Man who survived gruelling 15-month Japanese game show reflects on ‘cruel’ ordeal

A man who was forced to strip naked and eat dog food as part of a bizarre Japanese game show descended into depression during his 15-month ordeal.

A man who survived a gruelling ordeal on a vintage Japanese game show has spoken out 26 years on from the ordeal.

Japanese game shows have long captured the attention of the globe for their bizarre antics, which usually involve mild torture of contestants as they compete for cash prizes and modest fame.

Seven years ago, a show that involved Lycra-clad contestants trying to scale a set of slippery stairs exploded online with Western viewers wondering why they were stuck watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

But a quirky game show entitled Denpa Shōnen was on another level entirely.

In 1998, Tomoaki Hamatsu, also known as Nasubi, was stripped naked and confined to an empty apartment for a challenge on one of Japan’s notoriously wacky television stations.

Left with only a pen, blank postcards, a telephone, and a rack of magazines, Hamatsu’s task was to survive solely on competition prizes. To win, he needed to amass prizes worth 1 million yen.

Hamatsu was kept in isolation for over 15 months, enduring a harrowing descent into depression and mania fuelled by hunger and solitude.

Randomly selected at an open audition, Hamatsu knew he was being filmed but was only vaguely informed about where the footage would end up, leading him to believe it might never be broadcast to millions around the globe.

But his plight was aired weekly on the variety show, turning him into an unexpected national celebrity.

Despite critics’ disdain, 15 million viewers tuned in to watch the show each week.

A man who survived a gruelling ordeal on a vintage Japanese game show has spoken out 26 years on from the ordeal.

His bizarre ordeal is now the subject of a new film, The Contestant, which recently screened at the Sydney Film Festival.

“I came across his story when I was working on a different project and got lost down one of those internet rabbit holes,” director Clair Titley said via the BBC.

“But I found that a lot of what I had come across was almost derogatory. Nothing had really talked about Nasubi’s story in depth. [I had] all these questions such as, why did he stay in there, and what effect it had on him. So I contacted him with that premise, that I wanted to make a film about his experience.”

Titley explains that while Hamatsu’s challenge was never intended for an international audience, the rise of platforms like YouTube has since brought it to a broader viewership.

He has now had to deal with the spotlight decades after his nightmare ordeal.

Titley and her team meticulously edited the original footage, removing Japanese graphics and sound effects to make it accessible to an English-speaking audience.

Denpa Shōnen was on another level entirely.

Throughout his ordeal, Hamatsu won numerous prizes, many of which were of little practical use. Everything from car tyres, golf balls, and a globe were placed in his room as he clenched his teeth and powered on.

His deteriorating health was reportedly a minor concern for producers, who suggested in the documentary that he might have died without winning rice.

At one point, Hamatsu survived solely on sugary drinks and dog food for several weeks as some 15 million viewers tuned in weekly to watch his progress.

But because he never won any clothing, he remained naked throughout the challenge. His private parts were obscured by a floating eggplant emoji added by the producers.

Hamatsu was kept in isolation for over 15 months, enduring a harrowing descent into depression and mania fuelled by hunger and solitude.

Even more astounding was the fact apartment door was left unlocked the entire time. While he could leave, Hamatsu did not give in for over a year.

It finally came to an end 15-months in when he was taken into a new fake room before the walls collapsed to reveal he was actually on stage in front of a live audience cheering his name.

Nearly three decades later, Hamatsu, who is now a successful stage actor, has described the show as “cruel”, remembering himself “suffering” through the ordeal.

“Yes, I was naked, and I had to win my food too. I even ate dog food at one time,” Hamastu told SBS Japanese.

“But the most difficult thing was being isolated and cut off from any human interaction.

“The task of repeatedly filling in competition forms was mentally stressful too.”

Titley believes Hamatsu was ready to revisit his story, having found some peace with his past.

“He’s in such a positive place now,” Titley said.

“When people have asked him if he regrets it, he always says that while he wouldn’t want to do it again, he wouldn’t be the person that he is.”

Originally published as Man who survived gruelling 15-month Japanese game show reflects on ‘cruel’ ordeal