The frugal life of a 75-year-old Japanese man called the ‘God of Free’ is surprising to many.
On the 2nd (local time), Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) introduced Hitoro Kiritani (75), a former professional shogi player who lives off free coupons and benefits. He is famous for living solely on ‘shareholder preference’ coupons.
Shareholder preference is a Japanese stock market system in which companies give gifts in addition to dividends to investors who purchase their shares. Gifts in return include gift certificates for groceries or daily necessities.
Kiritani owns stocks of 1,000 companies and is said to have net assets of over 100 million yen (approximately 930 million won). His wealth is approximately 600 million yen (about 5.6 billion won). However, Kiritani sticks to a frugal lifestyle.
He eats food sent by listed companies, buys clothes using coupons sent by listed companies, and travels using a bicycle purchased using coupons sent by listed companies.
Kiritani decided to use the shareholder preferential coupon when it lost 200 million yen (1.86 billion won) due to the 2008 global financial crisis. After losing money and deciding not to waste it again, he began enjoying the benefits of being a shareholder by using coupons provided by more than 1,000 companies.
Kiritani’s daily job is to find coupons that are about to expire. He uses the bicycle he bought with a coupon to find a restaurant where he can get a free meal with the coupon. It is said that Kiritani used coupons to go to the gym, movie theater, sauna, karaoke, and even went bungee jumping.
Kiritani has the philosophy that “it’s a shame when coupons expire” and enjoys the joy of life by making the most of every coupon.
His lifestyle is giving a refreshing shock to many young people. One netizen responded, “Free gym coupons will make it possible to force exercise,” “Other countries should also benefit from Japan’s shareholder preferential coupons,” and “I think anything that will lead to a better life is worth trying.” It seemed.
Jo Yoo-kyung, Donga.com reporter [email protected]
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