Tomoaki Hamatsu, famously known as Nasubi, took on a life-altering challenge when he joined the Japanese game show Susunu! Denpa Shōnen in 1998. Little did he know, the experience would take him on an unexpected journey.
The show's premise was deceptively simple: Nasubi had to survive alone in an apartment, without any personal belongings. Instead, he could only obtain essentials by winning them from mail-in sweepstakes. His goal? To accumulate ¥1 million (approximately $8,000) through these winnings.
What started as a seemingly harmless endeavor quickly spiraled into a surreal and isolating ordeal. Nasubi endured 335 days of seclusion, naked and under constant observation by an unseen audience.
And just when he thought his trials were over, they began anew.
Nasubi's Rise To Fame: From Unknown Comic To Reality TV Star
Tomoaki Hamatsu, born on August 3, 1975, adopted the stage name Nasubi, meaning "eggplant." His early life remains largely obscure, but as he entered his twenties, he ventured into the realm of comedy.
Though still a newcomer to the entertainment scene, Nasubi's fortunes seemingly shifted in 1998 when he secured a lottery win for a "show business-related job."
This opportunity held promise for the aspiring entertainer, yet what seemed like a dream scenario soon evolved into a harrowing ordeal for Nasubi.
'Susunu! Denpa Shōnen': Inside Japan's Extreme Reality Show
Nasubi's supposed opportunity led him to participate in a Japanese reality TV show called Susunu! Denpa Shōnen, translating to "Do Not Proceed! Crazy Youth." The show aired on Nippon Television starting in 1998 and ran for four years.
Nasubi's segment, titled "My Life in Prizes," became the focus of a new Hulu documentary called The Contestant.
Nasubi was tasked by the show's producers to reside solo in an apartment, relying entirely on prizes won from mail-in sweepstakes until he reached a total of ¥1 million in winnings. His nickname, "Nasubi," meaning "eggplant" in Japanese, stemmed from his facial resemblance to the vegetable. Additionally, producers used an eggplant icon to censor his nudity on-screen, hence solidifying the association with the nickname.
Nasubi faced an extraordinary challenge as he entered the apartment completely nude, as he was prohibited from bringing any belongings, including clothes. His sole means of sustenance and entertainment came from winning prizes through mail-in sweepstakes.
Upon arrival, producers instructed Nasubi to disrobe completely, leaving him with only a stack of magazines and a pen. Nasubi, assuming the show would be filmed and edited later, embarked on what he thought was a conventional production.
However, he soon realized that his every move was being broadcast live, with the footage later rebroadcasted. As the show gained immense popularity, it transitioned to a 24/7 live stream format, employing innovative technology to censor Nasubi's nudity with an icon.
Living solely on luck, Nasubi faced an extraordinary challenge. But how did he fare under such circumstances?
Nasubi's Time On 'Susunu!'
To kick things off, Nasubi faced the challenge of having no food. He survived primarily on water, enduring weight loss until he scored a victory: sugary drinks from one of the sweepstakes he entered.
His breakthrough moment arrived when he won a large bag of rice. Finally, Nasubi had sustenance, albeit with a new hurdle—he lacked cooking utensils. Nonetheless, he consumed the rice raw, grateful for any sustenance.
Over time, Nasubi improvised a cooking method by placing the rice in a bag near the stove's flame.
In these early stages, Nasubi grappled with boredom, solitude, and a lack of personal hygiene essentials. His hair and nails grew unkempt, and he remained unclothed, save for a pair of ill-fitting women's underwear, his sole clothing prize.
"My Life in Prizes, that was very much cruel," Nasubi told Deadline in November 2023. "The only thing I could do is to write and mail in to win the sweepstakes. There is no happiness of my life. There is no freedom… But that was not edited into the program, that was not shown."
After depleting his rice supply, Nasubi endured hunger until winning a shipment of dog food, becoming his main sustenance. Additionally, he scored a stuffed animal, whom he conversed with and affectionately referred to as his "sensei."
