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Rental Person Who Does Nothing

The True Adventures of Japan""s Do-Nothing Rental Person

Audiobook
5 of 5 copies available
5 of 5 copies available
***Now an International Bestseller!***
"Distinctively Japanese musings on meaning and connection."—Observer
I'm starting a service... 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...
Shoji Morimoto was constantly being told by his boss, "It makes no difference whether you're here or not," and that his presence contributed nothing to the company. Morimoto began to wonder whether a person who "does nothing" could still have actual value and a place in the world. Perhaps he could turn "doing nothing" into a service? With one tweet, Rental Person was born.
Rental Person provides a fascinating service to the lonely and socially anxious. This book details thousands of his true-life adventures:
  • Accompanying a divorcee to her favorite restaurant
  • Waving goodbye to a client from the train platform
  • Sitting in the courtroom during a client's trial
  • Supporting a client during a difficult surgery
  • Rental Person is dependable, nonjudgmental 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.
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      • Publisher's Weekly

        November 13, 2023
        This meditative debut from Morimoto reflects on what he’s learned about work and life from his “rental person” service. In 2018, he tweeted that he was starting a project in which he would show up for clients at designated times and places but would do virtually nothing once there “except give very simple responses,” charging only for travel and the “cost of food/drink (if applicable).” Requests began pouring in; Morimoto describes accompanying to dinner a woman who was tired of having men pay for her meals, listening to another woman who hadn’t come out to her friends talk about her girlfriend, and greeting at the airport a student hoping that a friendly face would mitigate the grief she anticipated upon returning to Japan for the first time since her grandmother died. Lamenting work’s outsize role in people’s lives, Morimoto reveals that his sister killed herself after “she didn’t get the job she wanted.” In serving as a rental person, Morimoto intended to push back against the notion that an individual’s value is tied to their productivity: “people have a value even if they do nothing.” The client anecdotes amuse and provide unexpectedly perceptive insights into the nature of work and individuals’ self-worth under capitalism. This is worth seeking out. Photos.

      • Library Journal

        June 1, 2024

        Morimoto grew tired of the boss who told him he contributed nothing, so he decided to embrace that status and started his "Do-nothing Rental" service via Twitter. Filling a unique niche, he promises to do nothing other than be there for his clients. With this innovative concept, he asks whether someone who does nothing still has value in society. The answer, of course, is yes. Morimoto's services include accompanying people so they won't be alone and serving as a motivational force for those needing impetus to clean their house, engage in work, or deal with problems. One endearing story centers on a client who asks him to simply "bump into my dog on a walk and make a fuss over him." Narrator Kevin Shen captures Morimoto's do-nothing vibe perfectly. The author's writing style is somewhat detached, and Shen carries that over to the audio. It isn't that his narration is dispassionate, but it models Morimoto's nonjudgmental, low-pressure vibe. Though the print version contains some photos, Shen's spot-on narration more than compensates for the lack. VERDICT Morimoto's quirky debut perfectly captures the idea that what may be nothing to one person could be full of meaning for another. A charming, tender memoir.--Christa Van Herreweghe

        Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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    • English

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