A Tokyo retiree secretly spent parts of his $3.8 million lottery win while hiding the truth from his tightly budgeted household.
An elderly man in Japan who won $3.8 million in the lottery kept his windfall from his penny-pinching wife so he could briefly enjoy a life of luxury. The 66-year-old, identified only as “S”, is a retired employee of a major manufacturing firm and lives in Tokyo with his wife on a combined monthly pension of $2,000. With high city living costs and the added burden of supporting two children’s education, the couple had managed to save $174,000.
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S spent his mornings reading the newspaper in a local coffee shop before buying a few lottery tickets, each costing $2. One day, he was informed he had won a large amount and needed to visit the bank. There he learnt he had secured the grand prize of 600 million yen. The news left him stunned. “This does not feel real. The number is so huge, I am even a bit scared,” he said, before adding that he viewed it simply as “an experience” given the slim odds of winning, reported the South China Morning Post.
Secret spending spree
Rather than sharing the truth with his wife, who strictly controlled household finances, had banned beer at home and allowed only an old inexpensive car, S told