Akimitsu sleeps on a bed less than 1 meter wide and cooks himself 3 meals a day.
“Frugal” and “contented” are two words that Akimitsu – a 28-year-old single guy from the land of cherry blossoms, uses to describe his life over the past year. Currently, Akimitsu is working freelance in the field of graphic design.
Akimitsu has been pursuing a minimalist lifestyle for the past 2 years, which is also the time when this guy started working freely instead of “confining himself” to 10-12 hours at the office.
Akimitsu lives in a room of about 18 square meters with a desk; 1 bed 90cm x 170cm; The kitchen has a gas stove – the only cooking tool and a manual coffee grinder.
Akimitsu’s neat and tidy living space
Akimitsu’s day will start at 7am. The first thing this guy does when he gets out of bed is fold the blankets and pillows, open the window, make coffee, and exercise for 15 minutes before going to personal hygiene. After that, Akimitsu will work from 8am – 11:30am before going to the kitchen to cook lunch. Have lunch, take a break until about 1:30 p.m., Akimitsu will continue to work until 6:00 p.m. and then go back to the kitchen to cook dinner. This guy’s only form of entertainment is watching movies or taking evening walks, alone.
Akimitsu said he doesn’t feel like his life is boring or lonely, even when he hasn’t talked to her for months. All of Akimitsu’s social interactions are limited to messages, meetings with partners, supermarket staff, and convenience store staff.
In addition to weekly food expenses, Akimitsu affirmed that in the past year, he only bought one item: an iMac. Because he works in the field of graphic design and is a freelancer, Akimitsu feels he sees this as an investment in his work. Besides this iMac, during the past year, Akimitsu has absolutely not bought clothes or any other items.
“Rice Fishing Rod” by Akimitsu
This 28-year-old man said he rarely shops, hasn’t traveled all year and rarely attends gatherings or meetings with friends. Each month, besides the amount of money required to pay service bills (rent, electricity, water, internet, etc.) and money to buy food, Akimitsu spends almost nothing else so he can save up to 13 Man/month (4908 Peso) – Nearly 70% of monthly income.
Because he works as a freelancer, Akimitsu’s monthly income is not fixed, on average it is about 19 Man/month (7,173 Pesos).
“After 2 years of pursuing a minimalist lifestyle, I realized that feeling satisfied with life does not necessarily come with lavish activities or excitement. My life is extremely simple. But I always feel very satisfied. I want to focus on the quality and meaning of each item and each activity rather than following shopping and entertainment trends.
Akimitsu likes the frugal, simple life as it is now
I also want to focus on maintaining a frugal life by controlling what I put into my body and having a regular schedule. I go to the supermarket every day, always cook everything I buy, never hoard food and always only choose organic food.” – Akimitsu affirmed.
