Five Things Even Japanese Media Can't Buy
Golf Memberships and Residence Rights That Few Accept
Only 10 Precious Seats at New York Restaurants
Hermes Birkin Bags and Cartier Limited to 5 Pieces
Although money can buy almost everything in this world, there are things that even the wealthiest cannot purchase.
On the 3rd, ‘Business Insider Japan’ introduced the ‘5 things money alone can’t buy’ that were featured in Business Insider last month. The first item on the list is a membership at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, where the Masters, a major PGA tournament, is held. It is known that the club has about 300 members. Simply applying and paying money does not guarantee admission. Membership is strictly by invitation only. One can join only when an existing member resigns or passes away. Bloomberg reported in 2015 that billionaire Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and hedge fund legend Stanley Druckenmiller are members of this club.
The second is River House, a nearly 100-year-old building located at a dead-end street facing the East River in New York. Residents’ privacy is the top priority, and a strict committee manages the application process. This 26-story Art Deco building is one of the most luxurious places in New York. Residents collectively own the building and share responsibilities, one of which is approving or rejecting prospective tenants. Moving into River House is not easy even for wealthy individuals. Former President Richard Nixon, actress Joan Crawford, and Diane Keaton reportedly failed to gain admission. Famous residents of River House include actress Uma Thurman and former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
Herm?s Birkin bags are also not available to just anyone. Those wishing to purchase a Birkin bag must already own other Herm?s products before the Birkin bag goes on sale. There is no fixed price until one is notified that they can purchase a Birkin bag, so the waiting period is indefinite. Business Insider reportedly requested comments from Herm?s about this earlier this year but received no response.
Reservations at Rao’s, an Italian restaurant in New York, are as rare as catching a star. When calling the restaurant, a message explains that all reservations are fully booked through 2024. The difficulty in securing a reservation is not only because of celebrity patrons. The restaurant has only 10 tables. Co-owner Frank Pellegrino Jr. only accepts people he considers ‘family.’ These customers are granted specific dinner table rights, and their reservations are passed down through generations. Those with table rights can lend their table for a night to friends or auction it for charity. Some people reportedly bid hundreds of dollars via an app to secure a table.
The last item is the Cartier wristwatch ‘Cheich,’ which made headlines at a Sotheby’s auction. Although called ‘Sheikh,’ the manufacturer refers to it as ‘Shei.’ Only four exist worldwide, and the winning bid at the 2022 auction was $1.1 million (about 1.5 billion KRW). This watch was created as a prize for the rider who won the Paris-Dakar Rally twice in a row during the 1980s. Belgian motorcycle racer Gaston Rahier became the first and last person to achieve this in 1984 and 1985. One of the four watches is reported lost, and Cartier holds the other two. In 2023, Alessio Zenga, co-founder of ‘Watch Boutique,’ revealed one more, bringing the total to five.
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