# Japanese Rent-a-Friend Temporary Cats, Dogs or Husbands to Cheer You Up By Katie Cordrey | Published 2009-04-06 | Lifestyle Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/japanese-rent-a-friend-cats-dogs-or-temporary-husbands-can-cheer-your-day References: [news.bbc](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7818140.stm) If you want to [cuddle a kitty](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/whiskas-purradise) or walk a dog but don’t want to, or can’t, own one, you need look no further than the [Ja La La Cafe in Tokyo](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tokyo-popups)’s bustling Akihabara district. There, clients can pay by the hour for pet companions. But what if you don’t have family and want to take a distant ‘relative’ to a social function, or you’re a divorced mom who could do with a little male influence in the household? There’s help with that too. You can [rent an actor](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/future-match) to fill the role and they do more than simply make an appearance, they actually do ‘play’ the part. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.1/10 - Popularity: 42% | Activity: 13% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) > [Pets](https://www.trendhunter.com/pets) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Rent-a-friend:** The trend of renting people, whether for companionship or specific roles, presents an opportunity for disruption in industries such as entertainment, events, and personal services. - **On-demand Actors:** The availability of actors for short-term rentals could disrupt industries such as film and television production and advertising. - **Temporary Pet Ownership:** The trend of renting pets for temporary companionship offers opportunities for disruption in the pet care industry, particularly for those who cannot commit to long-term pet ownership. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Entertainment:** The trend of renting friends and actors for personal use could disrupt traditional entertainment industries by providing more personalized and customizable experiences. - **Event Planning:** Renting friends or actors to attend events could disrupt traditional event planning and staffing services. - **Pet Care:** The trend of renting pets for temporary companionship could disrupt traditional pet care services by providing a low-cost and low-commitment alternative for pet lovers. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [AI-to-Human Marketplaces](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rentahuman.md) - [Autonomous AI-Powered Robot Cats](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/macroact-maicat.md) - [Petting Booth Pop-Ups](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/petting-booth.md) - [Senior Rental Services](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rent-elderly-people.md) - [VR Cat Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vr-cat-experiences.md) - [Emotion Recognition Robot Pets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kakaloom.md) - [Robotic Pet Companions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/guliguli-smart-companion.md) - [Sustainable Repurposed Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sony-japan.md) - [AI Accountability Companions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ai-accountability-companion.md)