This Japanese man earned $80,000 a year from 'doing nothing'

When Shoji Morimoto was fired from his office job in 2018, his superior had criticized him for lacking initiative and "not doing anything" of value for the company. Joke's on him, because Morimoto, now 41, has since spun a lucrative career out of doing nothing.

Known as the rental "do nothing" guy in Japan, Morimoto's day job involves loaning himself out to strangers who seek someone's company for almost anything at all. These requests can range from waiting for a marathon runner at the finishing line, to being video-called while a bored client redecorates and cleans her room. Once, a client who could not attend a concert with a friend rented Morimoto to take her place.

From the ludicrous to the mundane, Morimoto will simply show up and "do nothing" other than what he was asked to do — except sex.

"I have been put in objectively difficult situations, such as standing in line under the blazing sun, standing for hours in the freezing cold, attending parties with only strangers, and standing alone on a stage in front of a large audience without doing anything," the father of a seven-year-old told CNBC Make It.

"However, no matter what misfortune I have experienced, I feel that it is something special that only happened because I do this job, so I can still cherish it," he said.

Morimoto's longest one-off task was a 17-hour trip sitting on the same rail line, end to end, from early morning until the last train. "We made 13 laps on the Yamanote (train station) Line," he said.

There have also been several requests for Morimoto to be a listening ear on clients' bad days. However, when it comes to conversations, Morimoto offers the bare minimum and the simplest of answers. In other words, he nods and listens attentively, but makes it