Featured Image Credit: CBS
Topics: Life, World News, Viral
Emily Brown
While millions of us earn a living by heading into an office, offering trade work or creating content, one man in Japan has accomplished the dream of making money by doing nothing.
Okay, when I say 'nothing' I don't exactly mean he just sits staring into space while making it rain. He does offer one very specific service, but as far as work goes it seems to be a pretty comfortable way to rake in the cash.
For the last four years, 38-year-old Shoji Morimoto has managed to find a way to fund his life by offering himself as someone who can simply be there for people who want him to be.
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Also known by the nickname 'Rental-san', Morimoto has been hired by members of the public to accompany them to dinner, greet them at the end of a marathon, sit with them while they do work or listen to them vent. He charges 10,000 yen (roughly £63 or $85) per session, and takes on all sorts of jobs that people want company for, or that they don't want their loved ones to have to deal with.
Speaking to The Washington Post about his career, Morimoto explained his belief that 'when people are feeling vulnerable or are in their intimate moments, they become more sensitive toward people that are close to them, like how they will be perceived, or the kind of actions they will take for them.'
Therefore, he thinks 'they want to just reach out to a stranger without any strings attached'.
One customer, Akari Shirai, hired Morimoto to accompany her to her favourite restaurant before leaving Tokyo for a new job. She had gone through a divorce and didn't want to eat alone, but didn't feel like explaining that to a friend.
Morimoto proved to be the perfect solution, and during the meal Shirai shared memories of her marriage and asked a few questions, while Morimoto offered simple answers and the occasional laugh without ever initiating conversation. Where some might find such an encounter bizarre or awkward, Shirai found it was exactly what she needed.
"I felt like I was with someone but at the same time felt like I wasn’t, since he existed in a way where I didn’t have to be attentive of his needs or think about him. I felt no awkwardness or pressure to speak. It may have been the first time I’ve eaten in complete silence," she said.
But how exactly does one become a 'do-nothing' person? Well, Morimoto got into the job after being told in previous jobs that he wasn't doing enough. Since he started offering out his presence, he has fulfilled about 4,000 inquires.
He says he makes enough to offer his fair share in maintaining a dual-income household and raising a son, and his work has proved so intriguing that he has inspired not only multiple books, but also a television series.
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