A Man Earning 120 Million Won Annually Without Doing Anything... Making Money Just by 'Existing'

A Japanese Man Earning About 10,000 Yen Per Hour Simply by 'Being There,' Such as Waiting for Runners at Marathon Finish Lines or Accompanying Divorce Document Submissions

Shoji Morimoto (41). Rynews

A man in Japan who gained attention for earning about 10,000 yen per hour (approximately 91,990 KRW) for ‘doing nothing’ confessed that he made around 80,000 dollars (about 116 million KRW) in income over the past year.

According to CNBC on the 6th (local time), Shoji Morimoto (41), known as the ‘person who does nothing,’ started a special service after being fired from his company in 2018. At that time, he was criticized by his boss for “not doing any valuable work at the company,” and paradoxically, he turned this into a new business model.

His tasks are diverse. He provides services simply by ‘being present,’ such as accompanying someone when submitting divorce papers or going to court to comfort someone undergoing a trial. He also listens to stories from people who want to confide secrets and even attends concerts on behalf of customers who cannot go. Additionally, he waits for runners at marathon finish lines or takes video calls while customers clean their rooms.

Shoji Morimoto (41). Rynews

Morimoto said, “I stand in line under the hot sun or for hours in cold weather, and I also go to parties full of strangers,” adding, “There are difficult situations, but I cherish this job because it allows me to have special experiences.” His longest work session was riding the same railway line for 17 hours. He recalled, “I went around the Yamanote Line 13 times.”

Receiving about 1,000 requests annually, Morimoto charged between 10,000 and 30,000 yen for 2 to 3-hour sessions until recently. However, since the end of last year, he introduced a pay-what-you-want service. He said, “Since I voluntarily charge fees, I don’t know if it will be sustainable, but I enjoy watching the process,” adding, “My goal is simply to live life and enjoy it.”

Shoji Morimoto (41). Rynews

Morimoto’s ingenious idea quickly gained popularity on social networking services (SNS), and his follower count on X (formerly Twitter) grew from a few dozen to over 170,000 in one year. Morimoto says his presence acts as a kind of safety net. He confessed, “It allows people who feel uncomfortable in certain environments to interact temporarily,” and “Every moment?meeting customers, going to unfamiliar places with them, or just listening to their stories?is a happy one.”