Parasol rental service begins at major train stations in Tokyo
The company offering the service also runs an umbrella-sharing business it started in a bid to help reduce the number of plastic umbrellas that are discarded.
The all-weather foldable parasols were introduced in a ceremony at JR Yurakucho Station in central Tokyo on Thursday.
Users can rent one by scanning an app on their smartphones.
After use, the parasol can be returned at any of the rental locations.
The company has set up about 150 rental sites across the metropolis, with a total of 3,000 parasols available.
The cost is about one dollar for a 24-hour period or nearly 2 dollars for a monthly flat fee.
Marukawa Shoji, the head of Nature Innovation Group, which operates the service, says while men may be hesitant to buy a parasol, he hopes they will make their "parasol debut" with the rental service.
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