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Rental Person Who Does Nothing: A Memoir
Today, I’m starting a ‘rent a person who does nothing‘ service . . . Except for very simple conversation, I’m afraid I can do nothing.
Shoji Morimoto was constantly being told that he was a ‘do-nothing’ because he lacked initiative. Dispirited and unemployed, it occurred to him that if he was so good at doing nothing, perhaps he could turn it into a business. And with one tweet, he began his business of renting himself out . . . to do nothing.
Morimoto, aka Rental Person, provides a fascinating service to the lonely and socially anxious. Sitting with a client undergoing surgery, accompanying a newly-divorced client to her favourite restaurant, visiting the site of a client’s suicide attempt are just a few of his thousands of true life adventures. He is dependable, non-judgmental and committed to remaining a stranger and the curious encounters he shares are revelatory about both Japanese society and human psychology.
In Rental Person Who Does Nothing, Morimoto chronicles his extraordinary experiences in his unique line of work and reflects on how we consider relationships, jobs and family in our search for meaningful connection and purpose in life.
Shoji Morimoto was constantly being told that he was a ‘do-nothing’ because he lacked initiative. Dispirited and unemployed, it occurred to him that if he was so good at doing nothing, perhaps he could turn it into a business. And with one tweet, he began his business of renting himself out . . . to do nothing.
Morimoto, aka Rental Person, provides a fascinating service to the lonely and socially anxious. Sitting with a client undergoing surgery, accompanying a newly-divorced client to her favourite restaurant, visiting the site of a client’s suicide attempt are just a few of his thousands of true life adventures. He is dependable, non-judgmental and committed to remaining a stranger and the curious encounters he shares are revelatory about both Japanese society and human psychology.
In Rental Person Who Does Nothing, Morimoto chronicles his extraordinary experiences in his unique line of work and reflects on how we consider relationships, jobs and family in our search for meaningful connection and purpose in life.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 6, 2023
364 people are currently reading
10471 people want to read
About the author
Shoji Morimoto
1 book38 followersShoji Morimoto (森本 祥司) was born in 1983. He began working as a rental person who does nothing in 2018 and has since been hired more than 4,000 times. He’s been profiled by many media outlets worldwide and has written several books including Rental Person Who Does Nothing, which inspired a Japanese TV series. Morimoto lives in Japan with his wife and son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,297 reviews
June 3, 2024
goals.
except not really. having to interact with strangers every day for no money and subsisting off of amazon gift cards and my wife's generosity sounds like my nightmare.
i thought this would be an interesting exploration of society, and what constitutes a job, and what we value and what we don't. instead, this was a very literal walkthrough of a lot of tweets about doing small errands. it reminded me of the novelty books that came out when twitter was first a thing and people were like "how do we monetize this?"
in other words, for someone who claims he doesn't care about money, this seems like a real fixation for the author— and a money grab.
my thoughts and prayers remain with his wife at this time.
bottom line: this book should be sold for $8 on the novelty table at urban outfitters, and nowhere else.
except not really. having to interact with strangers every day for no money and subsisting off of amazon gift cards and my wife's generosity sounds like my nightmare.
i thought this would be an interesting exploration of society, and what constitutes a job, and what we value and what we don't. instead, this was a very literal walkthrough of a lot of tweets about doing small errands. it reminded me of the novelty books that came out when twitter was first a thing and people were like "how do we monetize this?"
in other words, for someone who claims he doesn't care about money, this seems like a real fixation for the author— and a money grab.
my thoughts and prayers remain with his wife at this time.
bottom line: this book should be sold for $8 on the novelty table at urban outfitters, and nowhere else.
August 9, 2023
“Today, I'm starting a 'rent a person who does nothing' service. Except for very simple conversation, I'm afraid I can do nothing.”
Shoji Morimoto was constantly being told that he was a 'do-nothing' because he lacked initiative. Dispirited and unemployed, it occurred to him that if he was so good at doing nothing, perhaps he could turn it into a business. And with one tweet, he began his business of renting himself out.. to do nothing.
Rental Person Who Does Nothing is not your typical memoir... In a way, this book is about nothing. Nothing really happens, there's no journey per se and yet, somehow, everything happens. To a certain extent I found it enduring that someone could conjure such a concept and make it work. I enjoyed his thoughts on friendship and human connection.
This story is really unique and charming. It was interesting to see the different reasons people had for wanting his service, it's a varied range, from a plus one situation to small things such as just wanting him to think of them on a certain day and wish them well.
I found it sweet and entertaining and I enjoyed the quirky nature, the mixture of anecdotes and the tweets that he received of the varied requests.
If you are looking for something that's a quick read and something different, I'd recommend this one for you!
Can you 'do nothing' and still have value in society? Does anyone 'do nothing' really? Food for thought.
Thank you Macmillan Australia for gifting me an advanced copy of Rental Person Who Does Nothing.
Shoji Morimoto was constantly being told that he was a 'do-nothing' because he lacked initiative. Dispirited and unemployed, it occurred to him that if he was so good at doing nothing, perhaps he could turn it into a business. And with one tweet, he began his business of renting himself out.. to do nothing.
Rental Person Who Does Nothing is not your typical memoir... In a way, this book is about nothing. Nothing really happens, there's no journey per se and yet, somehow, everything happens. To a certain extent I found it enduring that someone could conjure such a concept and make it work. I enjoyed his thoughts on friendship and human connection.
This story is really unique and charming. It was interesting to see the different reasons people had for wanting his service, it's a varied range, from a plus one situation to small things such as just wanting him to think of them on a certain day and wish them well.
I found it sweet and entertaining and I enjoyed the quirky nature, the mixture of anecdotes and the tweets that he received of the varied requests.
If you are looking for something that's a quick read and something different, I'd recommend this one for you!
Can you 'do nothing' and still have value in society? Does anyone 'do nothing' really? Food for thought.
Thank you Macmillan Australia for gifting me an advanced copy of Rental Person Who Does Nothing.
February 23, 2024
Something new I learned about the Rental Person's job.
I find this book very interesting because of its innovative concept.
It may seem strange to have a job where you do nothing, but it's actually quite challenging.
As the "Rental Person," Shoji might encounter clients with peculiar requests and find humor in the mundane details of his job.
Some clients will ask him to accompany them for food, help them pray at a temple while they're not in Japan, go with them to sign divorce papers, be a listener, or act as a witness.
The author also mentioned that the Rental Person has been described as a new-age gigolo and a new-age beggar. 🤣
I really enjoyed reading about every meeting and appointment with his clients.
I noticed this book is often under-rated, and I think it deserves more attention.
I find this book very interesting because of its innovative concept.
It may seem strange to have a job where you do nothing, but it's actually quite challenging.
As the "Rental Person," Shoji might encounter clients with peculiar requests and find humor in the mundane details of his job.
Some clients will ask him to accompany them for food, help them pray at a temple while they're not in Japan, go with them to sign divorce papers, be a listener, or act as a witness.
The author also mentioned that the Rental Person has been described as a new-age gigolo and a new-age beggar. 🤣
I really enjoyed reading about every meeting and appointment with his clients.
I noticed this book is often under-rated, and I think it deserves more attention.
November 12, 2024
With almost a thousand reviews posted at the time of me writing this (November 2024) I probably don’t need to go into too much explanation of the basis for the book. This is a quick and a light read but I personally found it a very worthwhile one. I was intrigued to read about the various scenarios in which the author was asked to act as a companion by complete strangers. He doesn’t charge for the service (beyond covering expenses) but on the other hand he doesn’t offer to do anything beyond spending time with the person who “rents” him.
