Shoji Morimoto- Provides companionship for money

With over 37 million inhabitants, Japan's capital city can be intimidating and lonely. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, innumerable Tokyoites struggled to manage their social anxieties. Shoji Morimoto, cognizant of this fact, came up with his service to alleviate loneliness.

The 38-year-old has made a living by renting himself out to clients who don’t want to be alone. Known as “Rental-san,” Morimoto charges 10,000 yen (or $85) per session. According to The Independent, he’s done it all — from quietly accompanying divorcées to lunch to waving goodbye as a client boarded his bullet train.

“I offer myself for rent, as a person who does nothing,” he tweeted in June 2018. “Is it difficult for you to enter a shop on your own? Are you missing a player on your team? Do you need someone to keep a place for you? I can’t do anything except easy things.”

While Morimoto initially offered his services for free, he’s since completed more than 4,000 paid requests. A husband and father, he maintains a dual-income household and raises his son — while his endearing social media presence has made him a national sensation and even inspired books and a television series.

Despite what his work may suggest, Morimoto is not a lazy person. With a master's degree in physics from Osaka University, he struggled for a long time to establish a conventional career before his current job. However, after being told repeatedly that he lacked initiative, he realized that doing nothing could be a blessing.

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

According to The Washington Post, the self-made gig suits Morimoto rather well. Fairly introverted and quiet when he isn’t working, being paid to listen or accompany strangers on errands is both easy and rewarding. In his signature blue baseball cap and a hoodie, he joins one to two clients per day — and learns a lot.

“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,” said Morimoto. “So I think they want to just reach out to a stranger without any strings attached.”

Japan and South Korea have previously developed similar services. Many have needed to bring a paid stranger as their plus-one to social gatherings or pretend to have a close friend when they don't. One man even markets himself as unattractive and rents himself out to make his clients appear more attractive.

However, Morimoto does not have a gimmick. According to CBS News, he has refused requests to pose naked or clean people's homes and only accepts genuine requests. For instance, when divorcee Akari Shirai wanted to dine at her favorite restaurant without thinking about her ex-husband, she hired him to accompany her.

“I felt like I was with someone but at the same time felt like I wasn’t, since he existed in a way where I didn’t have to be attentive to his needs or think about him,” she said. “I felt no awkwardness or pressure to speak. It may have been the first time I’ve eaten in complete silence.”

The 45-minute lunch was a success for both participants. Shirai was able to enjoy her meal in the company of a neutral third party, while Morimoto was lavishly compensated and fed. Morimoto responded with a brief chuckle or a few words whenever Shirai showed him photographs of her wedding or told him a story.

Others, meanwhile, have encountered more difficult obstacles. One client requested that Morimoto accompany him as he revisited the location of his suicide attempt in order to process the trauma. 

“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.”

Since he began offering his services, Morimoto has assisted pandemic-weary healthcare workers, cheered on clients at marathons, and bid people farewell as if they were his best friends. Instead of judging clients based on their perceived flaws, he provides them with company and learns something new every day.