Ashiya madam round-table talk, Part 2: “We are just living a normal life.

Ashiya City in Hyogo Prefecture overlooks the Rokko Mountains to the north and Osaka Bay to the south. Located less than 15 minutes by train from the center of Osaka and Kobe, the town is widely known as one of the most prestigious celebrity towns in Japan, where top executives of famous companies live, as well as big-name entertainers and professional baseball players.

On the other hand, the lifestyles of the town’s billionaires are shrouded in secrecy.

This time, FRIDAY invited three celebrities living in Ashiya to a roundtable discussion: Eri, who runs a cosmetics company; Yumiko, who used to be a reader model; and Yasuko, who has a reputation as a “madam of a different order of magnitude” among her peers.

Nonfiction writer Kei Kato, author of “The Truth About Ashiya: What Kind of People Live in the Most Luxurious Residence Town” (Kodansha), gave us a lecture on how super celebrities spend their real money.

Part 1: ” I’ll teach you how to spend real money (laughs)” A roundtable discussion with Ashiya madam, one of the most famous celebrity towns in Japan.

Complaints about “fake celebrities

–In recent years, more and more people from overseas and other prefectures have moved to these celebrity towns. Among the Hanshin area of Hyogo Prefecture, which has many upscale residential areas such as Kobe and Nishinomiya, Ashiya is known as one of the best celebrity towns. What makes it different from other areas?

Eri Many people wear colorful clothes such as pink, red, and blue. In other cities, they might stand out, but in Ashiya, they don’t stand out. Everyone wears them naturally. Also, there is no one here who goes to a convenience store in a sweatshirt.

Yumiko: People who come to Ashiya from other places are surprised to see so many foreign cars.

Eri Recently, there are young couples in their 20s who drive “Ferraris” and “Rolls-Royces.

-Even in the case of domestic cars, I have the impression that there are many high-grade cars such as “Lexus.

Yasuko It is true that many people drive Ferraris, Mercedes Benzes, and other high-end cars, but they never show them off to others.

Yumiko: I have several Ferraris in my garage, but on formal occasions I drive a domestic car. You are very sensitive to the subtleties of the human heart.

Eri: Because of my job, I often use social networking services, but I don’t go out of my way to post what I bought. Even when it comes to food, people who say, “It has to be expensive wine,” are not really celebrities, are they?

Yasuko: If the wine is good, I will drink it for several thousand yen, and I also go to ordinary izakaya (Japanese-style pubs). I am not particular about the price. However, there are people who open restaurants in Ashiya with the mindset of “the more expensive, the better,” but they are easily seen through. They have all eaten good food in their own way.

Eri I hear that there are factions among new residents.

Yasuko: It doesn’t bother me too much. There are a lot of comments about bad manners, but I don’t feel bad about it. Rather, I feel as if I was entertained by the idea that there is such a world out there.

Eri However, people who have lived in Ashiya for a long time don’t live in a way that causes trouble, do they?

Yumiko When I see people who communicate their lives on SNS, I wonder who they are fighting with (laughs).

Eri We are just living a normal life.

We lead a glittering life, but we never boast about it. The “real” celebrities are spending their days off the beaten path.

From the April 17/24, 2026 issue of FRIDAY