Living the dream: Meet the 'Do Nothing Guy'

Many young people have perhaps been told by their elders to "do something" with their lives, usually from frustrated parents who are tired of their grown offspring just loafing around the house. Well, some of those parents will have to eat their words, because it turns out "doing nothing" can be very profitable!

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

Meet Shoji Morimoto, a 41-year-old Tokyo man who has created his own dream job, for which he essentially gets paid for doing nothing.

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

In an interview with Youtuber Drew Binsky, Morimoto said that after being fired in 2018 from his office job at a publishing company for "not doing anything," he had a lightbulb moment and decided to find a way to make money doing what he does best...nothing.

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

In an interview with Reuters, Morimoto explained what his job entails:
"Basically, I rent myself out. My job is to be wherever my clients want me to be and to do nothing in particular." But how much can somebody make "doing nothing"?

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

In a January 2025 interview with CNBC's 'Make It,' Morimoto said that, on average, he receives around 1000 requests for his services each year.

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

Until recently, he was charging a flat rate ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 yen ($65 to $195) for sessions with him that lasted two or three hours.

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

In 2024, he made a cool 80,000 dollars, being the do-nothing guy.
However, Morimoto told CNBC that in 2024, he changed his business model and now offers a "pay-as-you-wish" system.

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

The Do Nothing Guy told the news outlet, "I charge a voluntary fee, so I don't know if it will be sustainable, but I'm having fun trying to see if it's sustainable."

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

Morimoto, who is married and the father of a 7-year-old, also told the outlet that despite those responsibilities, his objective was not to make a living providing these services but rather to "simply live life and enjoy it."

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

In Japan, Morimoto has become famous as the "Do Nothing Guy." But what exactly does he do? Well, he accompanies people who do not want to be alone in whatever activity they wish to have company for.

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

While such a job may seem bizarre in many Western countries, Japan is well known for its loneliness epidemic, and "rent a friend" services are becoming more common.

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

CNBC spoke to Ai Sakata, a consultant at Nomura Research Institute, who told the outlet that Morimoto's services are just what are needed in Japanese society, saying, "This is a good match with the recent needs of Japanese people, who do not seek love or marriage, and do not want the hassle of such relationships, but want someone they can casually go on dates with or have dinner with."

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

Morimoto told Reuters that he would do whatever his client wanted, from going to a playground to play on a see-saw with a client to smiling and waving through a train window at a stranger who wished for a send-off.

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

In interviews with the media, Morimoto also likes to clarify that he is not a therapist and does not try to fulfill that role for clients. However, he told The Washington Post that hearing about so many people's trials has helped him learn not to judge others and to have more empathy.

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

"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," Morimoto told The Washington Post.

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

The only exception to what the "Do Nothing Guy" won't do is no "intimate" activities. Morimoto also told Reuters he turned down a request to help move a fridge that simply required too much of him. And although he usually doesn't have to do much, Morimoto says that the job isn't always easy.

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

"I have been put in objectively difficult situations, such as standing in line under the blazing sun, standing for hours in the freezing cold, attending parties with only strangers, and standing alone on a stage in front of a large audience without doing anything," the "Do Nothing Guy," told CNBC's Make It.

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

"However, no matter what misfortune I have experienced, I feel that it is something special that only happened because I do this job, so I can still cherish it," he said.

Photo: morimoto_shoji / Instagram

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