In 2018, Tokyo resident Shoji Morimoto took on a new challenge after leaving his previous job: doing nothing, albeit on a freelance basis. You might not think so, but doing nothing turns out to be a surprisingly lucrative proposition. An article by Frankie Lantican at Vice explores Morimoto’s intriguing choice in careers — and why he’s found such a demand for his services.
The article notes that Morimoto finds clients via Twitter. His bio translates to “I will lend you a person (me) who does nothing.” This can encompass a range of experiences, including listening to someone confess their adultery, accompanying someone else on a helicopter ride and spending time with someone as they filed paperwork for their divorce. Most of the tasks he’s asked to do last between 2 and 3 hours. He charges a flat rate of 10,000 yen (around $96), plus expenses.
Given that Morimoto has, by his own estimation, taken 3,000 requests — doing nothing sounds like a relatively lucrative occupation.
As for the reason for why hiring someone to do nothing has proven so successful, Morimoto has a few thoughts on that as well. “I think it comes down to needing ‘the presence of one human being’ in a given situation,” he told Vice. At a time when more and more people are experiencing solitude due to the pandemic, it’s not hard to see why interacting with someone new might be appealing.
More Like This
Subscribe here for our free daily newsletter.
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.
