From the Financial Times, May 28, 1992. Really. It's true.
Ambitious Japanese haven't time for the little things in life, such as visiting mum and dad. A man's got to work, after all.
Hence a long waiting list for the rent-a-family service marketed by a Tokyo consultancy called Japan Efficiency Headquarters. Just call it up and for a mere 635.59 pounds, it will send round substitute sons, daughters, and an optional baby grandchild to visit the parents for three precious hours.
How does the older generation react? Often joyfully, claims the consultancy's president, greeting the professional actors playing the roles like the long-lost real thing. Some neglected parents even summon up the surrogates at their own expense.
Moreover, there's also a growing market for the service the other way round, with isolated offspring hiring visits by stand-in dads and mums. |
