This is an ultra-luxury nursing home that sells everything from a three-meal restaurant to a large public bath, a playground, and a shop. However, there was a reality that was far from a peach. Hironori Jinno, a non-fiction writer and author of “Report: Super Luxury Nursing Home” (Diamond Publishing), reveals this.

The lump sum fee for moving in ranges from tens of millions of yen to 400 million to 500 million yen in higher places. Ultra-luxury nursing homes, such as Zara, where monthly payments can exceed 500,000 yen, often have spacious entrances that can be mistaken for first-class hotels, and concierges are on call 24 hours a day at the reception.

It is not uncommon to find a large communal bath with hot spring water, a theater room, and a gym, as well as a restaurant that serves full-course French cuisine, and a Japanese restaurant where chefs from famous restaurants come on business to make sushi. If the property is located along the coast, there are cases where all rooms over 100 square meters have an ocean view.

A high-end facility in Tokyo with a one-time entry fee of 100 million to 400 million yen has hosted people of great status and honor, including a former president of a major chemical manufacturer, a director of a railway company, a former president of a national university, and a famous vocalist. has moved in.

A staff member at this facility said, “Not only do we require applicants to have the means, but also to have “dignity”.”

There is one more characteristic that should be added to the celebrity tenants who are likely to have not only financial power but also dignity. That is “physical strength”.

The image of a typical nursing home is that elderly people who can no longer be cared for at home are moved in at the request of their families, but ultra-luxury facilities are different. The resident entered the facility voluntarily and is in good health. At the facilities in Tokyo mentioned above, the average age of residents is 85 years old. Most of them are not certified as requiring long-term care. Some residents even travel abroad with their carry-on cases in tow.

Therein lies a troublesome problem unique to high-end facilities.

At a facility in the Tokai region, a “management association” was formed mainly by the residents. Members are given titles such as chairman, vice chairman, and auditor.

The members of the management association gathered in the reception room with a luxurious chandelier hanging there, and although we had never heard of them, there were many people with glorious pasts, such as “I am a former director of XX company” and “He is a former bureaucrat of Kasumigaseki.” will be showing off.

There was a hint of self-congratulation for winning the mounting battle in every word they spoke, talking about how many people at the facility had impressive backgrounds, and how good they were as members of the board of directors.