Polygamous Freeloader Ryuta Watanabe Wants to Surpass Tokugawa Ienari the 11th Shogun

How is he able to live this way?
Living in Hokkaido with three wives and two children, yet somehow living separately from his fourth wife.

“The Freeloader’s Gratitude”—this is not a parody of an old tale. These words embody the very life of Ryuta Watanabe (37), who leads a polygamous life in Hokkaido. Once living as a live-in freeloader supported by his partners, he eventually evolved into a traveling freeloader. Now, he has established a polygamous household while earning 1.25 million yen per month as a social media influencer on platforms like SNS and YouTube.

At first glance, his family structure may seem complex, but apparently, it is perfectly rational.

The “Fifth Wife Audition” is also scheduled to be held

“Currently, under one roof, there is the first wife, Hiyaki (24), the second wife, Ayaka (37), and the third wife, Chiharu (28). There are also Hiyaki’s child, Ema (2), and Chiharu’s child, Toa (1), making a total of six people living together. Moreover, Chiharu is pregnant with twins, so the family is expected to grow in the spring.”

But that’s not all. In addition to his fourth wife, Chihiro (27), who is currently living separately, he also has a 25-year-old girlfriend, and there are six other children from different mothers besides these four wives.

Normally, one might wonder, “Is this okay?” But for him, polygamy is an efficient and rational family structure.

“With monogamy, there’s often too much expectation placed on one partner, and the roles tend to become skewed, causing one person to take on too much. But with polygamy, the burden can be spread out, and each person can utilize their strengths. For example, Hiyaki handles the cooking, Ayaka takes care of the cleaning and laundry, and Chiharu, who is pregnant, helps with that as much as she can without overexerting herself. In our household, the simple rule is whoever wants to do it, does it, and this allows everyone to live comfortably without forcing anyone to do more than they can.”

Their way of living, where each person brings their strengths and supports each other, presents an unconventional family dynamic that challenges traditional family models.