To appreciate this story, it may help to understand the concept of the Ikemeso Danshi or handsome, weeping guy. There is a relatively recent trend in Japan where stressed out women can hire an escort for emotional comfort which may include the wiping away of tears. This is the story of an American man, Frank Bruno, who was offered a rare opportunity to work as a tear hooker in Tokyo, a most unusual opportunity in a most unusual occupation.

Julia Watermouth (Asian correspondent for the Dragonfly Report) 

I looked at myself in the mirror and sighed. How did I end up here, in Japan, working as an Ikemeso Danshi? I was too old for this I thought to myself, but I did need the money. The company that hired me did so as a novelty to garner publicity and I just went along for the ride. They thought hiring an American would set them apart from the competition and be a clever marketing gimmick.

For our audience outside Japan, Ikemeso Danshi is a short way of saying “good looking men who cry”.  I didn’t think of myself as good-looking and doubted that I’d be able to cry on cue or to properly console or wipe away the tears of a girl who was crying. I’ve shed many tears watching sad movies in my life but could I cry knowing I was being paid for it? Would I seem sincere wiping away the tears of an emotionally upset woman? I was about to start my life as a tear hooker and was full of self doubt. At least, the pay was decent.

 My first client was a young woman named Aiko. She was beautiful, but obviously sad about something. She told me that she had just broken up with her boyfriend, and was feeling lost and alone. I listened to her story intently, but it didn’t strike me as that sad. The real me would have just said “find another boyfriend” or “better to be alone than in bad company” but that’s not what I was being paid for. I needed to cry quickly. I needed to think of something sad and that’s when I thought of the death of a childhood friend who had died of leukemia. Tears filled my eyes as I told Aiko that everything was going to be okay. This seemed to give her hope. Aiko thanked me for my compassion, and left feeling much better.

After that, I realized that I could be successful as an Ikemeso Danshi by simply channeling sad moments from my own life. I would think of break-ups with old girlfriends, the time I got my car stolen, or even when my childhood dog died.

I continued to work as an Ikemeso Danshi, helped many women through their tears, and made lots of friends. I started to see myself as more than just a hired crying machine but a friend, confidant, and source of strength. I was becoming a true professional even though I thought the reasons that most of my clients hired me were superficial in nature. 

That was until I received a call from a woman named Naomi. She told me that there was something making her sad and it wasn’t a boyfriend or problem with colleagues.

I went to her house, and listened to her story. I had my tissues ready as always.

“In five billion years, the sun is going to turn into a red giant. It will expand and pulverize our earth.  All of earth’s history will be erased forever. All our dreams. All our memories. It’ll be like we never existed, complete and total darkness,” she said, breathing heavily. 

She began shaking and sobbing uncontrollably. I used a tissue to wipe away her tears but it became completely soaked. Normally, at this moment I would have channeled a sad moment from my own life but this time I didn’t need to. Of course, I already knew about the impending end of the world in 5 billion years but somehow the way Naomi described it made me feel what it meant to lose everything. We embraced and cried for at least 15 minutes. Our clothes were wet from tears so we removed them.  The next 30 minutes were a complete blur. All I know is that we were trying to hold on to the sun.

A month later,  I was hired by Naomi again. As soon as she opened the door, she grabbed me by the hand and dragged me to her bedroom.

“Life has no real meaning. We are on a slow train that leads to our demise,” she said with tears flowing from her eyes. She pushed me down on the bed. “Why would anyone bring a child into this world to experience the same fate?”

I wiped her tears away but they kept flowing. I began to cry as well. Again our clothes became so soaked we had to remove them. I reminded her that even though we would die, there were moments of meaning along the way and we had the freedom to do amazing things. She began to hyperventilate when I said this. I ran out of tissues and began to mop her tears up any way I could. The salty taste stuck with me until the evening. The next hour was a complete blur. When I left, she handed me an envelope with my fee and told me I was the best Ikemeso Danshi ever.

Thanks to Naomi, I now believe that when my clients think they’re sad about a boyfriend or a problem at work, they’re probably just downcast about our impending doom and projecting that sadness onto a trivial part of their life. Regardless, it is now much easier for me to cry and have true empathy for my customers. I am good at what I do and let them know that the sun is still shining and will continue to shine for a very long time. I also make sure I bring plenty of extra tissues.

I am an Ikemeso Danshi, and proud of it.

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