ONLY IN JAPAN: RENT A RETIREE!

Ojisan is the Japanese word for old and middle-aged men, but here in Japan you can also personally rent them as crusty and wrinkled companions to, ahem, improve your life!

Yes, it sounds like a crazy idea, as most young people spend all their time trying to avoid ojisans. But it must be true as the Mainichi recently ran a story on the phenomenon.

The good point is that ojisans (or ossans) don't mind working cheaply, unlike the services of, say, beautiful young women, which can be a lot more expensive.

As reported by the Mainichi: 

"The ossan can accompany the renter for 1,000 yen (roughly $7) per hour for a variety of activities, from joining them at an izakaya (informal drink bar) to cleaning up their room or going for a drive. Users simply fill out the request form when applying."

The other selling point is that ossans have a wealth of life experience and lived knowledge that would simply go to waste if it wasn't accessed in this way.  For example, you can rent "a former politician ossan," "an IT ossan who can play the violin," and "an ossan who listens with a smile."

This sounds like the crazy sort of business idea that someone might have started up during the Covid lockdown, but the service actually dates back thirteen years to when Takanobu Nishimoto, now a 57-year-old ojisan himself, spotted a massive gap in the market and started his company.

"Old guys are actually amazing!" he told the reporter.

At first Nishimoto was the only old guy on the books, with more than half of the requests being consultations on matters like illness, changing careers, and workplace bullying from superiors.

Apparently the main service is something that ojisans are not normally famous, simply listening.

"Nishimoto was not an expert and wasn't sure how to respond. Listening to the negative subjects of discussion, he realized he had to lift their spirits, and started taking the lead in talking. Once, a middle-aged client told him his talking was unnecessary, and told him to just listen."

The company's big break came when it was covered on TV, and Nishimoto began hearing from others wanting to become rental ojisans, leading to now around 70 carefully vetted staff giving positive old guy vibes around the country.

One growing market are requests from visitors to Japan, who want ojisans to explain the intricacies of Japanese culture, like how and what to order in an izakaya.