What is it like to rent a girlfriend in Japan?
Girlfriend and boyfriend “rental” services are one of those “wacky Japan” narrative favorites, though they do actually exist. They are also not as crazy or sleazy as they might sound — after all, if you want someone to date and then sleep with, there are countless prostitution services or “compensated dating” clubs out there.
So what’s different about this kind of rental service? What do you get for your money?
Asian Boss, the awesome YouTube channel behind interviews with porn stars Emiri Okazaki and Taka Kato, tried out one service to demonstrate what it is like.
Host (and handsome haafu) Max takes “Shihomi” on a date in Tokyo one rainy day.
Shihomi is actually a model whose real name is Minami Aoyama. She has a minor following on Instagram.
Either way, for the duration of the “date,” Max and Minami call each other Bae and Shiho-chan. Things start off a bit awkwardly, not least because of the umbrellas, but then they start to relax and enjoy themselves.
Minami/Shihomi can speak some English and, with a little help from her phone, is able to communicate with Max, though her choice of fish semen as a dish for lunch threatens to derail the date at one point.
During their meal in a Shibuya cafe they talk in detail about how the girlfriend rental system works and the rules, so there are lots of insights here. Sorry to disappoint any cynical readers but there is no happy ending to finish off the date.
By way of comparison, Asian Boss also rented a girlfriend through a similar service in China last year.
