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'Rent-a-person who does nothing' in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude

mainichi.jp

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Re: 'Rent-a-person who does nothing' in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude

#44
post #18

A friendly reminder that Japan's rent-a-family industry was completely fake: 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.

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.

Re: 'Rent-a-person who does nothing' in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude

#45
post #35
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GP is being humorous, and cracking a joke about consulting companies and their productivity.

Oh had no idea who that company was lol. Was going to look it up.

but instead commented with out knowledge. you are the internet's problem.

Re: 'Rent-a-person who does nothing' in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude

#47
The title reminds me of the Japanese strip Rent-a-Girlfriend, and how much it, and several similar ideas coming from Japan seem to express how lonely many of it's citizens might be feeling.

Japanese commerce seems to have found a rather big market into treating loneliness. From the existence of Host Clubs, bars where the menu is not only food, but a good conversation with one's designated “host” as well, to cafés where the waiter plays a role of one's doting younger sister. Of course, it is probably also indicated by the infamously declining birth rate.

Rent-a-Girlfriend is a bizarre thing to read, if one not understand it's target audience. It's a new dimension to The 40 Year Old Virgin, with the exception that the protagonist is supposed to be relatable to the audience — he's unbelievably socially awkward and not in a way that derives humor from it, but is meant to invoke a sense of relatability and it essentially seems to exist as a way to vicariously cope with loneliness, as is surprisingly common in Japanese fiction.

Re: 'Rent-a-person who does nothing' in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude

#48
Listening intently without injecting criticism, condemnation, or your own complaints/opinions is extremely difficult. In fact, that skill is one of the major tenants of the timeless classic, How to Win Friends and Influence People. This quote is straight from the book:

“Any fool can criticize, complain, and condemn—and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.”

With isolation becoming a major issue during the pandemic, I'm not surprised people want to hire someone with these skills to just listen to their ideas and stories.

Re: 'Rent-a-person who does nothing' in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude

#49

What he is doing is certainly not easy. I can understand why people would pay for it. I'd use it as a form of rubber duck programming, but with an actual person that you have to at least act like you are trying to make understand.

Listener as a service.
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