In 1998, a 22-year-old comedian named Nasubi was randomly selected during an open audition to become a guest on an extreme variety show called Denpa Shonen, produced by Toshio Tsuchiya.
Nasubi
The show was notorious for its extreme and bizarre challenges, inviting aspiring comedians to participate in tasks such as being stranded on an island to build a raft to escape, hitchhiking from South Africa to Norway or from Hong Kong to London, and watching baseball games on an empty stomach, only eating if their supported team won… 
Denpa Shonen
Nasubi’s challenge was beyond what most could endure…
He was required to live in a small apartment in Japan, equipped only with a pen, blank postcards, a phone, and a shelf full of magazines. There was running water and electricity, but no essentials, not even toilet paper.
Nasubi was asked to strip naked, give up all his possessions, and isolate himself from the world, relying solely on magazine sweepstakes to acquire everything he needed to survive. He could only leave the room once he had won prizes totaling 1 million yen.
At the time, Japan was experiencing an economic downturn, and sweepstakes were all the rage. Many were curious if one could survive solely through winning prizes…
Nasubi
When joining the show, Nasubi did not know how long the recording would last and thought it was just an experiment, possibly never to be aired on television.
However, he never imagined that his naked living conditions would be recorded by two cameras 24/7, edited into a weekly show with only simple mosaic censorship over sensitive areas, and broadcast to the entire nation of Japan without his consent…
Nasubi
At the start of the recording, Nasubi had no food or water, surviving on tap water alone. As the show progressed, he won some prizes, starting with a few boxes of fruit drinks that sustained him for a few days…
Later, he won 5 kilograms of rice and seasonings, but there was no rice cooker.
Nasubi
Using a drink carton as a container, he managed to cook the rice, akin to surviving in the wild. His body grew weaker day by day.
Nasubi
Apart from a few essentials, Nasubi mostly won useless items like tires, golf balls, tents, globes, movie tickets, and his only “friend,” a stuffed seal…
Nasubi
Women’s underwear that was too small to cover anything…
These were practically junk for Nasubi, who was enduring extreme challenges.
Nasubi
It was not until the ninth month of his seclusion that he won a video cassette, finally able to turn on the antenna-less “brick” TV and watch some programs…
Due to the lack of food and clothing, Nasubi’s body grew increasingly frail, but the producers and crew seemed unconcerned.
Nasubi
Starting from day 80, when he had eaten all his rice, Nasubi only won sugary drinks and dog food, forcing him to eat wet dog food to survive for several weeks.
Nasubi
Nasubi’s extreme challenge lasted for 15 months, from January 1998 to March 1999. After living in the room for a year and three months, he finally reached the required prize amount and was released by the show’s crew.
Upon his release, the previously unknown Nasubi discovered he had become famous… At the time, Japan had a population of 126.4 million, and Denpa Shonen had a weekly viewership of over 30 million, setting a record.
While Nasubi felt proud of completing the challenge, he also felt exploited…
Nasubi
The key issue was that the isolation and loneliness of over a year had led him into a state of manic depression. His emotions were extremely chaotic, he couldn’t sleep, sometimes feeling as if he had been abducted by aliens, and even contemplated suicide.
He tried to maintain his sanity by keeping a journal, dancing, and playing games, but the journal entries were filled with painful memories: “My brain wasn’t getting enough nutrition, and being pushed to the brink made me go crazy.”
Just as Nasubi was still dealing with the aftermath of his first appearance, the producer was already planning to send him back to “hell”…
The crew took Nasubi to Korea, where he thought it was a celebratory trip, only to be asked by the producer to strip naked again for a new challenge, this time to earn enough money for a return ticket home.
Despite Nasubi’s repeated pleas of “I thought my life was over, I wanted to die so many times,” the crew and he argued for three hours without relenting until he was exhausted and had to agree…
During this time, the crew also increased the ticket price, making it first-class, and he was forced to participate in a four-month challenge.
Nasubi
After finally returning to Japan, Nasubi was placed in another apartment, expecting to return to “hell,” but the walls suddenly collapsed, revealing a TV studio filled with his fans.
Nasubi
In a state of panic, Nasubi realized for the first time that he had indeed become famous, known by everyone…
Millions had watched his “naked” extreme challenge, and he had earned 10 million yen for his year and three months of ordeal. His journal during the show also became a bestseller.
However, Nasubi was now unable to face his fans or lead a normal life. Due to the lack of interaction and food, he spoke slowly, was malnourished, and found it difficult to make eye contact or engage in conversation, requiring six months to recover…
Nasubi
After the show ended, Nasubi revealed in interviews that he suffered from severe aftereffects, describing each day as hellish and saying he would rather die than experience the same feeling again.
During the recording, the door was never locked; he could have left at any time, but the isolated life had exhausted his mind and hearing, and his inner desire to fulfill his commitment to the challenge kept him there.
“You feel much safer staying in the environment than changing it. So at the time, I felt the risk of changing and leaving the environment was much greater, and my thoughts and inner strength had been taken away.”
“This was something I decided to do, so I had to see it through to the end. I had to persevere. I wanted to have a strong spirit, which was also like proving myself.” “It’s hard to explain, but I think those who have been confined would understand why people choose to stay rather than leave.”
He also revealed that the crew provided no support, his agent did not protect him, and only the show’s two hosts expressed sympathy.
It took the producer a very long time to express any regret…
Although over twenty years have passed, Nasubi has reconciled with his experience, transforming negative emotions into positive energy, such as climbing Mount Everest to raise funds for his hometown of Fukushima and providing mental support during the isolation period of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Nasubi has stated that no amount of money would make him participate in the show again…
Last year, Nasubi’s ordeal was turned into a documentary called The Contestant, which premiered at film festivals and online platforms… prompting a real reflection on the cruelty of the show…
A person being imprisoned, exposed, deprived of privacy, performing live 24/7, and at the mercy of the world, is truly cruel…
Where should the boundaries of entertainment be drawn? It’s a question worth pondering…
