In pursuit of his lifelong dream of resembling a wolf, Toru Ueda, an engineer from Tokyo, has spent around 3 million yen (approximately $23,000) on an ultra-realistic costume.
He commissioned Zeppet, a specialist production and modeling company that provides costumes and figures for the film and TV industries, to create the suit for him. The 32-year-old said he exchanged more than 40 emails and had three face-to-face meetings with the company's employees to design the perfect suit which took more than 50 days to achieve.
"When I wear my costume, I feel I'm no longer human. I'm free of human relationships. All kinds of troubles, related to work and other things - I can forget about them," Ueda told The Times.
The engineer had previously expressed his longstanding desire to connect with nature, sharing that he had always dreamed of being closer to animals. "Because of my love for animals since childhood and some realistic animal suits appearing on TV," he told Zeppet, "I dreamed of being one someday."
Filled with elation, Ueda expressed his utmost delight with the final outcome of his order, heaping praise upon the specialized company for their exceptional craftsmanship. "My order to 'look like a real wolf walking on hind legs' was difficult – to say the least – but the complete suit looked exactly like what I imagined."
Recently, a 32-year-old Japanese man spent over $23,000 to achieve a hyper-realistic wolf costume
Image credits: Zeppet
Image credits: Zeppet
Toru Ueda, a Tokyo-based engineer, was always fascinated with wildlife
Image credits: Zeppet
Image credits: Zeppet
"Because of my love for animals since childhood and some realistic animal suits appearing on TV, I dreamed of being one someday."
Image credits: Zeppet
Image credits: Zeppet
To achieve his dream, the man reached out to Zeppet, a specialist production and modeling company, who agreed to help with his special request
Image credits: Zeppet
Image credits: Zeppet
Despite the significant investment, Toru Ueda refrains from wearing the wolf suit to fancy dress parties, feeling uncomfortable about parading down the street in it too. Instead, he reserves the costume for more intimate occasions, for instance, when he has friends over at his apartment.
Meanwhile, Zeppet has noticed a significant surge in customers seeking their services for crafting lifelike suits, with over 50 individuals requesting suits similar to Ueda's for their personal use.
One such example is a Japanese man who goes by the name Toco. He spent two million Yen (about $14,000) last year to transform himself into a human-sized rough collie. Toco shares his experiences as a dog through his YouTube channel, keeping people updated on his fascinating journey.
Upon purchasing the costume, Ueda made it clear that he doesn't use it for going out. Instead, he uses it in the comfort of his home
Image credits: Zeppet
Although people didn't mind Ueda's passion, the reactions were far from serious
