A man who spent $23,000 to "become a wolf" has defended his choices after declaring his happiness for being "free from human relationships." Toru Ueda is an engineer from Tokyo who deals with the stresses of modern life by transforming into an incredibly realistic wolf. The costume itself is incredibly impressive and considering it cost $23,000 and took four people seven weeks to create, it's a good thing that its resemblance to a wolf is uncanny. It was created by Zeppet, a company that makes models and costumes for TV and movies and Ueda had three face-to-face meetings with them to outline exactly what he wanted. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/ChonXGApqpJ/]] The 32-year-old sat down with <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/japanese-man-answers-call-of-the-wild-in-a-tailor-made-wolf-suit-xltvk0q8g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Times</a>, where he revealed why he had spent a large sum of money so that he could escape human life. Ueda said: "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." During the meetings and emails with the company, Ueda explained what he wanted down to the last detail including the texture of the fur. He wanted a realistic costume of a wolf, but one that would allow him to walk normally as opposed to on all fours like a real wolf would do. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/CyberRealms1/status/1613541181069172736]] Ueda revealed that he doesn't wear it in public, nor would he take it to a fancy dress party as it is a form of escapism for him. "When I look in the mirror, I see a wolf, and that is very moving," he said. "I’m not a werewolf — that’s a kind of monster, and I am not a monster." The engineer explained that he sometimes invites his friends over and will wear the wolf costume around them, and they are fully supportive of it despite them not being into costumes themselves. A similar story emerged in Japan late last year when a man named Toco spent $15,000 on a costume to <a href="https://vt.co/news/man-who-spent-15k-to-become-a-dog-is-worried-his-friends-will-think-hes-weird">turn himself into a dog</a>, but he was worried his friends would think he is "weird". Speaking to the <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/man-who-became-dog-12480-28827528" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mirror</a>, Toco said: "Since childhood, I have had this unspecific fantasy of becoming an animal," adding, "I wonder whether it was a desire for transformation." It turns out he had nothing to worry about, as people were very supportive of his choices. <h6>Featured image credit: Janette Hil / Alamy</h6>

Man who spent $23,000 to 'become a wolf' insists he is 'not a monster'

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