A man in Japan earning over RM1 million a year from rental properties and investments has chosen to keep working as a janitor to stay healthy and active.
Koichi Matsubara, 56, cleans public areas and does basic maintenance in a block of flats in Tokyo, Japanese media outlet The Gold Online reported. Despite his wealth, he works a modest four-hour shift three days a week, earning about RM3,200 monthly—far below Tokyo’s average salary of RM11,400.
Behind the mop and bucket, however, Matsubara is one of the building’s wealthiest “invisible millionaires”. He rakes in more than RM1.36 million annually from rental properties and investments.
Raised in a single-parent household, Matsubara learned the value of saving early. After finishing secondary school, he worked in a factory earning around RM7,000 a month, saving RM68,000 over a few years to buy his first studio flat.
“The housing market had bottomed out then. I avoided vacancies, paid off the mortgage quickly, and expanded step by step,” he explained.
Today, the 57-year-old owns seven rental properties in Tokyo and its suburbs, alongside stock and fund investments. Yet, he lives frugally—residing in a modest flat, cooking his own meals, cycling for transport, using a basic smartphone, and not buying new clothes for more than a decade.
For Matsubara, janitorial work isn’t about money but purpose. “Every morning, I wake up, clean, and make everything neat. It feels really good,” he said.
His life goal is to stay humble, healthy, and fulfilled, without flaunting his wealth. With nearly 20 years of work behind him, he looks forward to his pension at 60.
Matsubara’s story has gone viral in Japan. Netizens praised him as “rational and skilled at managing wealth,” with others adding, “Doing some cleaning every day is healing for the mind and body.” One even remarked: “Never underestimate a cleaner—an invisible millionaire could be right next to you.”
In Japan, unusual lifestyles aren’t rare. Another example is a 75-year-old dubbed the “God of Freebies”, who has lived for a decade using only coupons and free offers while holding stocks in over 1,000 companies and a net worth of RM3.2 million.