I can’t really imagine ever asking for the company of a do-nothing rental person, but I can easily see why the author finds each experience interesting. He describes himself as having a broad curiosity but also as someone who never gets into a single thing very deeply. I can relate to that.
Apart from describing some of the requests he receives, and the activities he undertakes as a companion, much of the book is taken up with the author’s musings on why his service is so popular. Although he is married with a family, he is clearly someone who finds wider social relations quite difficult. He openly says that he finds friendships stressful, a situation further complicated because, according to his own description, friendships in Japan are governed by various social rules such as regular reciprocal gift-giving. In his role of Rental Person, there are no obligations on either side. He has, it seems, become well-known in Japan, with a considerable number of Twitter followers. As he says, the idea of followers on social media has introduced a novel aspect to the concept of friendship. Online, there are people with whom he interacts regularly without even knowing their real names. He thinks many people find this agreeable since it reduces feelings of isolation without the demands of a close personal friendship. I couldn’t help thinking of GR when I was reading that! I interact regularly on here with people even though I don’t know their names, and I find my interactions on GR very agreeable!
Some quite good humour in the book as well. I had a few lol moments.
Some people seem to take against the author because they find him too passive. He is entirely without ambition and dislikes the idea of judging people on their abilities. He is though, someone who has found his niche. Good luck to him!
I can’t really imagine ever asking for the company of a do-nothing rental person, but I can easily see why the author finds each experience interesting. He describes himself as having a broad curiosity but also as someone who never gets into a single thing very deeply. I can relate to that.
Apart from describing some of the requests he receives, and the activities he undertakes as a companion, much of the book is taken up with the author’s musings on why his service is so popular. Although he is married with a family, he is clearly someone who finds wider social relations quite difficult. He openly says that he finds friendships stressful, a situation further complicated because, according to his own description, friendships in Japan are governed by various social rules such as regular reciprocal gift-giving. In his role of Rental Person, there are no obligations on either side. He has, it seems, become well-known in Japan, with a considerable number of Twitter followers. As he says, the idea of followers on social media has introduced a novel aspect to the concept of friendship. Online, there are people with whom he interacts regularly without even knowing their real names. He thinks many people find this agreeable since it reduces feelings of isolation without the demands of a close personal friendship. I couldn’t help thinking of GR when I was reading that! I interact regularly on here with people even though I don’t know their names, and I find my interactions on GR very agreeable!
Some quite good humour in the book as well. I had a few lol moments.
Some people seem to take against the author because they find him too passive. He is entirely without ambition and dislikes the idea of judging people on their abilities. He is though, someone who has found his niche. Good luck to him!
July 14, 2024
I don't mean to judge any culture or person who prefers to rent people as escorts/accompaniment so they don't feel awkward in social situations, but it just isn't mine, I guess. The author lost me when he put transactional friendship above genuine connection because “you have to pay” for it either way, and allegedly renting is at least being honest about it. 🤔
September 27, 2023
3.5 (thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy)
I first heard about Rental Person Who Does Nothing from a video on YouTube so when I saw this available I was intrigued to read it.
If nothing else, Rental Person Who Does Nothing is interesting, the concept itself but also the types of people who use the service and what they use it for. This was enough to keep me entertained throughout.
I first heard about Rental Person Who Does Nothing from a video on YouTube so when I saw this available I was intrigued to read it.
If nothing else, Rental Person Who Does Nothing is interesting, the concept itself but also the types of people who use the service and what they use it for. This was enough to keep me entertained throughout.
October 15, 2023
In 2023, I completed my masters degree in law and I was job-less post graduation. I did not spend the year before looking for a job because I did not want to continue hustling and grinding. I just wanted to study and enjoy my academic life. But this put me in a job-less situation and I was beginning to feel impatient. I doubted myself, I questioned if I had any practical skills required of a lawyer, I was a little hopeless. On top of that, every day my inbox filled with some kind of rejection letter.
This is when I found this book. It was suggested to me by a pro-bono lawyer at a conference. He told me about this Japanese person who rents out himself but does nothing. In a world that glorifies work and "value", I loved how this one person was challenging capitalism in his own way.
I must admit that even I felt like I should consider renting out myself but I believe being a woman makes this activity slightly complicated. Also, the fact that I am currently at a foreign country would make this matter difficult. But in the future when I believe I have contributed enough to the wheels of capitalism, I would want to be a person who does nothing! A person who is valued for being rather than doing!
Highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to reflect on their life and work!
This is when I found this book. It was suggested to me by a pro-bono lawyer at a conference. He told me about this Japanese person who rents out himself but does nothing. In a world that glorifies work and "value", I loved how this one person was challenging capitalism in his own way.
I must admit that even I felt like I should consider renting out myself but I believe being a woman makes this activity slightly complicated. Also, the fact that I am currently at a foreign country would make this matter difficult. But in the future when I believe I have contributed enough to the wheels of capitalism, I would want to be a person who does nothing! A person who is valued for being rather than doing!
Highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to reflect on their life and work!
September 17, 2023
@morimotoshoji
I’m starting a service called Do-nothing Rental. It’s available for any situation in which all you want is a person to be there. Maybe there’s a restaurant you want to go to, but you feel awkward going on your own. Maybe a game you want to play, but you’re one person short. Or perhaps you’d like someone to keep a space in the park for your cherry blossom viewing party…I only charge transport (from Kokubunji Station) and cost of food/ drink (if applicable). I can’t do anything except give very simple responses.
With this tweet, I became “Rental Person,” a Rental Person Who Does Nothing.
Billed as a “memoir”, Rental Person Who Does Nothing is more the story of modern Japanese society than it is truly the story of its purported subject, “Rental Person” Shoji Morimoto. Morimoto gives a vague explanation for why he decided to start this service (something to do with his ex-boss at a publishing company calling him a “permanent vacancy”, saying “it makes no difference whether you’re here or not”), but really, it would seem that when he decided to leave that job and become a freelance writer, he stumbled onto the idea of renting himself out so as to get material for his Twitter account: an account that currently has almost half a million followers and led to a TV series and this book. In keeping with his passive “do nothing” persona, Morimoto didn’t even write this book: Another writer (not a particular fan of Rental Person) and an editor asked Morimoto “simple questions” to which he provided “very simple responses”, and in combination with dozens of client requests copied straight from the Twitter account, they have assembled a pretty straightforward story of what it is that Morimoto provides. And it’s this low effort, straightforward, intentionally impersonal style that makes this a not terribly good read, and that’s too bad, because through the “jobs” that Morimoto is asked to do, this book reveals something really shocking and insightful about Japanese society. Married with a child, Morimoto isn’t offering romance or friendship or engaged conversation — he is literally showing up to do nothing — and it was fascinating to learn the variety of ways in which people are looking for just that. Not a great book, but I’m glad I read it. (Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley and passages quoted may not be in their final form.)
If people are pressured by society into saying they have particular abilities, then the true value they have as themselves becomes blurred. If you say you have value because you can do particular things, you will always be judged by established social standards. So I never say I can do anything. And I don’t do anything.
