Article content

Perplexed at why many of their rental cars were not racking up any mileage, Japanese rental firms were taken aback to discover that many of their customers are using them as a quiet place to escape from the pressures of daily life.

Instead of using the car they have booked to get from point A to point B, many customers just want a private space for an hour or so, the Asahi newspaper reported.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Japanese are renting cars to nap in private, eat their lunch or watch tv — but not to drive Back to video

Orix Auto Corp and Times24 Co, two of Japan’s largest rental car firms, realized last summer that as many as one in eight of their hire cars were not actually travelling anywhere after being reserved and paid for.

A survey of users showed that some were booking a car so they could have a nap during their lunch break, away from the disapproving scrutiny of their bosses.

One businessman admitted that he preferred to work from the car and would set up an “office” in the front seat.

Another user left bags in a car when he could not find a coin locker in a railway station and needed to leave his luggage somewhere.