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This Japanese man shows up and ‘does nothing’. He’s made a living out of it

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One woman hired him to accompany her as she filed her divorce papers. He once sat with a client for a hemorrhoid surgery consultation – with plenty of graphic photos. Someone hired him for a dramatic farewell as they boarded a bullet train to move from Tokyo to Osaka; he showed up and waved goodbye.

Morimoto often finds that his clients don’t want to burden people they care about with their needs.

“I think when people are feeling vulnerable or are in their intimate moments, they become more sensitive toward people that are close to them, like how they will be perceived, or the kind of actions they will take for them,” he said. “So I think they want to just reach out to a stranger without any strings attached.”

After lunch, Akari Shirai went to a bookstore to get a copy of Shoji Morimoto’s book and have him sign it. He tagged along as she bought the book and a pen. Credit:Washington Post/Michelle Ye Hee Lee

Unlike for others in the rental cottage industry, the expectations for Morimoto are minimal. Still, he provides emotional support that many people crave but may have trouble finding, especially during a pandemic that has exacerbated feelings of isolation, said Yasushi Fujii, a psychology professor at Meisei University in Tokyo.

“Interacting with friends and other people, there are always unknown factors that can come into play. But meeting with Rental-san, it’s very easy to know what to expect and to be in full control of the situation,” Fujii said.

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A handful of other “rental” people have similar shticks, like a guy who gets hired to be treated to meals and a self-professed “ugly” guy who claims to boost others’ self-esteem. But Morimoto has cornered his niche market of doing nothing for cash, and many people now hire him for the novelty.

Morimoto, who grew up in Kansai, a southern region of Japan, stumbled into the role after being told in previous jobs that he wasn’t doing enough and didn’t have enough initiative to succeed. He has now fulfilled roughly 4000 inquiries and has one to two clients a day, down from three to four before the pandemic. Between his gigs and royalties, he says, he makes enough to do his part in maintaining a dual-income household and raising a son.

“I was often told that I wasn’t doing enough, or that I wasn’t doing anything, so this became a complex for me. I decided to take advantage of this and make it into a business,” he said.

The lifestyle works well for Morimoto, who is not that talkative or expressive even when he’s not working. He wears his signature blue hat and a hoodie – and a blank stare – so that clients can easily recognise him, but dresses up when the situation requires him to be more formal.

Morimoto hesitates to make too many assumptions about why his business model has gained viral fame. He said he has learned not to judge others, and to have empathy for people who may be going through deep personal challenges but aren’t showing it.

“Even if people look normal and fine on the surface, they often have shocking pasts or secrets, or impossible problems,” he said. “People who come to me with crazy problems, they’re usually not people who look like they’re suffering. … Everyone, even the ones that seem well, all have their own sets of problems and secrets.”

The Washington Post

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One woman hired him to accompany her as she filed her divorce papers. He once sat with a client for a hemorrhoid surgery consultation – with plenty of graphic photos. Someone hired him for a dramatic farewell as they boarded a bullet train to move from Tokyo to Osaka; he showed up and waved goodbye.

Morimoto often finds that his clients don’t want to burden people they care about with their needs.

“I think when people are feeling vulnerable or are in their intimate moments, they become more sensitive toward people that are close to them, like how they will be perceived, or the kind of actions they will take for them,” he said. “So I think they want to just reach out to a stranger without any strings attached.”

After lunch, Akari Shirai went to a bookstore to get a copy of Shoji Morimoto’s book and have him sign it. He tagged along as she bought the book and a pen.

After lunch, Akari Shirai went to a bookstore to get a copy of Shoji Morimoto’s book and have him sign it. He tagged along as she bought the book and a pen. Credit:Washington Post/Michelle Ye Hee Lee

Unlike for others in the rental cottage industry, the expectations for Morimoto are minimal. Still, he provides emotional support that many people crave but may have trouble finding, especially during a pandemic that has exacerbated feelings of isolation, said Yasushi Fujii, a psychology professor at Meisei University in Tokyo.

“Interacting with friends and other people, there are always unknown factors that can come into play. But meeting with Rental-san, it’s very easy to know what to expect and to be in full control of the situation,” Fujii said.

Loading

A handful of other “rental” people have similar shticks, like a guy who gets hired to be treated to meals and a self-professed “ugly” guy who claims to boost others’ self-esteem. But Morimoto has cornered his niche market of doing nothing for cash, and many people now hire him for the novelty.

Morimoto, who grew up in Kansai, a southern region of Japan, stumbled into the role after being told in previous jobs that he wasn’t doing enough and didn’t have enough initiative to succeed. He has now fulfilled roughly 4000 inquiries and has one to two clients a day, down from three to four before the pandemic. Between his gigs and royalties, he says, he makes enough to do his part in maintaining a dual-income household and raising a son.

“I was often told that I wasn’t doing enough, or that I wasn’t doing anything, so this became a complex for me. I decided to take advantage of this and make it into a business,” he said.

The lifestyle works well for Morimoto, who is not that talkative or expressive even when he’s not working. He wears his signature blue hat and a hoodie – and a blank stare – so that clients can easily recognise him, but dresses up when the situation requires him to be more formal.

Morimoto hesitates to make too many assumptions about why his business model has gained viral fame. He said he has learned not to judge others, and to have empathy for people who may be going through deep personal challenges but aren’t showing it.

“Even if people look normal and fine on the surface, they often have shocking pasts or secrets, or impossible problems,” he said. “People who come to me with crazy problems, they’re usually not people who look like they’re suffering. … Everyone, even the ones that seem well, all have their own sets of problems and secrets.”

The Washington Post

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.

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