Shock for ‘miserable’ Japan man who lives on simple meals for 21 years to save for retirement

A Japanese man who lived an extremely frugal life for 21 years because he wanted to save 100 million yen (US$640,000) to retire early has shocked internet users in China.

The unidentified man, 45, began his savings plan in the early 2000s after securing a stable but demanding job.

The company he worked for required employees to work overtime – sometimes past midnight – and constantly preached: “Only by working hard and doing overtime can you achieve future happiness.”

In an effort to live the FIRE (financial independence, retire early) lifestyle, the man, who earned an annual salary of about five million yen (US$32,000), devised a meticulous plan to save 100 million yen as early as possible.

He began by giving himself the online alias “The Man Who Will Definitely Resign” as motivation.

(The man ate very simple food such as a bowl of rice soaked in cold water. Photo: Baidu)

For more than two decades, he lived in a company dormitory, paying 30,000 yen (US$190) a month for rent and scavenging for all his appliances and furniture.

His meals were extremely frugal, a typical dinner might comprise a sour plum, some salted vegetables and a bowl of rice.

Sometimes the dinner was just an energy drink, which he acquired using free points from convenience stores.

He would also have cola and biscuits as his evening meal while watching prison-themed films and joking that his life in this exploitative company was no different from serving a 20-year jail sentence.

After his microwave broke, he even turned to eating sweet potatoes from winter to summer, using the summer heat to cook them on the windscreen of his colleague’s car.

Also, he never used air conditioning or a heater, opting instead to cool down in summer with a wet T-shirt and to warm up in winter by doing squats.

His efforts paid off early this year when he announced on social media that he had finally saved 135 million yen (US$860,000) after 20 years and 10 months of working for the company.

In addition, his frugal lifestyle inspired him to write a book on money-saving tips, which became another source of income.

After achieving financial freedom, his life improved somewhat. He now serves himself four boiled eggs for breakfast and has bought a microwave so he can enjoy hot meals.

However, his joy was short-lived, as he recently disclosed that his savings had shrunk dramatically due to the yen’s depreciation since the beginning of this year.

(The man saved so hard and was looking forward to an early retirement. Photo: Shutterstock)

“If the yen keeps depreciating, I’ll never achieve financial freedom. What have I been working for these 21 years? It’s all meaningless, so tragic,” he said.

People on mainland social media expressed shock and sympathy over the man’s plight.

“His meals really shocked me. Were they even edible? It’s a miracle he has not fallen ill after eating so poorly for so many years,” one person said.

“His life is truly miserable. His income isn’t low in Japan. If he had invested in gold rather than just saving, he wouldn’t have lost so much,” said another.

Ref: Shock for ‘miserable’ Japan man who lives on simple meals for 21 years to save for retirement (scmp)

Photo Credit-Shutterstock, Baidu