Japanese man earns a living by being rented to "do nothing"

As his nickname goes, Morimoto provides a very unusual rental service to his clients in Tokyo, hiring himself out in order to, in his own words, do nothing.

"I am the 'Rental-Do-Nothing-Man'. I provide a service where I can be rented to do nothing. This 'Do-Nothing-Man' is me and I rent myself out. I go to places where I am asked to, and I do nothing there," he told Reuters.

While such rental services are not unheard of in Japan - there are agencies where one can rent actors to be your friend or even an entire family - Morimoto's differentiating factor lies in his "effort-free" approach, while not playing any specific role.

"What I mean by doing nothing is, I eat and drink (with my clients), and I answer their simple questions with simple answers," Morimoto clarified.

Since starting his business on a Twitter page in 2018 to offer his service, Morimoto claimed he has been hired over 4,000 times to do nothing more than to mostly dine with clients, attend events, and sometimes provide a listening ear. Morimoto now boasts nearly a quarter of a million followers on Twitter and approximately a quarter of his clients are repeat customers, including a woman who has hired him 270 times.

For the price of 10,000 yen ($71.20) per booking, Morimoto will offer his companionship. He won't start a conversation, but will offer simple responses if asked, he said. On top of his fee, he also charges for transport and clients will pay for his food if the assignment is during meal times.

Despite what sounds like a niche service, Morimoto is in high demand and can sometimes schedule up to three assignments a day.

One such client is data analyst Aruna Chida, who found out about Morimoto when his business was trending on social media. The 27-year-old former Mumbai resident had bought a sari and was keen to wear it in public, but was hesitant to invite her friends because they "might be embarrassed". She decided to hire Morimoto instead to join her for afternoon tea with her dressed in the Indian garment.

But that was not the only reason she paid for Morimoto's time.

"When I’m with my friends, I kind of feel like I have to entertain them. But with 'Mr. Rental' (Morimoto), I feel like I don't have to say much and I can just keep quiet (whenever I want)," Chida said.

Another client, who only wished to be identified by her nickname "Kusa" due to privacy reasons, said she was feeling down due to work and wanted to do something unusual to cheer herself up. The 33-year-old public servant thus hired Morimoto in October 2020 to accompany her for a curry meal while she was dressed in a Pikachu costume. She hired him again a second time to listen to her life story.

Morimoto's rising popularity has brought with it some requests that he has turned down. Along with a blanket refusal on any requests of a sexual nature, Morimoto has previously rejected a prospective client who wanted to take him to Trinidad and Tobago, as well as one that asked him to help move a refrigerator "because it involved physical work".

Morimoto got into the business after quitting his job at a publishing firm. Often criticised by bosses and colleagues for not doing anything, Morimoto said he was left with an inferiority complex which he tried to overcome.

"I then started wondering 'what would happen if I try to make use of this 'do nothing' side of me, turn it into a selling point and provide that service to people. That was how I started as a Rental-Do-Nothing-Man," he said.

When asked why he thinks his service has become so popular, Morimoto said his clients probably feel comfortable about the "temporal relationship' they have with him. With friends, families and acquaintances, people tend to hesitate to ask for favours because they would feel like they have to do something in return for the sake of the relationship.

Beyond that, Morimoto believes his work can change the societal attitude that one needs to always be doing something productive in order to feel valued. Sometimes, just showing up for people and being there can be valuable too, he said.

"People might think that this 'doing nothing' service is valuable because it is also a form of being useful. That is what people often say about it (my service) too. I think this (opinion) is interesting, but I also think it is really fine to indeed not be doing anything."