In 2018, Shoji Morimoto was dismissed by his superiors for lacking initiative and not contributing anything of value to the company. However, the now 41-year-old Morimoto found a way to earn $80,000 a year by essentially doing nothing.
According to a report by CNBC, Morimoto’s daily job involves renting himself out to strangers who simply want company for various tasks. These requests may range from waiting at the finish line for marathon runners to chatting via video call while bored customers clean and decorate their rooms. On one occasion, a client couldn’t attend a concert with friends and “rented” Morimoto to go in her place.
From the absurd to the mundane, Morimoto is there, doing nothing more than providing simple companionship.
“I’ve been in quite challenging situations, like waiting in the scorching sun, standing in the freezing cold for hours, attending gatherings full of strangers, or standing alone on stage facing a large audience doing nothing,” the father of a seven-year-old told CNBC Make It.
Morimoto’s longest task involved sitting on the same train line for 17 hours, from early morning until the last train of the day, making 13 round trips.
There have also been instances where Morimoto was asked to simply listen to clients when they were feeling down. During these conversations, Morimoto only offers minimal responses and simple answers. In other words, he nods along and listens attentively but stresses that he doesn’t play the role of a therapist.
Morimoto tells CNBC that he receives around 1,000 requests per year and lets clients decide how much they want to pay him. In the past, he charged a fixed fee of 10,000 to 30,000 yen ($65 to $195) for two to three hours of work, earning approximately $80,000 last year.
At the end of last year, Morimoto introduced a pay-as-you-wish model. “I charge voluntary fees, so I don’t know if this is sustainable, but I am willing to try,” Morimoto says. His goal is not to make a living or support himself but to “live simply and enjoy life.”
“This job has many highlights, like when I receive notifications, meet clients, accompany them to unfamiliar places, or hear stories – all of these moments bring me joy,” Morimoto adds.