Why people in Japan think it's better to rent a monk from the Internet

The demand for monk delivery service has spiked as more Japanese lose ties with local temples and are confused by the donation system. Photos: AFP

In a quiet room thick with the smell of incense, Buddhist monk Kaichi Watanabe chants sutras to commemorate the one-year anniversary of a woman's death.

The 41-year-old may look like a traditional holy man in Japan but he wasn't sent by a temple. Instead, the family ordered him through a fast-growing rent-a-monk business that has angered traditionalists who warn it is commercialising the religion.