The Truth About The Man Who Found The Best Gig In Doing Nothing

Not bad for doing nothing, he earned 40 million yen.

What does do for nothing mean?

To Shoji Morimoto, it means doing nothing and getting paid for it. Hey, it's 2022, it is no longer surprising what sort of gigs people do to make money. You must have heard of the woman who sells farts, don’t laugh, she made $200,000 from putting air in a bottle.

But Shoji’s story is different, everything from Japan is different, and we all love it.

Not that Shoji is lazy, he found his niche, his business. He was always told that he lacks the ‘fire’ in his belly, in other words in a society that rewards those who work the hardest, Shoji is what is called a ‘waster.’

But he turned it around and in 2018, ‘He created a Twitter account under the name ‘Nothing Rent-a-Man’ (レンタルなんもしない人) and offered his companionship to anyone who might be interested.’

The gig is simple. You pay him to do nothing. While he still gets requests to do ‘something’ which he declines, like cleaning the house or posing nude. His gig means he will do the job with minimal effort.

So far, he finished over 4,000 gig assignments for which he charges 10,000 yen ($84) according to The Independent.

He could have made more than $250,000 from his gig, a TV mini-series based on his tweets, and with a book published on Amazon.

Nothing Rent-a-Man

Some of his gigs:

He listens to healthcare workers describe the mental health toll of the pandemic.

He waited at the finish line of a marathon for a client who wanted to see a familiar face at the end of the race.

One woman hired him to accompany her as she filed her divorce papers.

He once sat with a client for a haemorrhoid surgery consultation.

He will participate in a gaming session to make up numbers.

He tursn up to send off people who are moving away.

He stayed beside a woman when meeting a man for the first time.

He listened to a womantalk about her views on love.

He went on an undercover visit to a women’s adult entertainment establishment to help a woman with her job.

Consequential strangers

“I’m not a friend or an acquaintance. I’m free of the bothersome things that accompany relationships, but can ease people’s sense of loneliness. Maybe it’s something like that for me,” Morimoto said in an interview.

I’m not surprised that Shoji found meaning in what he does, it reminds me of the phrase, consequential strangers. We sometimes are more open to strangers than people we know, our families and friends.

Personal connections other than family and close friends are considered consequential strangers. They are also characterized as “peripheral” or “weak” ties because they exist in the social space between strangers and intimates.

Moving forward with the Nothing Rent-a-Man

In the interview with The Independent, a woman who was recently divorced hired Shoji to be her lunch date. Not the traditional lunch date but someone who would sit with her to eat at her favorite restaurant.

The same restaurant she used to enjoy with her husband. The woman probably didn’t want to be seen alone, especially by family and friends. Having someone to eat with was a safe space for her. She didn’t need to do anything for Shoji nor did she expect anything from him.

In a way, some people think that is sad, but sometimes all we need is someone not necessarily people we know, a stranger, a warm body to keep us company.

As people we will always deal with our emotions our way, emotional support doesn’t necessarily mean a friend to lean on, a therapist to listen to our worries, but it can also come from strangers we meet on the streets, the ones who chitchat with us on the bus, people from unlikely places and for those who hired Shoji, they get the emotional support that is available as getting an Uber cab or ordering a pizza.

Shoji’s gig may look like he is doing nothing, but the fact that he has helped people during their most vulnerable means he is doing something, and that his gig is a noble business.

“I’m not a friend or an acquaintance,” he said. “I’m free of the bothersome things that accompany relationships but can ease people’s sense of loneliness.” — Morimoto

In 2020 Shoji’s life became a hit TV show in Japan, Rental Nanmo Shinai Hito

Also known as

Those Who Do Not Rent Rent-a-Person Who Does Nothing

Original Title — レンタルなんもしない人 (Rentaru nan mo shinai hito)

Rental Nanmo Shinai Hito is a 2020 Japanese drama about a man who does nothing, based on the Twitter account of the Nothing Rent-a-Man.

You can follow Shoji ‘Nothing Rent-a-Man’ Morimoto on his Twitter account, which now has over 236,000 followers. In his bio, it says:

I will lend you a person (me) who does nothing. We are always accepting. The rental fee is 10,000 yen, and you will only be charged for transportation from Kokubunji Station and other expenses such as food and drink (if any). For requests and inquiries, please contact DM (letter mark on the upper right). I can’t do anything other than eating and drinking and responding very easily.

You can also buy his book on Amazon here. Book 1 of 1: レンタルなんもしない人のなんもしなかった話

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy from my links, it will be of no extra cost to you. Thank you.

Sources: Farts in Mason jars, The Independent, Rent-a-person who does nothing

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