Shoji Morimoto’s day job involves lending out almost anything to strangers looking for someone’s company.
Lee Ying Shan
When Shoji Morimoto was fired from his office job in 2018, his superior criticized him for lacking initiative and “doing nothing” of value to the company. The joke is on him because Morimoto, now 41, has since built a lucrative career doing nothing.
Known as the do-nothing renter in Japan, Morimoto’s day job involves lending out almost anything to foreigners looking for someone’s company. These requests can range from waiting for a marathon runner at the finish line to a video call while a bored client rearranges and cleans her room. Once a client who couldn’t attend a concert with a friend hired Morimoto to take her place.
Shoji Morimoto reserves a seat for his client in the park.
Shoji Morimoto
From the ridiculous to the mundane, Morimoto will simply show up and “do nothing” except what he’s asked to do – except sex.
“I came into objectively difficult situations, such as standing in line under the hot sun, standing for hours in the cold, attending parties only with unknown people and standing alone on stage in front of a large audience without doing anything,” said the father of the seven-year-old CNBC Make It.
But no matter what kind of accident I experienced, I feel that it is something special that happened only because I do this job, so I can still cherish it, he said.
Not a therapist
Morimoto’s longest single assignment was a 17-hour journey on the same railway line, end to end, from early morning until the last train. “We did 13 laps of the Yamanote (railway station) line,” he said.
There were also several requests for Morimoto to be a listener on bad client days. However, when it comes to conversations, Morimoto offers the minimum and simplest answers. In other words, he nods and listens attentively, but he does not play therapist.
Morimoto told CNBC that he receives about 1,000 requests a year and lets his clients decide how much to pay him. He used to charge a fixed price of between 10,000 and 30,000 yen ($65 to $195) for a two- to three-hour session, and last year earned about $80,000.
Morimoto introduced the pay-what-you-want model at the end of last year.
“I’m charging a voluntary fee, so I don’t know if it’s going to be sustainable, but I’m having fun trying to see if it’s sustainable,” said Morimoto, who added that his goal is not to make a living or support himself but “to simply live life and enjoy it”.
CNBC followed Morimoto for two hours, taking him to a piglet cafe in Tokyo where customers can have a drink and interact with litters of piglets.
Lee Ying Shan
To test its services, CNBC Make It followed Morimoto for two hours, taking him to a piglet cafe in Tokyo where customers can have a drink and interact with litters of piglets.
At first I planned to go alone, but when I entered the crowded cafe and saw customers in couples and small groups, I felt a hint of relief because I was in the company of Morimoto.
There was another perk: he could take pictures of me playing with the pigs.
After a few initial conversations in my broken Japanese and the help of Google translate, no further chitchat was necessary as I left him to his own devices and focused on my pig. That’s when I realized Morimoto’s appeal: clients like me can enjoy activities in a social setting without being judged for going it alone. Even better, I don’t feel obligated to maintain a conversation with anyone when I’m just there for the pigs.
This fits well with the recent needs of the Japanese, who are not looking for love or marriage, and don’t want the hassle of such relationships, but want someone they can casually go on dates with or have dinner with.
Oh Sakata
consultant at the Nomura Research Institute
Although there are no official statistics tracking the personal rental industry in Japan, the country is home to a number of temporary rental services friends, guys, friends and even family.
“This fits well with the recent needs of Japanese people, who are not looking for love or marriage, and don’t want the hassle of such relationships, but want someone they can casually go on dates or have dinner with,” Ai Sakata, a consultant at the Nomura Research Institute, told CNBC .
Not only about loneliness
Loneliness may be the reason some pay for such services, but it’s not the only reason, Morimoto and experts interviewed by CNBC said.
Certain individuals may want company, but others may be a little “socially awkward,” said Hiroshi Ono, a professor of human resources at Hitotsubashi University.
Most Japanese do not necessarily tolerate confrontation well, or even direct communication, the professor added. “People might be too awkward to say, will you be my friend? And to avoid that awkwardness, they’re just willing to pay for it.”
Shoji Morimoto waves goodbye to a client who asked for forgiveness at the train station.
Shoji Morimoto
Morimoto said a woman once paid him to sit in the corner of a coffee shop, in her line of sight, while she served her husband with divorce papers — without drawing his attention. The signing of the papers went smoothly, and Morimoto said the divorcee got an extra dose of courage because she had someone she knew nearby.
His presence serves as a kind of security blanket, temporarily companying those who feel uncomfortable in certain environments, the 41-year-old noted.
“There are many different ones [favorite] moments in this business, such as when I get a message with an offer, when I meet a client, when I accompany a client to an unknown place, when I just listen to a story, and I feel happy every moment,” Morimoto said.
“There was nothing else I really wanted to do,” he said.
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