The variety of tasks Morimoto engages in is fascinating — standing behind a woman while she asks a grumpy neighbour to return the laundry that fell off her balcony onto his, listening to someone say their most personal truth out loud, waving to a man as he leaves on a train — and so many of the tasks are requested by people who have friends, but who would be embarrassed to be seen enjoying an ice cream soda (as a grown man) or unwilling to risk crying in front of anyone but a stranger upon returning to Japan after missing one’s grandmother’s funeral while abroad (as a young woman). Human rental services are apparently not entirely uncommon in Japan (“According to its website, Ossan Rental ‘rents out middle-aged men who mistakenly think they’re cool. Prices from 1,000 yen an hour. They’re at your service for chats, confidences and running errands.’”), and there are evidently “volunteer listeners” who will help you with your problems, but Morimoto’s hook is that he’ll take up space at your request, but do very little else. He will sit on a tarp to reserve your spot at a cherry blossom viewing party, but he will not pick the spot; he’ll reply “good job” or “that’s cute” to a text message if you give him the response ahead of time, but he won’t give a personal opinion in a conversation; he’ll read the manga you provide if you just need someone to sit in your apartment to keep you focussed on a project, but he’s just as likely to play on his phone instead, “there’s no mental cost. It’s very easy.”
I was eventually surprised to read that Morimoto doesn’t charge his clients for anything but travel expenses ("I suppose the bottom line is that doing it for nothing seemed easier") and that he and his family were living off his savings (“Maybe it’s best to think of it as something I’m doing for fun [like a trip abroad I’ve saved up for.]”) And while he goes on to explain that many clients insist on tipping him — he likes to complain that it’s better to tip in cash than with Amazon and Starbucks giftcards — and that his first priority in choosing his clients is deciding which tasks will have the best stories for his Twitter account, several sources outside of the book say that he charges 10 000 yen per task. It seems like the rental person who does nothing is doing pretty well for himself.
Though my relationships with clients are almost always one-on-one, use of Twitter means we’re not alone — there’s also an audience of unknown size. So I feel that Do-nothing Rental is made up of three elements: me, client and audience. Anyone watching can always go up on stage as a client, and a client can always sit in the audience.
In what was Morimoto’s first request to generate a huge response, a client asked him to send the message “gym clothes” at six am the next morning. People were fascinated by the idea of someone outsourcing to a human something that could be easily handled by the client’s own technology — imagining Morimoto waking himself up before the appointed time, typing the words into his message bar, watching the clock tick off the final few seconds before he could hit “send” — one commenter said that it brought a tear to their eye. In such a disconnected and conformist society — where even if you do have friends, being honest about your thoughts and preferences is a shameful proposition — Morimoto seems to have stumbled into a valuable niche market: not only is he providing a physical presence for those in need, but he’s sharing it on a virtual platform where thousands of others are vicariously feeling that freedom and connection. What this book exhibits about Japanese society really is fascinating, but even if the disengaged/low-effort writing was meant as an intentional display of “doing nothing”, I wanted more from it.
March 12, 2024
This is a small book and a quick read on an interesting subject, being paid to be present, literally, just to be 'there.' Imagine if you wanted to go somewhere, even just for a coffee, and you didn't want to go alone, well, you could just rent someone to be there with you and provide the comfort of their presence.
September 18, 2023
If you’re looking for action, romance or a gripping thriller this book isn’t for you.
But if you’re looking for something a little more like a walk down a wandering path, wondering what makes people tick then you’re in for a treat because this memoir does exactly that.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CupOgjmLCCl
Shoji Morimoto - known as the Rental Person, offers a captivating service tailored to those who feel isolated or socially anxious. Wanna try out a new coffee place but all your friends are busy (or like in my case lol you don’t have any)? Or just want to not be alone while you work from home? Want to try out a new restaurant but have no one to go with? Rental Person will accept your request free of charge. As a dependable and non-judgmental stranger, he facilitates remarkable encounters that shed light on society and human psychology.
There’s nothing quite like the kindness of strangers and Rental Person finds himself listening to things people wouldn’t normally tell their beloved friends and family.
Although this is a book about ’doing nothing’ (all Rental Person really does is be there for the individual) I still found it incredibly captivating how Rental Person takes you on a journey through the realms of idleness. Through his reflections, he delves into our perceptions of relationships, work, and family. There’s a quote on the book: “Sociology PhD in the bag” - and I couldn’t have put it better myself.
But if you’re looking for something a little more like a walk down a wandering path, wondering what makes people tick then you’re in for a treat because this memoir does exactly that.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CupOgjmLCCl
Shoji Morimoto - known as the Rental Person, offers a captivating service tailored to those who feel isolated or socially anxious. Wanna try out a new coffee place but all your friends are busy (or like in my case lol you don’t have any)? Or just want to not be alone while you work from home? Want to try out a new restaurant but have no one to go with? Rental Person will accept your request free of charge. As a dependable and non-judgmental stranger, he facilitates remarkable encounters that shed light on society and human psychology.
There’s nothing quite like the kindness of strangers and Rental Person finds himself listening to things people wouldn’t normally tell their beloved friends and family.
Although this is a book about ’doing nothing’ (all Rental Person really does is be there for the individual) I still found it incredibly captivating how Rental Person takes you on a journey through the realms of idleness. Through his reflections, he delves into our perceptions of relationships, work, and family. There’s a quote on the book: “Sociology PhD in the bag” - and I couldn’t have put it better myself.
April 24, 2023
I have mixed feelings about this very short memoir. I was intrigued - I had heard of Shoji Morimoto and his project of being a person you can rent (for free) to accompany you, as long as it requires no effort whatsoever from him.
He starts by explaining that according to his philosophy, he also did nothing to write the book apart from "giving simple answers" to questions from his editor.
The memoir itself is a mix of tweets by Shoji Morimoto, requests from his followers, and his own personal experience. I liked his commentary on what makes someone valuable to society - and his refusal to be paid for his services, as he feels this would put a monetary value on his mission. And how would you even charge? By the hour? Depending on the difficulty of the mission (is accompanying someone to file divorce paper harder than going to a cafe with someone?)
Ultimately it was interesting but a bit light. Where there could have been more about our society's desire to make everyone productive, it ended up being too anecdotal and too personal. His mission is possible because he has savings he can live on. Despite mentioning his brother and his sister both affected by their work - to the point his sister took her own life -, it felt superficial and I finished the book feeling I would have wanted more than the funny or touching anecdotes about people using his service because they feel lonely or because they feel too awkward asking friends to go with them. It was enjoyable but it felt like a missed opportunity.
Free ARC sent by Netgalley.
He starts by explaining that according to his philosophy, he also did nothing to write the book apart from "giving simple answers" to questions from his editor.
The memoir itself is a mix of tweets by Shoji Morimoto, requests from his followers, and his own personal experience. I liked his commentary on what makes someone valuable to society - and his refusal to be paid for his services, as he feels this would put a monetary value on his mission. And how would you even charge? By the hour? Depending on the difficulty of the mission (is accompanying someone to file divorce paper harder than going to a cafe with someone?)
Ultimately it was interesting but a bit light. Where there could have been more about our society's desire to make everyone productive, it ended up being too anecdotal and too personal. His mission is possible because he has savings he can live on. Despite mentioning his brother and his sister both affected by their work - to the point his sister took her own life -, it felt superficial and I finished the book feeling I would have wanted more than the funny or touching anecdotes about people using his service because they feel lonely or because they feel too awkward asking friends to go with them. It was enjoyable but it felt like a missed opportunity.
Free ARC sent by Netgalley.
February 13, 2024
I should’ve done nothing instead of reading this book.
March 27, 2024
Man, that was a very simple book and a very complicated emotional experience.
So, my first thoughts were of general approval at the author’s unconventional approach to spending his time. Being paid for existing hit me in a similar way that it hit the author in the introductory chapters. But finding out that the author wasn’t asking for payment really threw me for a loop. I’m an American reading this in translation, so the idea of living off of savings for an extended period of time really took some getting used to. In my country where a single medical emergency can bankrupt you, trusting the social safety net to hold enough to actually use your savings seems unimaginable. But as someone who thinks of capitalism as an insatiable meat grinder and firmly believes that humans have value beyond and regardless of labor, I was pretty interested!
