Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Shoji Morimoto’s day job is lending himself out to strangers looking for someone’s company for just about anything.
Lee Ying Shan
When Shoji Morimoto was fired from his office job in 2018, his boss criticized him for lacking initiative and “doing nothing” of value to the company. He’s a joke because Marimoto, now 41, has since made a lucrative career out of doing nothing.
In Japan, Marimoto, known as the man who does nothing for rent, involves lending almost anything to strangers seeking someone’s company. These requests can range from waiting for a marathon runner at the finish line to video calling while a bored customer fixes and cleans her room. One day, a client who was unable to attend a concert with a friend hired Morimoto in her place.
Syoji Marimoto reserves a seat for his client in the park.
Sit Marimoto
From the ridiculous to the ordinary, Marimoto will just show up and “do nothing” except what he’s asked to do — except have sex.
“I got into objectively difficult situations, for example, standing in line under the scorching sun, standing for hours in the cold, going to parties only with strangers and standing alone on the stage in front of a large audience, doing nothing,” said the father of a seven-year-old child CNBC Make It.
“However, no matter what misfortune I’ve been through, I feel like it’s something special that happened just because I’m doing this job, so I can still appreciate it,” he said.
Not a therapist
Marimoto’s longest single task was a 17-hour journey on a single 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 Marimoto to listen to customers on bad days. However, when it comes to conversations, Marimoto offers the bare minimum and simplest answers. In other words, he nods and listens carefully, but tries not to play therapist.
Marimoto told CNBC that he gets about 1,000 requests a year and lets his clients decide how much to pay him. He used to charge a flat rate of ¥10,000 to ¥30,000 ($65 to $195) for a two- to three-hour session and earned about $80,000 last year.
Morimoto introduced a pay-as-you-go model late last year.
“I’m taking a voluntary fee, so I don’t know if it’s sustainable, but I’m having fun trying to find out if it’s sustainable,” said Morimoto, who added that his goal was not to make a living or support himself but “just to live life and enjoy it.”
CNBC accompanied Morimoto for two hours, taking him to a pig cafe in Tokyo where customers can drink and chat with a litter of piglets.
Lee Ying Shan
To test his services, CNBC Make It accompanied Morimoto for two hours, taking him to a pig cafe in Tokyo where customers can drink and chat with a litter of piglets.
I had originally planned to go alone, but as I entered the packed cafe and saw diners in pairs and small groups, I felt a tinge of relief at Morimoto’s company.
There was another advantage: he could take pictures of me playing with the pigs.
After the first few conversations in my broken Japanese and help with Google Translate, no more conversations were needed as I left him to his own devices and focused on my pig. Then I realized the appeal of Marimoto: clients like me can enjoy working out in a social setting without being judged for going solo. Even better, I don’t feel obligated to maintain a conversation with someone when I’m really just there for the pigs.
It fits well with the recent needs of Japanese people who are not looking for love or marriage and don’t want the hassles of such a relationship, but want someone they can casually go on dates or dinner with.
Oh Sakata
a consultant to the Nomura Research Institute
Although there are no official statistics tracking the people-rental industry in Japan, there are many time-rental services in the country girlfriends, boyfriends, friends and even family.
“It 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 a relationship, but want someone they can casually date or have dinner with,” Ai Sakata. , a consultant at research institute Nomura 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 CNBC experts said.
Some people may want to socialize, but others may be a little “socially awkward,” said Hiroshi Ohno, a human resources professor at Hitatsubashi University.
The professor added that most Japanese are not necessarily good at confrontation or even direct communication. “People are maybe too embarrassed to say, ‘Will you be my friend?’ And so, to avoid this embarrassment, they are just ready to pay for it.”
Sitting at the train station, Syoji Marimoto waves goodbye to a customer who has asked to say goodbye.
Sit Marimoto
Marimoto said a woman once paid him to sit in the corner of a coffee shop, within sight of her, while she served her husband with divorce papers — ignoring him. The paper signing went smoothly, and Marimoto said the divorcee got an extra dose of courage from having someone she knew by her side.
His presence serves as a kind of protective blanket that temporarily accommodates those who feel uncomfortable in certain conditions, the 41-year-old man noted.
“There are many different (favorite) moments in this job, for example, when I receive 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 feel happy every moment.” – said Marimoto.
“I really didn’t want to do anything,” he said.
Want to make more money at work? Take CNBC’s new online course How to negotiate a salary increase. Experienced instructors will teach you the skills you need to earn a bigger salary, including how to prepare and build your confidence, what to do and say, and how to make a counter offer. Sign up today and use coupon code EARLYBIRD to get an introductory 50% discount until November 26, 2024.
plus, sign up for the CNBC Make It newsletter to get tips and advice for success at work, with money and in life.
