Have you ever thought of just showing up to work, doing absolutely NOTHING, and still getting paid? No reports. No spreadsheets. No "quick syncs that spiral into hour-long existential crises." Just good vibes, a questionable cup of office coffee, and the sweet sound of zero responsibility?

If your answer is a hard no, congrats! You are probably the office MVP, the proud owner of colour-coded planners and a highlighter in every shade. The one who actually reads the meeting agenda!

But if that little scenario made you smile a bit too hard? Welcome to the club. You, my friend, are one of us: the ordinary, low-effort daydreamer who just wants to exist, breathe, and somehow make rent.

And while most of us are stuck daydreaming about this sweet, responsibility-free life, one man in Tokyo is actually living it. Shoji Morimoto, a middle-aged Japanese guy living in Tokyo, gets paid—yes, paid—to show up and exist! Sometimes he eats lunch with strangers. Sometimes he just listens. No deliverables. No KPIs. Just vibes and presence.

For 10,000 yen (about $71) per booking, Morimoto will accompany you anywhere you like. He will not help you solve your problems, carry your shopping bags, or even make small talk. He will just be there. Existing. Calmly. Respectfully. Like a perfectly behaved ghost with a day rate.

In a society obsessed with doing more, grinding harder, and monetising every waking second, Shoji Morimoto has found success by offering...nothing!

It all started in 2018 when Morimoto—freshly fired from a job where he was accused of "doing nothing." His calendar is now packed with the kind of appointments that make you question the very fabric of capitalism.

He has over 250,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter), has written books about his lifestyle, and has clients who have hired him not once, not twice, but over 270 times. One could say he's got more loyal customers than some therapists, and with far fewer awkward silences—because those are exactly what he's selling.

He currently takes on one or two clients a day. He doesn't advertise what he earns, but it's enough to live in Tokyo, support a family, and wear the same neutral outfit to work every day without any of the soul-sapping grinds that most of us accept as normal. He makes around $80,000 a year simply by being available… and not ruining anyone's vibe.

And what does that say about us? Maybe we're lonelier than we admit. Maybe we're just exhausted from constantly performing, posting, and perfecting. Or maybe it says that we desperately need to spend more time doing... less.