#90 - The Rent-a-Family Fraud

Hikikomori

In April of 2018, the writer Elif Batuman had an article published in The New Yorker, titled "Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry". It explored a cultural phenomenon in Japan, that of agencies where one could hire an actor to perform in a social interaction that would be otherwise awkward or impossible.

It became such a popular and celebrated article that it would win the National Magazine Award for that year.

Unfortunately, it was also based entirely on bullshit.

Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her Instagram page, and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, Not Another Film podcast.

Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy!

You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app.

Sources:

• New Yorker: Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry
• The New Republic: How the New Yorker Fell into the “Weird Japan” Trap
• Wall Street Journal: New Yorker Re-Examines Article on Japanese Family Rental Service
• AFAR: What it’s Like to Rent a Friend in Tokyo
• Wikipedia: Elif Batuman
• Wikipedia: Rental Family Service