I make $80K as a ‘do-nothing’ friend for rent to lonely people: ‘I do it for pay, not pals’

His knack for doing nothing is doing something to end loneliness. 

To combat the “alone virus,” a public health crisis wreaking havoc on the mental well-being of friendless folks worldwide, creatives in the Big Apple and beyond are dreaming up unique ways to meet mates. 

But Shoji Morimoto‘s just in the business of buddy-making for the money. 

“[I] will never be friend with people who [hire me],” Morimoto, 40, a professional rent-a-friend based in Japan, told travel YouTuber Drew Binsky, 33.

Using an English-speaking translator, the pal-for-pay, who makes $80,000 a year as Tokyo’s “do nothing guy,” doubled down on his refusal to ever truly befriend any of his regular customers.  

“Every time they pay,” said Morimoto, a married father, who began renting himself to hermits in 2018. 

He charges his over 1,000 clients, locals as well as foreigners from the US, around $100 for only two to three hours of his “awkward” companionship. And the homie-for-hire’s services rarely include interactivity or comprehensible conversation. 

Instead, Morimoto’s laidback work is simply rooted in quelling the prevalence of Hikikomori syndrome —an extreme form of social withdrawal due to chronic loneliness — in Asia.

Dubbed a “global phenomenon” by clinical psychology researchers from the Netherlands in a 2023 study, hikikomori, or “extreme social withdrawal” (ESW), can severely stunt a person’s mental, social and developmental growth. 

The findings support a July 2023 report from Japan’s Kyushu University, which found that loneliness actually shrinks a victim’s brain and prompts a series of physical health issues.

“Social isolation has been associated with … premature mortality, increased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, increased reporting of depressive symptoms, as well as increased dementia risk,” experts said in a statement. 

The World Health Organization has, too, labeled loneliness a “pressing health threat” with risks as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. 

And like Morimoto, West Villager Isabella Epstein, 25, is doing her part the stop the madness.

The genius Gen Z makes dinner reservations at swank NYC hotspots and invites random gals online to join her for a bite. 

Self-proclaimed “nerds” Ty and Felecia Freely of Brooklyn host “Lectures on Tap” nights at bars, welcoming fellow geeks to enjoy some spirits and an educational speech helmed by college professors. 

But there aren’t many bells and whistles (or beers) for Morimoto’s clients. They only get the benefit of his company. 

But the by-the-hour buddy vows to hang with his renters through thick and thin — no matter how kooky they choose to behave. 

In his book, “Rental Person Who Does Nothing,” Morimoto recalled being hired to watch a woman snoop through her husband’s secret online dating profiles. 

“She screamed (like in her DM) every 10 minutes or so,” wrote Morimoto.  “At one stage, she made a mistake with an app, clicking ‘Like’ for a man she wanted to skip through.”

“She stared up at the ceiling and looked very upset.”

And while chatting with Binsky, Morimoto giggled about once being hired to watch a woman eat ripped shreds of paper like rice. 

“It [was] so funny,” he said. 

At the top of 2024, Morimoto launched a side business called “People who don’t rent anything,” for singles who need a plus-one for a specific task, such as shopping or video gaming. Rather than paying rental fees, patrons seeking those services simply cover his travel and food expenses.  

And he plans to keep up the good work for years to come. 

“I’m very happy,” Morimoto said of his job. “No stress.”