A man who quit his job when his boss called him lazy now earns his living by doing "nothing at all".
Shoji Morimoto, from Japan, rents himself out for 10,000 yen (£60) a job to accompany his clients as a companion without carrying out any specific role.
Among the odd jobs he has been asked to carry out include standing on a platform and waving at a client who wanted a send off.
Another person took him to the park to be the second person on a seesaw. He has also accompanied people on dates.
Mr Morimoto, 38, finds most of his trade through his Twitter account, which boasts 250,000 followers.
He said: “Basically, I rent myself out. My job is to be wherever my clients want me to be and to do nothing in particular.
"I started wondering what would happen if I provided my ability to 'do nothing' as a service to clients."
He says he has had thousands of bookings in recent years.
He added: "People tend to think that my 'doing nothing' is valuable because it is useful (for others)...But it's fine to really not do anything. People do not have to be useful in any specific way.
"During the services, I accompany my customers on whatever they need me for.
"I answer their questions, listen to them, nod when needed. It was a little embarrassing in the beginning but I got used to it over time.”
One of his clients has apparently hired him 270 times, although for what is unknown.
He can choose to be picky however as he recently turned down a request to travel to Cambodia to help move a fridge.
Requests of a sexual nature are also dismissed.
One client said: “With my friends I feel I have to entertain them, but with the rental-guy (Morimoto) I don't feel the need to be chatty.”
Before Morimoto found his true calling, he worked at a publishing company where he was often chided for "doing nothing".
Other unusual jobs he has been paid for include taking part in video games sessions online if a group of friends are lacking a player.
On other occasions he has accompanied people filing for divorce and provided a send off to people who are moving home.
Although he declined to say how much he has made from the venture it is enough to support his wife and child.
He usually has two jobs a day to perform, although before the pandemic the number was closer to four.
He added: “When someone is trying to do something, I think the best thing to do is to help lower the bar for them by staying at their side.”
