Shoji Morimoto has what some people might view as the ultimate job: he receives payment for doing virtually nothing. For 10,000 yen ($71) per booking, the 38-year-old Tokyo resident will go with clients and serve as a companion.
On Twitter, where he finds the majority of his clients, Morimoto, who has an average appearance and a lanky build, has gathered close to a quarter of a million followers. One of them, who accounts for around 25% of his clientele, has hired him 270 times.
As part of his job, he was obligated to accompany a person who wished to swing around in a park. In addition, he has waved and grinned at a stranger who asked for a farewell through a train window.
Morimoto's lack of action does not indicate that he will do anything. In addition to turning down invites to move a refrigerator and visit Cambodia, he also declines to perform any sexual favours.
Aruna Chida, a 27-year-old data analyst wearing a sari, and Morimoto conversed briefly over tea and pastries last week as they sat across from one another.
Chida was concerned that donning the Indian outfit in front of her friends may make them look foolish. She then requested help from Morimoto.
Morimoto worked at a publishing company before discovering his true calling and was frequently criticised for "doing nothing".
I began to consider what might occur if I offered clients the chance to "do nothing," he remarked.
Morimoto now relies solely on his companionship business to provide for his wife and child. He claimed to visit one or two clients per day, but he would not say how much money he makes. It was three or four every day prior to the pandemic.
Morimoto thought on the strange nature of his job and seemed to doubt a society that rewards productivity and despises futility as he spent a Wednesday doing nothing of importance in Tokyo.
"People frequently assume that my "doing nothing" is worthwhile since it benefits others... However, it's OK to actually accomplish nothing. Nobody has to be useful in a particular way, he remarked.