But man, those noble instincts were very challenged very quickly because this guy is so boring. I loved when he would stand up for himself, like deciding not to go to concerts anymore because they bored him. But he has an extended spiel on why it’s fine to be defined by what you don’t like instead of what you like that honestly came across as a bitter bit of defensiveness from someone with no hobbies. And he mentions several times that he has no friends and no hobbies and that really made me feel alarmed. I’m sure in this vast world of different human brains and personalities there is someone who can still be a healthy person without friends, hobbies, or interests, but my empathy struggles to reach that far.
And ultimately this book made me sad because so many of the requests were for roles that should have been filled by friends. Some of them totally made sense why you would want a stranger, because of privacy or a desire to avoid social consequences. But other times the author describes people asking to tell him about their favorite media because their friends wouldn’t enjoy listening to them and that just broke my heart. There was another section on wanting to give a gift to someone or cook someone a meal without foisting a social debt on a friend and it made me so sad. I’m sure a lot of this has to do with Japanese social customs and cultural expectations and I shouldn’t assume my American informality and openness is the best way to live. But god. Having loving friendships and social acquaintances and opportunities to care for each other is what community means and watching it being outsourced to an unpaid gig worker like that really made me so sad by the end.
So, I’m honestly not sure how much of that is culture clash and how much of it is angst about late-stage capitalism killing the very idea of community (even in a book about a radical departure from traditional labor!). And I’m stumbling in here from across the globe with so little context. But damn. I had kinda hoped this would be an inspiring critique of work, but instead it felt more like an archive of human loneliness.
So, my first thoughts were of general approval at the author’s unconventional approach to spending his time. Being paid for existing hit me in a similar way that it hit the author in the introductory chapters. But finding out that the author wasn’t asking for payment really threw me for a loop. I’m an American reading this in translation, so the idea of living off of savings for an extended period of time really took some getting used to. In my country where a single medical emergency can bankrupt you, trusting the social safety net to hold enough to actually use your savings seems unimaginable. But as someone who thinks of capitalism as an insatiable meat grinder and firmly believes that humans have value beyond and regardless of labor, I was pretty interested!
But man, those noble instincts were very challenged very quickly because this guy is so boring. I loved when he would stand up for himself, like deciding not to go to concerts anymore because they bored him. But he has an extended spiel on why it’s fine to be defined by what you don’t like instead of what you like that honestly came across as a bitter bit of defensiveness from someone with no hobbies. And he mentions several times that he has no friends and no hobbies and that really made me feel alarmed. I’m sure in this vast world of different human brains and personalities there is someone who can still be a healthy person without friends, hobbies, or interests, but my empathy struggles to reach that far.
And ultimately this book made me sad because so many of the requests were for roles that should have been filled by friends. Some of them totally made sense why you would want a stranger, because of privacy or a desire to avoid social consequences. But other times the author describes people asking to tell him about their favorite media because their friends wouldn’t enjoy listening to them and that just broke my heart. There was another section on wanting to give a gift to someone or cook someone a meal without foisting a social debt on a friend and it made me so sad. I’m sure a lot of this has to do with Japanese social customs and cultural expectations and I shouldn’t assume my American informality and openness is the best way to live. But god. Having loving friendships and social acquaintances and opportunities to care for each other is what community means and watching it being outsourced to an unpaid gig worker like that really made me so sad by the end.
So, I’m honestly not sure how much of that is culture clash and how much of it is angst about late-stage capitalism killing the very idea of community (even in a book about a radical departure from traditional labor!). And I’m stumbling in here from across the globe with so little context. But damn. I had kinda hoped this would be an inspiring critique of work, but instead it felt more like an archive of human loneliness.
July 11, 2023
I first came across the Do Nothing Man from Japan in a BBC documentary called "The Japanese man who gets paid to 'do nothing'". I was fascinated by the short doco and intrigued to find out more, eagerly awaiting his new book, Rental Person Who Does Nothing: A Memoir by Shoji Morimoto.
For those new to the concept of renting a person, Morimoto gives his time freely to those who need it but he does nothing. He doesn't charge a daily or hourly rate for his time, and clients pay for any food, drinks and travel expenses incurred. Clients submit their requests for his help online, and Morimoto selects those he can - and wants - to do.
Requests from clients vary, from accompanying them to a concert; visiting a restaurant they've always wanted to go to; attending a temple to say a prayer; or listening to a client share cherished memories of a loved one. The listening requests are common, and the author is clear that he can only provide simple responses.
Morimoto doesn't talk to the client unless they speak to him, he doesn't offer advice and generally only meets a client once. Some of the listening requests were fascinating, with loneliness and social anxiety seemingly forming the basis of many client requests.
"People tend to think that personal matters should be spoken about with those who are close friends, lovers or family members. But since starting this do-nothing service, I've learned that there are a lot of important things that can be talked about with people you don't know very well or even at all. Depth of discussion and depth of relationship don't always go hand in hand." Page 13
I've noticed the variations that can sometimes exist between depth of discussion and depth of relationship where there are no strings attached or expectations to fall short of. I enjoyed seeing some of the requests the author receives, and in doing so I was able to gain smaller unexpected insights into culture and society as a whole.
"Things can be different simply because someone is there. They don't have to be there, but if they are, something changes." Page 6
That's so true for a multitude of reasons! Morimoto notices that requests to visit a client in their home often has an unintentional benefit to the client by motivating them to tidy up prior to his arrival. He also notices that some of his clients need his help to hold themselves accountable. One client wanted him to come and watch them study while reading manga, another wanted him to watch them work. One request was to accompany a woman while she filed her divorce papers. Large or small, the sheer variety of requests is fascinating.
"Since I started this do-nothing service, I've been surprised to discover that there are so many things people want to talk about but can't. At least, they can't talk to people they know. They talk to me, though." Page 59
One example from the book was a woman who wanted to talk about her new girlfriend, but her friends weren't accepting of her choice of lover. She wanted Rental Person to listen to her talk about her new girlfriend and say things like 'she sounds nice' from time to time. Wow! Being able to talk without any fear of judgement clearly helped the client, despite the forced nature of the conversation.
Some clients need to give a loved one bad news or discuss a difficult topic but don't have the confidence or know where to start. After trying out their spiel with Rental Person, the client is able to summon the courage required to have the conversation for real with their loved one.
This was one of my favourite client requests from the book, and it's a little long but I think you'll love it:
"Request: To bump into my dog on a walk and make a fuss of him. Reason: My dog loves people. He goes up to people without dogs and wags his tail, but most of them ignore him, so he gets disappointed. People with dogs often make a fuss of him, but they're busy walking their own dogs and don't have much time, so I try to walk him away, but then my dog gives a little whine and sometimes tries to follow the other person. I don't want him to be thought too irritating so I cajole him into leaving them be, but he always looks upset. He is very positive and gets over it quickly, but it hurts me a bit every time his boundless love comes to nothing, so I always think how nice it would be if a complete stranger would give him some attention.
So I was wondering if you could make a fuss of him, pretending (?) to be a complete stranger who happens to be walking in the opposite direction." Page 130
What a beautiful person and such a lovely request! If you want to know what happened, you'll have to read the book.
Morimoto writes briefly about the Japanese culture of reciprocity and social pressures within friendships and workplaces and understands that many of his clients seek out his services because they feel constrained by their own cultural expectations and community pressures.
