In "Rental Person Who Does Nothing," Shoji Morimoto takes readers on an interesting journey into the heart of loneliness, social anxiety, and the pursuit of connection. His unconventional service, Rental Person, is a safe haven for those looking for companionship where there may not be any or are uncomfortable with those around them in certain situations.

The book begins with Morimoto's personal struggle, as he deals with feeling insignificant in his professional life. Inspired by his introspective moment on whether “doing nothing” can have value in the world, he transformed his life and the people that he comes into contact with. His concept seems simple and ordinary but for those people, their moments were extraordinary.

Morimoto shares his experiences in detail which allows the readers to experience some of the service requests that were asked for. With a wide range of requests, we experience through the shared tweets moments of people trying to navigate life from something as simple as grabbing a coffee to someone just looking to share a moment rather than be alone. Not putting in much effort, his nonjudgmental, committed demeanor allows the boundary of strangers but gives them the comfort they need to feel fulfilled.

As you go deeper into the book, it becomes more fascinating understanding the cultural norms of Japanese culture and the effects of how this service brought awareness to the need for human connection in their lives. Also by contradicting the culture norms of reciprocity by fulfilling the requests without the expectation of something in return, its thought provoking and inspires the conversation of how being there for someone can really make a difference. Also, how the act of doing “nothing” can for strangers be so moving and inspirational because many people out there don’t have anyone. This gives them a chance to fulfill a moment in their lives without feeling alone.

Overall, Rental Person Who Does Nothing is a wonderful memoir with a simple concept but leaves a deeper meaningful impression that will hopefully inspire people to be more present for people who may need someone.

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