© 2026 KUNR
Illustration of rolling hills with occasional trees and a radio tower.
Serving Northern Nevada and the Eastern Sierra
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
With federal funding eliminated, this is the fundraiser that will define the station’s path forward. We’re looking to listeners and readers like you to help us become 100% community supported. 🌱
Plus, your donation will go twice as far thanks to a generous $60,000 matching grant from the Greg Nelson Trust and other KUNR supporters. 🩷

For $85 Japan's 'Do-Nothing Guy' can substitute for a client

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Rachel Martin. Thirty-eight-year-old Shoji Morimoto of Tokyo is there for you - as in for $85, you can pay Morimoto to show up and stand there. He's waited at a finish line to cheer on a customer running a marathon. He's been hired to go to dinner with clients who don't want to eat alone. He even accompanied a client to their surgery consultation. Morimoto told The Washington Post he meets daily with clients. For a guy dubbed Japan's Do-Nothing Guy, he appears to be pretty busy showing up. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.