For a seemingly introverted and reserved person uneasy about money and not wanting to influence a person's future by having an opinion or making a decision, Shoji Morimoto has created the perfect role in society for himself. As Rental Person, Morimoto is able to help countless people in his unique way, while not shying away from the lack of an income. The author has a wife and child at home and they're living off his savings at the moment, so Morimoto accepts money from clients and wants to ensure nobody mistakes him for a volunteer.
My only criticism of the book - other than it's too short - is that Morimoto didn't write this memoir. Instead he answered questions with simple responses and an editor and writer wrote the book. It's completely fitting with Morimoto's 'do nothing' persona but this early disclosure at the beginning was disappointing and ultimately lost him a star in this review.
Always introducing himself as Rental Person and wearing his cap so as to seem unassuming while also hiding behind his anonymity when feeling anxious, Shoji Morimoto has helped 4,000 clients since starting in 2018. The demand for services like his tells us something about ourselves and I enjoyed thinking about it.
Rental Person Who Does Nothing: A Memoir by Shoji Morimoto is a unique memoir perfect for discussion and I highly recommend it.
* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan *
For those new to the concept of renting a person, Morimoto gives his time freely to those who need it but he does nothing. He doesn't charge a daily or hourly rate for his time, and clients pay for any food, drinks and travel expenses incurred. Clients submit their requests for his help online, and Morimoto selects those he can - and wants - to do.
Requests from clients vary, from accompanying them to a concert; visiting a restaurant they've always wanted to go to; attending a temple to say a prayer; or listening to a client share cherished memories of a loved one. The listening requests are common, and the author is clear that he can only provide simple responses.
Morimoto doesn't talk to the client unless they speak to him, he doesn't offer advice and generally only meets a client once. Some of the listening requests were fascinating, with loneliness and social anxiety seemingly forming the basis of many client requests.
"People tend to think that personal matters should be spoken about with those who are close friends, lovers or family members. But since starting this do-nothing service, I've learned that there are a lot of important things that can be talked about with people you don't know very well or even at all. Depth of discussion and depth of relationship don't always go hand in hand." Page 13
I've noticed the variations that can sometimes exist between depth of discussion and depth of relationship where there are no strings attached or expectations to fall short of. I enjoyed seeing some of the requests the author receives, and in doing so I was able to gain smaller unexpected insights into culture and society as a whole.
"Things can be different simply because someone is there. They don't have to be there, but if they are, something changes." Page 6
That's so true for a multitude of reasons! Morimoto notices that requests to visit a client in their home often has an unintentional benefit to the client by motivating them to tidy up prior to his arrival. He also notices that some of his clients need his help to hold themselves accountable. One client wanted him to come and watch them study while reading manga, another wanted him to watch them work. One request was to accompany a woman while she filed her divorce papers. Large or small, the sheer variety of requests is fascinating.
"Since I started this do-nothing service, I've been surprised to discover that there are so many things people want to talk about but can't. At least, they can't talk to people they know. They talk to me, though." Page 59
One example from the book was a woman who wanted to talk about her new girlfriend, but her friends weren't accepting of her choice of lover. She wanted Rental Person to listen to her talk about her new girlfriend and say things like 'she sounds nice' from time to time. Wow! Being able to talk without any fear of judgement clearly helped the client, despite the forced nature of the conversation.
Some clients need to give a loved one bad news or discuss a difficult topic but don't have the confidence or know where to start. After trying out their spiel with Rental Person, the client is able to summon the courage required to have the conversation for real with their loved one.
This was one of my favourite client requests from the book, and it's a little long but I think you'll love it:
"Request: To bump into my dog on a walk and make a fuss of him. Reason: My dog loves people. He goes up to people without dogs and wags his tail, but most of them ignore him, so he gets disappointed. People with dogs often make a fuss of him, but they're busy walking their own dogs and don't have much time, so I try to walk him away, but then my dog gives a little whine and sometimes tries to follow the other person. I don't want him to be thought too irritating so I cajole him into leaving them be, but he always looks upset. He is very positive and gets over it quickly, but it hurts me a bit every time his boundless love comes to nothing, so I always think how nice it would be if a complete stranger would give him some attention.
So I was wondering if you could make a fuss of him, pretending (?) to be a complete stranger who happens to be walking in the opposite direction." Page 130
What a beautiful person and such a lovely request! If you want to know what happened, you'll have to read the book.
Morimoto writes briefly about the Japanese culture of reciprocity and social pressures within friendships and workplaces and understands that many of his clients seek out his services because they feel constrained by their own cultural expectations and community pressures.
For a seemingly introverted and reserved person uneasy about money and not wanting to influence a person's future by having an opinion or making a decision, Shoji Morimoto has created the perfect role in society for himself. As Rental Person, Morimoto is able to help countless people in his unique way, while not shying away from the lack of an income. The author has a wife and child at home and they're living off his savings at the moment, so Morimoto accepts money from clients and wants to ensure nobody mistakes him for a volunteer.
My only criticism of the book - other than it's too short - is that Morimoto didn't write this memoir. Instead he answered questions with simple responses and an editor and writer wrote the book. It's completely fitting with Morimoto's 'do nothing' persona but this early disclosure at the beginning was disappointing and ultimately lost him a star in this review.
Always introducing himself as Rental Person and wearing his cap so as to seem unassuming while also hiding behind his anonymity when feeling anxious, Shoji Morimoto has helped 4,000 clients since starting in 2018. The demand for services like his tells us something about ourselves and I enjoyed thinking about it.
Rental Person Who Does Nothing: A Memoir by Shoji Morimoto is a unique memoir perfect for discussion and I highly recommend it.
* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan *
September 1, 2023
This is a peculiarly fun, mischievous,funny, touching, sometimes sad, often inspiring book that flitters around memoir, social experiment, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and more. I liked it.
October 2, 2024
Shoji Morimoto (b. 1983) is a Japanese man whose current job is, as this memoir's title implies, renting himself out to people to do nothing. He generally won't run errands, have meaningful conversations, or set any expectations of you (other than reimbursing him for travel and expenses incurred during the job) -- but if your query intrigues him, he'll accompany you to testify at a legal hearing, walk with you to visit your childhood neighborhood, wait for you at a marathon finish line, or silently and non-judgmentally have tea with you at your house while you tell him your darkest secrets.
I read the English translation of this book by Don Knotting, in which Morimoto's narrative voice comes across as curious, matter-of-fact, and largely devoid of emotion (with occasional glimpses of significant traumatic or hurtful events in Morimoto's life that have motivated this career choice). Being non-Japanese, the insights into Japanese culture were quite interesting and in line with other factoids I've gleaned (for instance, you can also rent a grandma in Japan who will cook for you and pretend she's actually your grandma in public). It's also dissonant from a non-Japanese perspective of how openly Morimoto talks about how he has no friends (though he is married with kids) and how much of the market for his services is driven by other people who feel like they have no friends or wouldn't want to burden friends or family members by asking them for these favors.
My statistics:
Book 231 for 2024
Book 1834 cumulatively
I read the English translation of this book by Don Knotting, in which Morimoto's narrative voice comes across as curious, matter-of-fact, and largely devoid of emotion (with occasional glimpses of significant traumatic or hurtful events in Morimoto's life that have motivated this career choice). Being non-Japanese, the insights into Japanese culture were quite interesting and in line with other factoids I've gleaned (for instance, you can also rent a grandma in Japan who will cook for you and pretend she's actually your grandma in public). It's also dissonant from a non-Japanese perspective of how openly Morimoto talks about how he has no friends (though he is married with kids) and how much of the market for his services is driven by other people who feel like they have no friends or wouldn't want to burden friends or family members by asking them for these favors.
