Bottom-Tier Gravure Idol Spends Two Summer Nights with Polygamous Freeloader

Ryuta Watanabe (37), known as a YouTuber and influencer under the title of “Polygamous Freeloader,” lives with his eight-member family: First wife Hizaki, second wife Ayaka, third wife Chiharu, Hizaki’s second child Ema-chan, Chiharu’s first child A-kun, and a pair of newborn twins. (The fourth wife is currently away from home.)

After meeting him for an interview, going on a date in Kabukicho, and being invited over for homemade omurice… this time—at long last (?!), I strapped my son to my back and made my way to the actual polygamous household in Hokkaido!

Check out the first two parts of the “Polygamous Freeloader Trilogy” below ↓

A 3-day, 2-night bullet polygamy experience

I first headed out on a daytime flight. Totally unrelated to the whole polygamy thing, but Shinjuku Station was under construction and I couldn’t get to the Narita-bound limousine bus stop on the west side—I was nearly in tears. I was trapped forever between the Marunouchi and Odakyu lines. My son passed out on the bus, but of course he got super hyped on the plane, so honestly, I was already exhausted before we even arrived. Still, we made it to the airport, transferred trains, and headed for the Polygamous Household!

It was a huge apartment building within walking distance from the station. I rang the intercom several times at first, but got no response. The building manager eventually came over and kindly told me, “You have to press it harder.”

Well, I mean… I’m such a bottom-tier person that I hardly ever go to fancy apartments like this…

And then finally, the big moment—we meet!

I’ve met Mr. Watanabe several times before, but this was my first time meeting the wives. My heart was pounding. The first to greet me was Ayaka-san.

“Nice to meet you~”

Whoa! It’s the person from YouTube! Then came Hizaki-san and Chiharu-san, each greeting me in turn. Everyone looked even cuter in real life. And what is this mansion?! A high-floor 4LDK with a balcony big enough to fit a pool. If this were in Minato Ward, what would the rent even be?

My son had a meltdown from stranger anxiety, bawling his eyes out. But he quickly warmed up, and I handed him off to Mr. Watanabe so I could go out drinking with the wives. I had so many questions I wanted to ask, but I was nervous and shy and couldn’t talk—so I just kept downing drinks.

When I asked, “To be honest, didn’t you think, ‘There’s no way she’s actually coming’?” all three of them kindly said, “Your initiative is amazing!” which was a relief.

Someone said, “Sarii-san, you kind of remind us of Ryuta!”—and yeah, I get that. I do feel like we’re kind of the same type of person, like kindred spirits or something (lol).

The two hours flew by, and just when things were about to get really interesting—time was up, and I had to leave.

On the way back, we passed through Sapporo Station—and wow! I could feel all the eyes on us. With the three wives together, they really stand out. A well-dressed lady came up all excited, saying, “I watch your YouTube! I’m a fan!” and asked to take a photo. She was squealing, “Kyaa!! So cute!!” Total excitement. The wives are like Sapporo idols.

While we were on our way to the convenience store to buy more drinks, another woman came up to us, covering her mouth in surprise, saying, “Oh my gosh! I watch you guys!” She turned out to be a hardcore fan — she even recognized me, saying, “Sarii-san!” and mentioned she had watched the episode I appeared in. She invited me to join the group photo. Just for a moment, I got to taste what it feels like to be a famous YouTuber. I’m so grateful!

When we got back with the drinks, my son had already taken a bath, had his hair carefully dried, and greeted me with smooth, silky hair and a sweet “Welcome back.” He looked just like a child of the Watanabe household. No surprise, given how experienced they are at raising kids.

After returning from picking up Chiharu-san’s eldest son, Akun, and Hizaki-san’s eldest daughter, Ema-chan, Watanabe-san and the kids all sat down for dinner.

The menu? Grilled salmon, potatoes, tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet), wakame rice, and miso soup. A lineup of dishes beloved by kids. And no one ate more enthusiastically than my own son.

A 10-person big family heads to “Shiroi Koibito Park”

From there, Hizaki-san gave Toa-kun and Ema-chan a bath, while I drank some more wait, what was everyone else doing again? I honestly can’t even remember—everyone was just doing their own thing, freely and comfortably. Some people take their baths at night, others in the morning—there don’t seem to be any strict rules or schedules.

By around 10 PM, the kids had gone to bed. Hizaki-san also turned in, but the remaining adults raised a toast! Everyone except Ayaka-san had some red wine.

And not just any red wine—it was a 200,000 yen bottle. Apparently a gift. So this is what happens when you’re famous you casually drink 200,000 yen wine? Must be nice. And yes, of course it was delicious. It tasted… expensive.

We chatted until about 4 AM?

Everyone drank what they liked, snacked on what they wanted, and went to bed whenever they felt like it. Is polygamy basically the ultimate share house? Even though I’ve done multiple interviews before, this was my first time actually staying over. And yet, the comfort of this house was unreal. Before I knew it, I was drunk and fast asleep.

In the morning, the kids woke up first, which naturally woke us adults. We fed the kids breakfast, but the adults mostly skipped eating—which I totally relate to, since we’re like that at my place too. I’d drunk way too much the night before and crashed without even washing my face, so I gratefully took a morning bath (yes, I’m trash—even in someone else’s house).

And today was the big event: an outing with the whole 10-person family! Last night, while drinking, we’d gotten all excited saying, “Tomorrow, we’re heading out as a 10-person family!”

Still, there was no fixed departure time. People just woke up at their own pace, started getting ready, suddenly opened their laptops to do some work, or grabbed an open sink to do their makeup. Amidst it all, Watanabe-san quickly vacuumed the place, then put on an apron and began cooking something. That lovely smell? Curry. Two kinds, no less—one for the adults and one for the kids.

