JAKARTA - Shoji Morimoto, a man from Japan, has proven that doing nothing can be a way for financial success.
The 41-year-old started his career in an unusual way after being fired from his job at a company in 2018.
At that time, his superiors criticized him for not having the initiative and not contributing meaningfully to the company. However, the criticism opened the door for Morimoto to find an unexpected path to success and wealth
Now, Morimoto is known as a 'rental man who does nothing' in Japan. His main job is to offer his services to people who need friends or companions to carry out various activities, without the need to do complicated or excessive things.
His duties vary widely, ranging from accompanying someone waiting at the finish line for the marathon, being friends when the client is bored, to accompanying people who want to go to the concert but don't want to go alone.
Reported by VOI from the CNBC page on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, all of this was done without the need to talk much or engage in any activity other than what clients asked for, except for things related to sex.
"I was once in a difficult objective situation, such as standing in a queue in the hot sun, standing for hours in the cold air, attending a party with just strangers, to standing alone on stage in front of a large audience without doing anything," Morimoto, a father of a seven-year-old child, told CNBC Make It.
"However, no matter what difficulties I have, I feel that it is something special that just happens because I did this job, so I can still appreciate it," he added.
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Morimoto's longest-serving task was a 17-hour journey on the same train line, from morning to last train.
"We crossed 13 laps on the Yamanote Line," Morimoto said.
There were also several requests for Morimoto to be a listener on his client's bad days. But in his conversation, Morimoto gave a minimalist and simple answer. In other words, he just nodded and listened carefully, but did not play as a therapist.
Morimoto told CNBC he received about 1,000 requests per year, and let his client decide how much to pay.
In the past, he imposed a fixed tariff of between 10,000 yen and 30,000 yen (Rp1-3 million rupiah) for a session of 2-3 hours. Until finally, he managed to generate around USD 80,000 or Rp1.3 billion rupiah last year. Morimoto introduced the payment model as desired 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 happy to try to see if this can last," Morimoto said.
He added that the goal was not to make a living, but to live a life and enjoy it.
It fits perfectly with the needs of today's Japanese people, who are not looking for love or marriage, and don't want to bother with such relationships. But want someone who can be invited to date or eat together casually.
While there are no official statistics tracing the leasing industry in Japan, the country has many rental services for temporary girlfriends, friends, and even family.
"It fits perfectly with the needs of today's Japanese people, who are not looking for love or marriage, and don't want to bother with such relationships, but want someone who can be invited to date or eat together casually," said Ai Sakata, consultant at the Nomura Research Institute.
"The concept may be the reason why some people pay for this kind of service, but that's not the only reason." Morimoto and the experts interviewed by CNBC.
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