My statistics:
Book 231 for 2024
Book 1834 cumulatively
January 17, 2024
Rental Person Who Does Nothing: A Memoir is the short memoir of a Japanese man who invented a job, or perhaps a purpose, for himself of being a person who does nothing. Via the website formerly known as twitter, people ask that he accompany them to a place or event, visit their home to be present while they do some task, or otherwise be a neutral (supportive?) prescence without specifically doing anything. Perhaps my favourite example was someone who asked Morimoto to make an appointment then cancel at the last minute, so the person had an excuse to not attend something else. As Morimoto reflects, this is effectively the same as lying to say you can't attend due to a prior engagement, just rather more elaborate. Yet it says something about the psychological reassurance of having some substance to the claim, albeit created solely with the intention of avoidance. The most common themes within requests he receives appear to be, a) companionship in a situation where someone doesn't want to be alone but isn't comfortable asking a person they know to accompany them, b) wanting a listener for something they aren't comfortable telling someone they know:
He describes his effect as like that of a chemical catalyst, which is a useful analogy. As well as being a literal account of being a Rental Person Who Does Nothing, the book reflects on how society defines and values work. Morimoto does not charge for being a Rental Person, only requesting travel expenses:
There is an argument for universal basic income running through Rental Person Who Does Nothing: A Memoir, as it demonstrates the benefit to society of people just existing without doing anything in particular. I found it ideal to read in the bath.
As Rental Person, I have only the flimsiest connection with my clients. I am practically transparent. Unless they make another request, we'll probably never meet again. They have a story they have to tell and it's my role to be there while they tell it. In one of Aesop's fables, a character longs to tell a secret so tells it to the reeds. I'm just there, like those reeds. I may describe the situation on twitter, but I never give details that would allow the client to be identified, so there's very little chance of any weakness they reveal to me becoming known to others.
Another reason why people ask me to listen to them seems to be that I don't give advice. One of my clients told me they hated it when people responded with unsolicited advice. They didn't like to feel that what they said was being evaluated. Even positive responses like, "Great! or, "That's interesting!" could put pressure on them.
He describes his effect as like that of a chemical catalyst, which is a useful analogy. As well as being a literal account of being a Rental Person Who Does Nothing, the book reflects on how society defines and values work. Morimoto does not charge for being a Rental Person, only requesting travel expenses:
For now, this allows me to do interesting things. And perhaps these will lead to something that makes money in the future. As I said before, if I charged clients it would lead nowhere. I think ignoring money has allowed me to have different values, which stimulate new and different ways of relating to people.
Rental Person has been described as 'a new-age gigolo' and 'a new-age beggar'. I think being a gigolo or beggar are potential ways of relating to people, and the word 'new' sounds good, so I feel quite positive about these comments.
There is an argument for universal basic income running through Rental Person Who Does Nothing: A Memoir, as it demonstrates the benefit to society of people just existing without doing anything in particular. I found it ideal to read in the bath.
April 13, 2024
Var ya geçen aklıma şöyle bir fikir geldi desem hepiniz dalga geçersiniz, Uzakdoğu yapınca waaaa diye okuyorsunuz abi.
Dört bin kişiyle buluşmuş işsiz dmmdkdmdmmdk yani şahane biri bence.
Yanlış ülkenin dışa-dönük insanıyım diye yorumladım meseleyi.
Dört bin kişiyle buluşmuş işsiz dmmdkdmdmmdk yani şahane biri bence.
Yanlış ülkenin dışa-dönük insanıyım diye yorumladım meseleyi.
Read
April 3, 2024The Amerie’s Book Club selection for the month of April is RENTAL PERSON WHO DOES NOTHING by Shoji Morimoto!
Follow @AmeriesBookClub on IG, and watch my chat with Shoji Morimoto on YOUTUBE at the end of the month.
During an age in which human connection is at most a button click away, why does it seem we’re more lonely and socially anxious than ever? In his intriguing memoir, Shoji Morimoto shares with us his journey of being a Rental Person Who Does Nothing, during which he experiences thousands of connections with strangers who desire company, accountability, a hand wave, or simply the knowledge that someone is thinking of them at an appointed time. Fascinating and poignant, Shoji’s story reveals the surprising ties between strangers, human connection, and freedom.
@AmeriesBookClub #AmeriesBookClub #ReadWithAmerie #ShojiMorimoto #RentalPersonWhoDoesNothing @morimoto_shoji
📚
ABOUT SHOJI MORIMOTO
Shoji Morimoto was born in 1983. He began working as a rental person who does nothing in 2018 and has since been hired more than 4,000 times. He's been profiled by many media outlets worldwide and has written several books including Rental Person Who Does Nothing, which inspired a Japanese TV series. Morimoto lives in Japan with his wife and son.
Follow @AmeriesBookClub on IG, and watch my chat with Shoji Morimoto on YOUTUBE at the end of the month.
During an age in which human connection is at most a button click away, why does it seem we’re more lonely and socially anxious than ever? In his intriguing memoir, Shoji Morimoto shares with us his journey of being a Rental Person Who Does Nothing, during which he experiences thousands of connections with strangers who desire company, accountability, a hand wave, or simply the knowledge that someone is thinking of them at an appointed time. Fascinating and poignant, Shoji’s story reveals the surprising ties between strangers, human connection, and freedom.
@AmeriesBookClub #AmeriesBookClub #ReadWithAmerie #ShojiMorimoto #RentalPersonWhoDoesNothing @morimoto_shoji
📚
ABOUT SHOJI MORIMOTO
Shoji Morimoto was born in 1983. He began working as a rental person who does nothing in 2018 and has since been hired more than 4,000 times. He's been profiled by many media outlets worldwide and has written several books including Rental Person Who Does Nothing, which inspired a Japanese TV series. Morimoto lives in Japan with his wife and son.
September 3, 2023
Does a person who does nothing still have value and a place in the world? Written in a very deliberate simplistic fashion, this memoir provides a fascinating insight into Japanese society and human psychology as a whole. Rental Person Who Does Nothing gives a unique philosophy of life that at first seems absurd, but the more you read the more you start to understand his way of thinking. An interesting read about finding meaning, connection and purpose in life in today’s helter skelter world obsessed with efficiency.
November 26, 2025
his poor wife tbh
also, he's not doing nothing. he's always doing something
also, he's not doing nothing. he's always doing something
March 18, 2025
2.6⭐
A short, strange memoir by Morimoto about his career as Japan's famous Rental Person Who Does Nothing. Throughout the book he refers to himself as Rental Person; to me that was the first clue as to what's really going on here.
As he tells it, Morimoto just doesn't like to work. While highly educated, he eventually lost interest in all his jobs. His last boss told him he might as well not show up at all, for all he was doing and described him as a "permanent vacancy." As Morimoto portrays it, he decided that if all he wanted to do is nothing, why not do nothing professionally?
So he set himself up on twitter as the Rental Person who will be there for you as long as you don't need him to actually do anything. The book is mostly told in the form of his tweets describing the tasks people ask him to do. Such as accompanying a woman while she files her divorce papers, waving goodbye to somebody at a train station, holding down a tarpaulin at a festival or, frequently, going with someone to a restaurant or cafe if they're uncomfortable going alone ( apparently it's a Japanese thing).
Morimoto makes the argument that people shouldn't be valued by what they do, but simply by the fact they exist. He says the pressure to produce drove his sister to suicide and broke his brother. This is his main justification for his supposedly doing nothing. I think it's part of a carefully designed image.
Morimoto refers to himself as Rental Person because he's playing a part. It's an act. He is in fact a hugely successful social media influencer and self described "personality". He's purposely not hiding it well, often breaking the fourth wall, telling us about his TV series, or manga, or about this book which , although he was a professional writer, he says he had ghost written so he could maintain he's still doing nothing.
