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synopsis
Residents and holidaymakers can pay a fee to rent a girlfriend for a date - with an equivalent boyfriend service also available.
Japan continues to astonish with innovations that blur the lines between convenience and curiosity. Among its most eyebrow-raising offerings is the increasingly popular “girlfriend rental” service, that has sparked fascination and disbelief.
For locals and tourists alike, this service offers the chance to rent a girlfriend for a casual date—strictly platonic—with a parallel boyfriend rental option also on hand. One of the leading platforms, Tokyo Rent-Kano.net, proclaims itself as Japan’s top girlfriend rental service, boasting over 300 women available for bookings.
Each profile comes with its own curated description. One girl is depicted as a “wonderful beauty” who “laughs a lot” and is “fun to talk to”. The site also assures users that all listed companions are fluent in English, catering to the growing international curiosity around this unique concept.
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Strict rule-book
But this service comes with a rulebook. The website firmly clarifies that this is merely a “rental girlfriend” experience and emphasizes, “it is not a dating site,” disallowing any real romantic engagement. Any “attempt at kissing”, it warns, will lead to immediate termination of the date. Meetings inside internet cafes or hotel rooms are strictly off-limits, while dates in a car require explicit prior approval.
The experience isn’t exactly pocket-friendly. The base rate for a date starts at 12,000 yen (£63/$84) for two hours, and there’s a long list of add-ons. Want to ride a Ferris wheel with your rental companion? That’ll be 3,000 yen (£15/$21). Prefer to hold hands while strolling? That affectionate gesture costs 5,000 yen (£26/$35)—with a caveat: hand-holding is allowed only while walking.
Other quirky options include having your date wear a miniskirt or prepare a lunch box for you—each priced at 5,000 yen. The experience is carefully constructed, commodifying even the simplest gestures of affection.
Social media influencer @harryjaggardtravel gave his followers an inside look at this surreal world by sharing his $400 (£301) rental girlfriend experience on TikTok.
Harry chose to spend the day with a girl named Eri, whose bio reads that she’s “shallow”, “always smiles”, and that most of her conversations “end in laughter.” Despite raising an eyebrow at the “shallow” descriptor, he proceeds with the date.
During their outing, Eri reveals she has been part of the rental scene for three years and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree. The duo visits an animal café, cuddling guinea pigs and rabbits, before heading to a wagyu steak restaurant. At one point, Eri asks Harry to assign her an English name—he chooses “Emily.”
The most heartwarming moment arrives at the end of their date, when Harry curiously asks Eri whether she would meet him again without a monetary transaction. She smiles and replies that she would indeed go on a second date with him without needing payment.
