“I’ve acquired my share of money, social status and fame along the way. But now I’m restarting my life,” Maezawa wrote in the online advertisement. “As feelings of loneliness and emptiness slowly begin to surge upon me, there’s one thing that I think about: Continuing to love one woman”. On his Twitter account, he wrote. “Why not be the ‘first woman’ to travel to the moon?”

The ad listed several qualifications:

Single women aged 20 or over

Bright personality and always positive

Interested in going into space

Enjoys life to the fullest

Desires world peace

Applicants had to fill in a Google form with their personal details, personality traits and their thoughts about Maezawa. Reuters reported that a “love diagnostic test” was included so that applicants could gauge their compatibility. The test comprised multiple questions like “If you rode in a private jet where would you go?” and “If Maezawa farted in front of you what would you say?” Applications closed on January 17. Maezawa says he will make a final decision by the end of March.

In September 2018, private American aerospace manufacturer and space transport service company SpaceX confirmed that Maezawa would be the first passenger on the company’s commercial Starship rocket. Maezawa plans to fly in 2023. He will also bring artists with him, commissioning them to turn the experience into a project called #dearMoon. It will be the first lunar journey since the final US Apollo mission in 1972.

There is a price to be paid to go to the moon. Maezawa sold a 30 per cent stake in his e-retail company Zozo to Softbank Group last year for US$2.7 billion and resigned as CEO to prepare for his journey. Forbes estimates his current net worth at US$2 billion.

Maezawa’s entrepreneurial route has been unconventional. He skipped college and moved to the United States to become a drummer for a hard-core punk rock band, according to The New York Times. While exploring his passion for music, he started a mail-order catalogue business that sold rare CDs and records called Start Today. The advent of the web created opportunities for e-commerce sites, and Maezawa’s company went online in 2000 as “STM online”, selling apparel in addition to music merchandise. Then, it launched Zozotown in 2004.

Maezawa had become a billionaire by his mid thirties. Extravagant purchases like sports cars or interior decorations for his private jet, designed by Hermès, caught the attention of the Japanese tabloids. He’s an avid art collector, and his recent purchases include a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting sold at Sotheby’s for US$110.5 million in 2017.

Maezawa made international headlines when he announced that he was going to share 1 million yen (US$9,000) each with 1,000 Twitter followers who reposted his giveaway. That has garnered a total of 4.1 million retweets and 1.4 million likes.

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