"Renting Ugly Men"... Japan's 'Chunam Rental Service' Sparks Buzz

Former Japanese Comedian Starts Business Due to COVID
2-3 Hours for 10,000 Yen... "Don't Harass Too Much"

A former comedian in Japan has gained attention for successfully starting a ‘chunam rental service’ business.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) and others recently reported that former comedian Shinohara Rui (34) began offering a ‘Rental Busaiku (レンタルぶさい)’, or chunam rental service, through X (formerly Twitter) since 2020.

This service rents himself out to people who need a ‘chunam’ (unattractive man). The rental fee is 10,000 yen (about 85,000 won) for 2 to 3 hours, while food and transportation costs must be paid by the customer.

Former Japanese comedian Shinohara Rui, who runs an unattractive man rental service
[Photo by X (formerly Twitter) capture]

His related posts on X received 36,000 likes, and there have been more than 30 service requests.

Shinohara explained, “I stand next to ordinary men who want to stand out at meetings or act as a practice partner for women who want to rehearse dating with a handsome man in advance.” He also mentioned that he could work with brands that need an unattractive model.

He said he started the chunam rental business after closing his personal business due to COVID-19.

Shinohara cautioned, “You can tease the chunam (myself) during the rental, but don’t go too far.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.