He makes a point about not charging his 'clients' except for travel and food costs, saying he's in it for the experience and it's all financed by his savings and his wife. That's obviously not counting his commercial projects and whatever he makes from Twitter. One American news organization reported his annual income at $80,000 US. So does that make him a fraud? I don't think so. He drops some pretty broad hints to both his readers and his Twitter "audience" about what he's doing. He makes it plain a major criteria for accepting "tasks " from " clients" is whether they'll make good content for his feed. He talks about his clients climbing up onto the "stage" with him, into the "spotlight." And for a man who claims he's not in it for the money, he devotes an entire chapter describing how he accepts it and how he likes to be paid (cash, please). Morimoto is winking at us through the entire book.
Aside from outlining Morimoto"s career/business plan, the tasks he accepts highlight the alienation and loneliness that seem to pervade Japanese society, along with the enormous pressure to conform. So maybe his Rental Person persona is his way of thumbing his nose at all that. If so, he's much like the protagonist in Sayaka Murata's great novel Convenience Store Woman, who works a low level retail job because that where she fits in.
I would not describe it as a great book but it's short (3 1/2 hours read time), and it kept me interested throughout. -30-
A short, strange memoir by Morimoto about his career as Japan's famous Rental Person Who Does Nothing. Throughout the book he refers to himself as Rental Person; to me that was the first clue as to what's really going on here.
As he tells it, Morimoto just doesn't like to work. While highly educated, he eventually lost interest in all his jobs. His last boss told him he might as well not show up at all, for all he was doing and described him as a "permanent vacancy." As Morimoto portrays it, he decided that if all he wanted to do is nothing, why not do nothing professionally?
So he set himself up on twitter as the Rental Person who will be there for you as long as you don't need him to actually do anything. The book is mostly told in the form of his tweets describing the tasks people ask him to do. Such as accompanying a woman while she files her divorce papers, waving goodbye to somebody at a train station, holding down a tarpaulin at a festival or, frequently, going with someone to a restaurant or cafe if they're uncomfortable going alone ( apparently it's a Japanese thing).
Morimoto makes the argument that people shouldn't be valued by what they do, but simply by the fact they exist. He says the pressure to produce drove his sister to suicide and broke his brother. This is his main justification for his supposedly doing nothing. I think it's part of a carefully designed image.
Morimoto refers to himself as Rental Person because he's playing a part. It's an act. He is in fact a hugely successful social media influencer and self described "personality". He's purposely not hiding it well, often breaking the fourth wall, telling us about his TV series, or manga, or about this book which , although he was a professional writer, he says he had ghost written so he could maintain he's still doing nothing.
He makes a point about not charging his 'clients' except for travel and food costs, saying he's in it for the experience and it's all financed by his savings and his wife. That's obviously not counting his commercial projects and whatever he makes from Twitter. One American news organization reported his annual income at $80,000 US. So does that make him a fraud? I don't think so. He drops some pretty broad hints to both his readers and his Twitter "audience" about what he's doing. He makes it plain a major criteria for accepting "tasks " from " clients" is whether they'll make good content for his feed. He talks about his clients climbing up onto the "stage" with him, into the "spotlight." And for a man who claims he's not in it for the money, he devotes an entire chapter describing how he accepts it and how he likes to be paid (cash, please). Morimoto is winking at us through the entire book.
Aside from outlining Morimoto"s career/business plan, the tasks he accepts highlight the alienation and loneliness that seem to pervade Japanese society, along with the enormous pressure to conform. So maybe his Rental Person persona is his way of thumbing his nose at all that. If so, he's much like the protagonist in Sayaka Murata's great novel Convenience Store Woman, who works a low level retail job because that where she fits in.
I would not describe it as a great book but it's short (3 1/2 hours read time), and it kept me interested throughout. -30-
April 22, 2023
Rental Person Who Does Nothing is a memoir about a Japanese man who 'does nothing' for people, spending time with people who contact him on Twitter for things they need someone else for. The book is intercut throughout with tweets that are either requests from people or Morimoto's own tweets about particular clients, as he explains what he's done and how he has found being a rental person who doesn't do anything except be there, not offering advice but just existing.
This short book is both an account of how Morimoto became Rental Person and what he's done as part of that, and also a consideration of what it means to do nothing for a living and if we should be able to have money to just exist. The stories of the clients are the really memorable elements of the book as there's a lot of emotional and quietly lovely moments for people, whether it is a prompt that makes them finally do the dishes or someone trying to make the day of filing divorce memorable for another reason. The real variation of reasons that people rent Rental Person to be there with them are fascinating and it gives an insight into human connections and the kinds of transactions between people that happen every day.
This short book is both an account of how Morimoto became Rental Person and what he's done as part of that, and also a consideration of what it means to do nothing for a living and if we should be able to have money to just exist. The stories of the clients are the really memorable elements of the book as there's a lot of emotional and quietly lovely moments for people, whether it is a prompt that makes them finally do the dishes or someone trying to make the day of filing divorce memorable for another reason. The real variation of reasons that people rent Rental Person to be there with them are fascinating and it gives an insight into human connections and the kinds of transactions between people that happen every day.
February 16, 2024
This is exactly what I wanted as a follow up to the BBC video my friends and I watched together last year.
We were all fascinated for a host of different reasons but I was left wanting to know more about who hired him and how he felt about his assignments. This book answered just that.
It's not really a memoir, as the cover says. Shoji Morimoto isn't sharing much about his life, just his thoughts on why people hire him for the service he provides. He doesn't offer much in the way of insight or judgement because doing so would be doing something and he's all about doing nothing.
I was surprised to find he's 40+, married, and has a child. Now I want to know what his family thinks of the fame he's garnered by doing nothing with strangers.
We were all fascinated for a host of different reasons but I was left wanting to know more about who hired him and how he felt about his assignments. This book answered just that.
It's not really a memoir, as the cover says. Shoji Morimoto isn't sharing much about his life, just his thoughts on why people hire him for the service he provides. He doesn't offer much in the way of insight or judgement because doing so would be doing something and he's all about doing nothing.
I was surprised to find he's 40+, married, and has a child. Now I want to know what his family thinks of the fame he's garnered by doing nothing with strangers.
May 27, 2023
This book was a delight. At only 156 pages, it was a perfect reminder that people don’t need anything but company. And in this case, sometimes that company is a person they don’t know at all and they rent for an afternoon.
With a unique approach and a beautiful retelling, this is one everyone will adore.
With a unique approach and a beautiful retelling, this is one everyone will adore.
December 31, 2023
This really could have just been a twitter account, but lookit
October 24, 2024
two stars for the writer (not the author) and the editor because they did everything.
The first time I heard of Shoji Morimoto’s rather unconventional profession, I remember wondering how clever and unique it was. It is not often that we find someone choosing a career, (if I can call it that) to be as flexible and interesting as his. And so I dived into this memoir with an expectation of liking and appreciating his creative choice. Shoji Morimoto quit his regular job after not finding joy in it and for not having enough motivation to follow it. At the back of his head, he only wanted to do one thing. Nothing. Morimoto believed that one should not work if they did not want to and that’s exactly what he wanted to do. After resigning from his job, he had an idea of renting himself out to people who simply wanted another human connection. Morimoto speaks of the inevitable loneliness that haunts this generation, leaving them friendless. It is then that he puts up an ad on twitter for renting himself out for those who want someone to accompany them in doing mundane things. He didn’t expect much of a response and so was surprised when he started receiving requests from scores of people seeking out his company. The interesting fact about this was how there was never any salary but Morimoto was simply paid the traveling and food expenses. Some clients randomly gifted him gift cards and vouchers out of goodwill.
