How has wealth influenced his relationships with family and friends? How does he manage these relationships?

Answer: Okay, let's talk about this Japanese "stock trading god," Takashi Kogameka (better known by his online alias B.N.F.), and how his relationships have changed because of his wealth.

Honestly, this is a fascinating question because his approach is completely different from what we imagine a "rich person" would do.

Wealth: A "Magnifying Glass" or "Isolation Wall" for Relationships? The Story of Takashi Kogameka

To answer simply and directly: Yes, immense wealth profoundly altered his relationships with family and friends. But the core of how he handled these relationships boils down to two words – "low-key" – or even "invisible."

Let's break it down below. You'll find his story very illuminating.

1. Family: The Shift from "Dependent" to "Family Pillar"

Many people, after becoming wealthy, might move into mansions, creating a huge lifestyle gap with their families, or even feud bitterly over asset distribution. But Kogameka did almost the opposite.

Unchanged Lifestyle: One of the most talked-about points is that even when he was already worth tens of billions of yen, he continued living with his parents for a very long time. Think about it: someone who could buy prime real estate buildings in Tokyo still sharing a roof with his parents. This alone shows he didn't let money distance him from his family.
Direct Economic Support: His care for his family wasn't about buying luxury goods. Reportedly, he once directly gave his parents 100 million yen (roughly several million CNY) in cash for them to use freely. This extremely direct approach essentially said: "Stop worrying about money; I've got this." The relationship shifted from him relying on the family to the family being able to completely rely on him. This was a fundamental change in roles, but a positive one, strengthening family bonds.

Therefore, for his family, wealth acted more like a "stabilizer." He ensured family stability in the most down-to-earth way possible, preventing money from becoming a source of family conflict.

2. Friends: A Deliberately "Closed Door"

This part is harsher and more realistic.

Specialization Leading to Isolation: Even before becoming super-rich, Kogameka's life was already very isolated. He dropped out of university to devote himself entirely to stock trading. His daily life revolved around staring at screens and researching data. This intense, focused lifestyle inherently makes maintaining a wide social circle difficult. It could be said that wealth didn't make him lose friends; rather, the way he pursued wealth led him to actively abandon most social interactions.
The Wealth "Shield": When he became exceptionally wealthy, this "isolation" became even more necessary. We can all imagine what would happen if his wealth became widely known – how many people would approach him because of his money. People asking for loans, investment, trying to get close... it would completely disrupt his life.
His Strategy: "Leave No Opportunity": He almost never attends social events, has few friends, and makes no effort to make new ones. His world consists of trading and an extremely minimalist lifestyle. It's like building a high wall around himself, keeping all potential trouble out.

So, for friendships, wealth truly functioned like an "isolation wall" for him. But this wall was largely built proactively to protect himself and his career.

How Did He Handle These Relationships? – The Core: Living "Unlike the Wealthy"

Summarizing his philosophy is actually very simple: minimize the "presence" of wealth in everyday life.

Maintain a "Normal Person" Lifestyle:
- He took the train, often ate ramen or convenience store bento, and had no interest in luxury goods, fancy cars, or expensive watches. When your lifestyle is indistinguishable from an average person's, you don't create distance from old friends or family due to "different social classes." Nor will others constantly see "money" written all over your face.
Extreme Emphasis on Privacy:
- He used the alias "B.N.F." for years, rarely appeared in the media, and never discussed his private life. This "mythical dragon who shows its head but never its tail" approach helped him avoid the vast majority of wealth-induced harassment. If people can't find you, they certainly can't influence your life.
Minimize the Relationship Circle:
- Rather than spending energy discerning who was a true friend and who sought his wealth, he chose the simplest solution: do not expand the friend circle. He focused his energy on his most core and trusted family members. Towards the outside world, he maintained a significant distance.

In summary:

Kogameka's story teaches us a truth: Wealth itself is neutral. It acts like a magnifying glass, amplifying your pre-existing relationships.

With his family, the relationship was already good; wealth gave him the ability to better repay and protect it.
With friends, he already had a small circle; wealth gave him stronger reason to maintain this simplicity and avoid complications.

The core of how he handled everything was an almost ascetic monk-like discipline and low profile. He didn't try to "manage" complex wealth-related relationships; instead, he chose from the outset to prevent such complexity from arising. While difficult for the average person to emulate, this is undoubtedly a very smart and effective form of self-protection.