At times, Nasubi snagged prizes like movie tickets or a bicycle, though he couldn't utilize them as he was confined to the apartment. Despite this, he ingeniously transformed the bicycle into a stationary one. He also secured a television, but the producers withheld cable access to prevent him from discovering the show was already airing.
One of Nasubi's most triumphant moments occurred when he won a toothbrush and toothpaste, marking the end of months without proper dental hygiene.
Nasubi's rising fame sparked production concerns as fans and paparazzi began pinpointing his apartment's location. In response, producers abruptly awakened Nasubi one night and escorted him to another apartment. Initially, Nasubi assumed he had achieved his goal, only to realize upon arrival that the show was far from over.
In a poignant moment, Nasubi sifted through his belongings and realized that the new bag of rice he had won was missing. Thankfully, a producer returned moments later, admitting they had forgotten the rice in the truck. Nasubi, relieved, quipped, "It's okay to forget other things, but you cannot forget the rice!"
Nasubi's fortunes appeared to improve after relocating to the new apartment. He finally won a pan, allowing him to cook his rice properly. Additionally, he scored a VCR and a PlayStation, the latter being particularly significant as he had previously won a game for it. These newfound possessions provided much-needed diversion during his isolation.
Next, Nasubi hit the jackpot by winning a set of four car tires valued at approximately ¥84,000, bringing him within reach of his goal. Ultimately, it was another bag of rice that propelled him past the ¥1 million mark, marking the end of Nasubi's isolation—or so he thought.
However, his ordeal was far from over.
The Challenge Continues In South Korea
After achieving his initial goal, Nasubi was provided with clothing and blindfolded. The show's producers led him to believe he was receiving a special reward for conquering his challenge. He was then whisked away to South Korea, where he savored a day at an amusement park and indulged in real meals.
Nasubi had endured 335 days of isolation.
At the day's end, Nasubi found himself in another apartment and was instructed to undress.
Once again, Nasubi was confronted with the challenge of subsisting solely on sweepstakes winnings. The producers, after he had disrobed, informed him that he had the option to decline the challenge if he so wished.
"I want to do it," he told them.
This time, Nasubi aimed to win enough for an economy class ticket on Japan Airlines to return home. But as he reached this goal quickly, the producers upped the ante, shifting the target to business class, then first class.
Fortunately, Nasubi achieved this new goal within weeks, and he was flown back to Japan.
Upon his return, he found himself in yet another apartment.
Nasubi's Isolation Finally Ends
Instinctively, Nasubi surveyed the small apartment and began to undress. It appeared his ordeal was far from over.
However, the producers had one last surprise in store for Nasubi. Suddenly, the walls surrounding him collapsed, revealing a vast crowd of cheering people.
This fabricated apartment was situated in the heart of a television studio, with a large TV screen behind Nasubi displaying a live feed of him for all to watch. Unaware that the show was already being broadcast, Nasubi remained in the dark.
The sudden revelation overwhelmed him, leaving Nasubi nearly speechless when the show's hosts approached to inform him of his victory.
Altogether, Nasubi endured 15 months in solitary confinement within the apartment, stripped of clothing, with scant sustenance and minimal entertainment. While the show shattered numerous records and Nasubi's subsequent memoir detailing the experience became a bestseller, the challenge exacted a profound toll on him.
"My mental condition was at its worst," Nasubi told the Japanese magazine Style Koriyama in June 2020. "I was like, 'Why only me? Why do I have to do all these things? I'd rather die than feel like this.' Every day, I just did the same thing: writing hundreds of postcards, which got me down more mentally rather than physically. Although I looked like I was having fun most of the time on the edited show, to me, it was full of pain."
Fortunately, in the years following the show, Nasubi managed to carve out a successful life for himself. Despite grappling with a challenging transition period where he struggled with ordinary interactions, Nasubi persisted and pursued a career as an actor. Notably, he landed roles in the renowned Kamen Rider series. Impressively, Nasubi even accomplished the remarkable feat of summiting Mount Everest.
During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, Nasubi leveraged his own isolation experience to urge the people of Japan to heed the restrictions. He emphasized, "Staying in a house for one month or two months won't kill you. I proved it in a sense by surviving being locked up for a year and three months."