While the initial concept of ‘rental person’ seemed intriguing, it quickly felt pretentious and lazy. Morimoto’s philosophy and principles failed to resonate with me in many aspects. The memoir ultimately ended up being a series of twitter conversations between Morimoto and his clients, all of them boring and lacking depth. Morimoto claims that he refuses to answer any queries and has conversations that require a meaningful and serious involvement. But the final straw for me to not appreciate this memoir was when I learnt that Morimoto did not even write this book. His involvement in bringing this memoir to life was something as small as filling a questionnaire while the editors and translator did all the work.
Morimoto’s memoir can only be received in two ways. You either come to see his point and appreciate his courage for taking up this unorthodox route or find it phony. Unfortunately, I fell into the latter category.
Big thanks to the publisher for sending a copy in exchange of an honest review.
The first time I heard of Shoji Morimoto’s rather unconventional profession, I remember wondering how clever and unique it was. It is not often that we find someone choosing a career, (if I can call it that) to be as flexible and interesting as his. And so I dived into this memoir with an expectation of liking and appreciating his creative choice. Shoji Morimoto quit his regular job after not finding joy in it and for not having enough motivation to follow it. At the back of his head, he only wanted to do one thing. Nothing. Morimoto believed that one should not work if they did not want to and that’s exactly what he wanted to do. After resigning from his job, he had an idea of renting himself out to people who simply wanted another human connection. Morimoto speaks of the inevitable loneliness that haunts this generation, leaving them friendless. It is then that he puts up an ad on twitter for renting himself out for those who want someone to accompany them in doing mundane things. He didn’t expect much of a response and so was surprised when he started receiving requests from scores of people seeking out his company. The interesting fact about this was how there was never any salary but Morimoto was simply paid the traveling and food expenses. Some clients randomly gifted him gift cards and vouchers out of goodwill.
While the initial concept of ‘rental person’ seemed intriguing, it quickly felt pretentious and lazy. Morimoto’s philosophy and principles failed to resonate with me in many aspects. The memoir ultimately ended up being a series of twitter conversations between Morimoto and his clients, all of them boring and lacking depth. Morimoto claims that he refuses to answer any queries and has conversations that require a meaningful and serious involvement. But the final straw for me to not appreciate this memoir was when I learnt that Morimoto did not even write this book. His involvement in bringing this memoir to life was something as small as filling a questionnaire while the editors and translator did all the work.
Morimoto’s memoir can only be received in two ways. You either come to see his point and appreciate his courage for taking up this unorthodox route or find it phony. Unfortunately, I fell into the latter category.
Big thanks to the publisher for sending a copy in exchange of an honest review.
March 19, 2024
"Rental Person Who Does Nothing"
I had never heard of Morimoto, but the title certainly piqued my interest and the book was short, so why not!? I think it started out pretty strong with Morimoto (and I won't call him the author simply because he isn't - more on that in a bit) sharing some of his own philosophical musings about how fucked the world is as it relates to how, who, and what we value. While I'm sure his musings are more culturally relevant for those living in societies with similar value systems, I found that his criticisms resonate more broadly.
In response to a society that values people for all the wrong things, Morimoto escaped the abusive, corporate hamster wheel. He started a service whereby he'll "rent himself out" (for free) to do as little as possible with/for his "clients" in response to various requests received by DM. This new "job" (that doesn't pay in any conventional way) then took off, served as a vehicle for Morimoto meeting some interesting (and often desperate) individuals, and the resulting anecdotes provide the majority of the content in "Rental Person Who Does Nothing."
After a stronger start, the book dropped off fairly quickly. Morimoto lives up to his ideal of doing as little as possible and the book is uninspired at best, but arguably more lazy. True this, the book was deliberately written with as little of his input as possible, with him providing only "simple answers" to the eventual writers, and DM conversations with his "clients." Why? Because having to provide any answer where thinking might be necessary would be too much of a real job for Morimoto. Perhaps because of this lackluster approach, he also comes across pretty unsympathetically, even in many cases where it seems he provided something real; Fittingly, like a man who simply can't bother doing much of anything, especially not work (essentially begging though - i.e. instructing people what kind of gifts he'd like - that's totally fine apparently).
In summary, while some of the observations about what we value in life and from and in people are good, the portrayal of loneliness and need interesting, the book lands in a very appropriate "meh."
Given a do-over, I'd skip it.
I had never heard of Morimoto, but the title certainly piqued my interest and the book was short, so why not!? I think it started out pretty strong with Morimoto (and I won't call him the author simply because he isn't - more on that in a bit) sharing some of his own philosophical musings about how fucked the world is as it relates to how, who, and what we value. While I'm sure his musings are more culturally relevant for those living in societies with similar value systems, I found that his criticisms resonate more broadly.
In response to a society that values people for all the wrong things, Morimoto escaped the abusive, corporate hamster wheel. He started a service whereby he'll "rent himself out" (for free) to do as little as possible with/for his "clients" in response to various requests received by DM. This new "job" (that doesn't pay in any conventional way) then took off, served as a vehicle for Morimoto meeting some interesting (and often desperate) individuals, and the resulting anecdotes provide the majority of the content in "Rental Person Who Does Nothing."
After a stronger start, the book dropped off fairly quickly. Morimoto lives up to his ideal of doing as little as possible and the book is uninspired at best, but arguably more lazy. True this, the book was deliberately written with as little of his input as possible, with him providing only "simple answers" to the eventual writers, and DM conversations with his "clients." Why? Because having to provide any answer where thinking might be necessary would be too much of a real job for Morimoto. Perhaps because of this lackluster approach, he also comes across pretty unsympathetically, even in many cases where it seems he provided something real; Fittingly, like a man who simply can't bother doing much of anything, especially not work (essentially begging though - i.e. instructing people what kind of gifts he'd like - that's totally fine apparently).
In summary, while some of the observations about what we value in life and from and in people are good, the portrayal of loneliness and need interesting, the book lands in a very appropriate "meh."
Given a do-over, I'd skip it.
January 24, 2024
"...Ultimately, Morimoto’s entire 'Rental Person' project exists simply because he doesn’t want his identity 'to be defined by a set of abilities'. And Rental Person is compelling because the reader follows along with a man living an unconventional life by an unusual set of principles that call many of the assumptions of modern society into question. Morimoto retains his vision to the end of the memoir, which closes with notes from his editor and co-author’s attempts to get his help on an afterword. After a little bit of back and forth, Morimoto responds
Full review at: https://asianreviewofbooks.com/conten...
I know it’s very late to say this, but I’ve begun to feel very strongly that for me to write an afterword is contradictory to my basic stance. Just letting you know how I feel.
Full review at: https://asianreviewofbooks.com/conten...
September 9, 2023
This book had quite low reviews so I wasn’t sure what to expect. However I absolutely loved this book and found myself considering a lot of scenarios about life and how people live along the way!
The author has a very conservative way of living and being but it this that seems to make him quite radical - yet he isn’t really doing anything (hence the basis of the book!) yes it isn’t compelling in a factual way or actioned packed but it is definitely thought provoking and it is so different a topic that it is interesting (to me anyway!)
I would highly recommend this book!
The author has a very conservative way of living and being but it this that seems to make him quite radical - yet he isn’t really doing anything (hence the basis of the book!) yes it isn’t compelling in a factual way or actioned packed but it is definitely thought provoking and it is so different a topic that it is interesting (to me anyway!)
I would highly recommend this book!
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