Healing or weird? Content creator Tyen Rasif tries rent-a-dad experience in Japan, gives honest review

Do you happen to know anyone with daddy issues?

Maybe what they need is to experience this particular service in Tokyo.

Local content creator Tyen Rasif was recently in Japan's capital and decided to rent-a-dad for a day.

According to her, renting a family member or partner isn't exactly a strange activity in Japan. 

The 28-year-old explained that she had rented a 63-year-old man as her biological father walked out on her when she was 11 years old.

In a TikTok clip shared on March 19, Tyen documented what she and her dad-for-the-day were up to during their time together.

@tyenrasif Healing or weird? ❤️‍🩹🤪 #japantravel #asakusa #travelvlog #dadrental #mentalhealth #fyp #foryou #fypシ #soundsofsea #tunesofsg #tokyo ♬ Taking Off - Tyen Rasif

After meeting her 'father', Mr Natori, the pair enjoyed what Tokyo had to offer as a travel destination.

"We went about doing what any normal father-daughter holiday might look like," Tyen said.

This meant a trip to the city's oldest temple, Asakusa Sensoji, and a sit-down chat with a cup of matcha in hand.

A bit of fortune-telling at the temple predicted that Tyen's future husband and her will have a "good relationship", which brought an honest smile on Mr Natori's face.

There seems to be a connection between the two, and the elderly man even shared some wise words with his 'daughter'.

"Every day is your youngest day. Tomorrow is my youngest day," he told her.

Healing or weird?

Tyen looked like she was fully enjoying her time with her rental dad but understands why some might "raise eyebrows" at the concept of renting a father for the day.

"But after chatting with him, I realised why services like these are so beneficial, especially in one of the world's loneliest countries," she said.

Mr Natori also revealed that he'd much rather be part of something like this and "spend time helping people", as opposed to going into retirement.

After a full day of fun, the content creator admitted that it was hard to say goodbye to Mr Natori.

However, Tyen found solace in the fact that she has a father in Japan whom she'll hopefully meet again, she said.

AsiaOne has reached out to Tyen for more information.

The comments section of the video was filled with intrigued netizens, wondering if this service could actually help mend personal issues with their own fathers.

"As someone who has never been close with [their] father, I really wanna try this," a TikTok user commented.

Others noted that they would love to give this service a shot, but similar to Tyen, the emotional turmoil from saying goodbye might be too much to bear.

One admitted: "I would get attached and cry when he leaves."

Renting a dad in Tokyo

Tyen shared that she had rented her father for the day from Ossan Rental, which apparently offers the service of companionship from middle-aged men, like Mr Natori.

On his Ossan Rental profile page, it states that Mr Natori's rates are 1,000 yen (S$8.90) per hour, with tax included.

His profile page mentioned that he's lived abroad for 28 years, including places like Singapore, Australia and China.

Mr Natori noted that he is up for rent on both weekdays and weekends, and he's very much open to accompanying you visit cafes or restaurants that are "difficult to go by yourself".

It wasn't just Tyen who left a happy camper after a day out with Mr Natori.

The elderly man has more than 100 reviews, with the vast majority thanking him for being good company throughout their day.

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amierul@asiaone.com

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