A 37-year-old Tokyo man who says he rents himself out to other people "to do nothing" has been inundated with gratitude from Twitter users, indicating people are happy with his new form of support.
"I'm glad I was able to take a walk with someone while keeping a comfortable distance, where we didn't have to talk but could if we wanted to," one user wrote. Another reflected, "I had been slack about visiting the hospital, but I went because he came with me."
Shoji Morimoto has been advertising himself as a person who can "eat and drink, and give simple feedback, but do nothing more," since June 2018, and has received over 3,000 requests. He has about 270,000 followers on Twitter. Initially he had offered his "rent-a-person who does nothing" services for free, but he now charges 10,000 yen (roughly $96) per request.
People rent him for various reasons. At times he will participate in a gaming session to make up numbers, turn up to send off people who are moving away, accompany those filing for divorce, or listen to health care workers who have become mentally unwell due to their exhausting work...READ MORE
