Book Event

Rental Person Who Does Nothing: A Memoir by Shoji Morimoto

Rental person who does nothing actually does a lot of things-within his own boundaries. He has his own rules. For example, he won't charge for his time but asks the client to pay his travel expenses to and from "the job", he reserves the right to decline a request, he won't have complicated conversations or give advice to the client, and he won't return to a client twice, unless he is asked and decides to do that. But given that, he takes requests on his twitter feed and honors quite a few of them. Potential clients ask him to accompany them to a restaurant or cafe, or wave goodbye to them from a train platform, or even send a text at 6:00 am to remind them to take their gym bag. His assignments usually take between 2 and 5 hours.

Morimoto's memoir is as unique as his present "career." He had a good job as a creator for math exam problems but found it too restrictive. He accumulated a sizable bank account and uses it to fund his own path and support his wife and young child. And his unique vision of how he should live his life has found a lot of support through his twitter feed, a TV show based around his exploits, and this memoir. I enjoyed reading his spare, matter of fact prose that was combined with actual tweets from him and his clients. It was an honest look at an alternative lifestyle that most people would be afraid to attempt, but would perhaps appreciate.

Reviewed by Donna Ballard.

Publication date - January 9, 2024

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