Man In Japan Makes Living Renting Himself Out To 'Do Nothing'

A man in Japan is making a living by doing, well, nothing at all.

Shoji Morimoto, from Tokyo, makes his business model very clear on his Twitter account.

His bio reads: "I will lend you a person (me) who does nothing... I can't do anything other than eating and drinking and responding very easily."

Bet he's got a cracking CV.

Twitter/@morimotoshoji

But while he might not seem like he's exactly selling himself, the 37-year-old has received more than 3,000 requests since he embarked on the odd pursuit back in June 2018.

Originally he offered up his 'service' for free, but now he charges 10,000 yen (£70/$96) per request, plus food and travel expenses.

So, why exactly would someone part with their cash to hire a man who does nowt? Well, sometimes he's wanted to make up the numbers, in a gaming session for example; others simply want company at lunch, or somebody to listen to them.

Speaking to The Mainichi, Shoji - who is married and has a postgraduate degree in physics from Osaka University - said: "I'm not a friend or an acquaintance. I'm free of the bothersome things that accompany relationships, but can ease people's sense of loneliness. Maybe it's something like that for me.

"I myself don't like to be cheered on by others. I get upset when people simply tell me 'keep on trying'.

"When someone is trying to do something, I think the best thing to do is to help lower the bar for them by staying at their side."

Twitter/@morimotoshoji

Indeed, it seems there really is a market for his services, and he has amassed more than 267,000 followers on Twitter.

One client said she had rented out his services on 10 occasions, employing him to stand by her when she met a man for the first time, as well as sharing with him her views of love, which she felt uncomfortable opening up about with friends.

According to The Mainichi, she said: "It felt like a support to just have him by my side without forcing his opinions on me."

Other clients have sung his praises online.

One person wrote: "I'm glad I was able to take a walk with someone while keeping a comfortable distance, where we didn't have to talk but could if we wanted to."

Another said: "I had been slack about visiting the hospital, but I went because he came with me."

Who else is considering retraining as a person who does sweet FA?

Topics: Interesting, Community, Japan

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey