Shoji Morimoto charges 10,000 yen ($95 USD) for two to three hours of companionship, including listening and activities like going to the movies or Disneyland. He has received 3,000 inquiries and has 260,000 Twitter followers. Morimoto believes people request his services for the “presence of a human being.” Basic companionship is valuable, as having a strong network of friends can increase survival rates for people over 70.
How valuable is basic companionship? That might seem like an unanswered question, but for Shoji Morimoto, the answer is 10,000 Japanese yen, or about $95 USD. This is what Morimoto charges for a “session,” which equates to two or three hours of his company.
Morimoto, 37, has been renting out in Tokyo since 2018 and business is booming. Although he describes his job as “doing nothing,” his time demands range from sitting and listening to a customer talk to taking them to a movie or even Disneyland. Listening is a big part of the job, but he’s also done things like walk a client through divorce proceedings or pose for Instagram photos. “I think why people request my services depends on the client’s circumstances,” he said. “I think it’s about needing the ‘presence of a human being’ in a given situation.”
Morimoto, who is married and used to work in publishing, estimates that he has received around 3,000 inquiries since starting his rental business, as well as 260,000 Twitter followers. Not only is it a living, but Morimoto says he loves his work. “I used to carry around this complex, that I need to do something, but I’m no good at anything,” he said. “I tried a bunch of things that I thought I was suited for, but nothing stuck. So I thought: ‘I’m not fit to do anything, maybe I’m better suited to do nothing’”.
Friendship Facts:
On average, each person makes about 400 friends in their lifetime, but only one in 12 lasts.
One study found that close friendships are less common today than they were 20 years ago, with nearly 25% of respondents saying they have no close friends.
People over the age of 70 have a 22% higher survival rate when they have a strong network of friends.
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