“I was like, whoa, that’s a lot of food!” — but the meat was in big chunks, super filling and delicious! I devoured it. My son, true to form, had two full servings.

Around 4 PM, everyone was finally ready, and off we went to Shiroi Koibito Park! With a Vellfire and a Benz, we split into two cars. The Yoshizawa family rode in the Benz with Chiharu-san and her twins, including Yua-chan. As we were getting in, Chiharu-san murmured, “So, Ayaka-chan and Ryuta went to Saitama to test drive this, and then he just went ahead and bought it 3 million yen.”

Three million yen! He dropped 3 million yen without even consulting her. And she didn’t even get mad. If it were me, I’d be foaming at the mouth.

That said, I’ve ridden in a Benz a few times before, and of course, this one was gorgeous. Not only was the ride smooth, but the roof opened up, the steering wheel sparkled—it was the very picture of wealth.

By the time we arrived, we were just barely in time to buy tickets (sweating). While Hizaki-san and the others were buying them, Watanabe-san and Chiharu-san got swarmed by a bunch of students on a school trip. Even the middle schoolers recognized the whole polygamy thing and were squealing with excitement.

I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw him say to a girl taking a commemorative photo, “Let’s meet again when you turn 20,” just like a male idol.

It was a big move—five adults and five kids traveling together. What surprised the adults most was how, even though the kids had been playing separately at home, they suddenly became best buddies. The three of them held hands and happily walked together.

They’d let go of each other briefly when turning corners or checking out attractions, but Toa-kun would quickly take charge, saying “Here!” and grabbing Ema-chan and my son’s hands again. The whole scene was so heart-meltingly adorable that every adult was just nonstop saying “So cute!” the entire time.

As nice as it was to see them get along, my son and Toa-kun got way too hyped up and kept trying to run off—over and over again. One adult was constantly chasing them down: catch → escape → catch… rinse and repeat. The women started to feel a bit anxious, wondering, “What on earth is it going to be like when they’re five?”

Polygamy experience is comfortable

We didn’t have much time, so we made a quick exit.

Even though I’d eaten so much curry earlier, I was starving. Back home, Ayaka-san and Watanabe-san went out for groceries. Tonight’s dinner? Sukiyaki. Since I love sukiyaki, I was like, “Yay!”—but the wives were more like, “Again?!” Apparently, Watanabe-san loves sukiyaki so much he insists on having it once a week. Yeah… once-a-week sukiyaki is a pretty intense pace (lol).

While waiting for the two to return, Hizaki-san said, “I’m starving! Let’s fry up some karaage!” and decided to cook the homemade plum-and-shiso-marinated fried chicken that Watanabe-san had prepped the day before. Chiharu-san and I were both totally famished, so this emergency snack was a real lifesaver.

I mean—hold up!! The freeloader’s special karaage?? Insanely good!!

The plum flavor came through perfectly, the coating was super crispy, and it was just so delicious. No exaggeration—it was the best karaage I’ve ever had! I completely lost all restraint and started chugging beer. And let me just say, the rice at the Watanabe house? Absolutely incredible. I had to ask, “Why is it this good?!”

Turns out: “It’s Ryuta’s thing—he uses a rice cooker that adjusts the cooking method depending on the variety of rice.”

It costs 100,000 yen. Honestly, it’s worth more than the price. I just bought a rice cooker not too long ago. I wish I’d gotten the same one.

Then the two returned from shopping, and the sukiyaki hit the table. With a lemon sour in hand, I ate like a beast. It was so good… The dipping sauce was homemade too—apparently, they’ve been refining it through a lot of trial and error. So, this household just eats this kind of gourmet food every day?

That night, Hizaki-san said, “Whether it’s two or three, it’s all the same,” and kindly gave my son a bath too. Meanwhile, I was still knocking back drinks.

Wait a minute…
Have I done anything in Hokkaido except drink?!
That night, we chatted about what life was like in the pre-kids days of their polygamous household, their future plans, and made plans to go for conveyor belt sushi on the final day. I drank myself into oblivion again and passed out.

Final day!

I woke up to the kids’ voices, took another bath, and waved goodbye to Toa-kun and Ema-chan as they left for daycare. We all got ready and headed to sushi!

The last time I came to Sapporo, the conveyor belt sushi I had was pretty disappointing, so I was honestly a bit skeptical this time (sorry!). But the Watanabe family’s go-to sushi spot, Emon Misaki, was unreal!!

I drank Sapporo Classic like it was water, and devoured uni, ikura, shako, shrimp. The salmon, shellfish, and white fish—everything was amazing! It finally hit me: This is what coming to Hokkaido is all about. I’m 100% eating sushi here again next time!!

And then they dropped me off at the station, and we said our goodbyes.

If I had to sum up the whole polygamous household experience in one word, it would be: comfortable! That’s it. Despite being a big family, there was none of that rigid stuff like everyone eating meals at the same time, scheduled bath rotations, or strict kitchen duty rosters—none of it!

I’ve gone on trips with my son a few times before, and while they were fun, I always came back completely exhausted. But this time? I actually felt more refreshed when I got home. The best kind of trip! Which just goes to show. I didn’t do anything. I drank, lounged on the massage chair, and took naps. That was basically it.

True to his freeloader title, Watanabe-san was constantly in motion, and the wives were squeezing in bits of work whenever they had free moments. I was honestly impressed by how efficient everything felt. Any solo mom who visits the Watanabe household might find it too comfortable to ever go back home (lol).

I definitely want to visit again—this time for a longer stay ♡