In a lot of ways, the NEET social phenomena is something that could only happen in Japan. The term stands for “not in education, employment, or training,” and refers to those individuals who are neither earning a living nor officially doing anything to approach that basic goal in life.
In many other countries, most people would conclude that a dose of tough love, or a few swift kicks to the backside, is in order. And while that’s the strategy Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino would recommend, in Japan, a large number of parents are willing to support their adult children’s NEET lifestyles for years on end.
Now, though, one man is putting a twist on the “not in education, employment, or training” label by renting out his services as a professional NEET.
Visitors to Akihabara first spotted the uniquely enterprising man, named Yosuke Naka, hanging around the Denkimachi exit of Akihabara Station early this month. The professionally-attired 25-year-old was seen holding a sign identifying himself as a “rental NEET.”
According to his advertisement, the 25-year-old Naka is a college graduate who’s never had a job. He charges 1,000 yen (US $9.90) an hour for his services, but he’s not here to impart secret techniques for mooching for food or “forgetting” to mail in your job application.
Instead, Naka will simply hang out in Akihabara with his clients. He lists his primary area of expertise as collectible card games such as Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, and he’s happy to trade cards or play a few rounds with his customers. Alternatively, he offers to swap tips on building plastic Gundam robot models, or to help with snapping photos.
Naka reports he’s already had three people purchase his company, and the position he takes up near the busy train station ensures his venture is getting plenty of exposure. He’s also had a few people bring him snacks or drinks, which he says he was grateful for since he’d already used up his budget for the day on train fare to Tokyo’s anime and video game mecca.
昨日お会いした方から飲み物、Twitterで見て来てくれた方からサンドイッチの差し入れをいただきました。いやーありがたい。交通費だけにつぎ込むために今日何も食べてなかったんですよ pic.twitter.com/RqV4rJi8q0
— 仲 陽介（レンタルニート） (@naka_yousuke) June 4, 2014
We’re not entirely convinced rental NEETs will become the same sort of lucrative industry that maid cafes, which also originated in Akihabara, have. Still, considering that he’s currently got the market all to himself, Naka’s got a shot at claiming all of the potential profits for his newly created economic sector, whatever they may be.
Source: IT Media