japan, a man offers himself to perform ‘ugly man’ services such as rehearsing dates for women