5 ms·

There's an (in)famous Japanese game show where they put a naked guy in an empty apartment for a year and made him survive off what he could win from sweepstakes

There's an (in)famous Japanese game show where they put a naked guy in an empty apartment for a year and made him survive off what he could win from sweepstakes in magazines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasubi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasubi The entire thing was livestreamed 24/7, including having an editor digitally add an eggplant emoji over his privates. It was such a hit that they made him do it again, but in Korea, a language he didn't speak.

irjustin 5y ago
Incredible, thanks for sharing. I felt sorry for him just reading the synopsis alone. I hope he's rich somehow given what the studio put him through. Seems heart breaking. > In April 2020, Nasuga tried to persuade people to cooperate with the self-disciplined stay home during the COVID-19 by citing his own experience. This makes me believe he's a really good guy and that there is still hope for humanity.
- sosborn 5y ago
  Nasubi is awesome and he really seemed to enjoy his time on the show.
ALittleLight 5y ago
What did he win for this? The wikipedia page doesn't make it seem like very much.
Taylor_OD 5y ago
The history of this show is insane. If I remember correctly the show regularly had 10 million viewers. That is a truly absurd number at the time and even now. You can find the show online. It's an incredible watch and so so sad.
asiachick 5y ago
lots of Japanese friends told me the entire thing (and most similar shows) was staged.
- Clewza313 5y ago
  It was livestreamed to the public 24/7. I'm sure the producers tinkered around the edges re: prizes and such (it would be bad PR to have the guy actually die of starvation), but the basic concept of a guy in a box for a year is not really possible to fake.
  - Oddskar 5y ago
    > It was livestreamed According to what I've read it was not livestreamed to an audience, with the exception of some brief experiment with 24/7 internet livestreaming. So pretty easy to fake.
- mitchdoogle 5y ago
  What do you mean by staged? That he wasn't actually living in an apartment alone and naked, gathering supplies via sweepstakes?
  - wccrawford 5y ago
    I think the "gathering supplies via sweepstakes" is what they're questioning. I was dubious about that part at first, and then they said he did it in Korea in a language he didn't speak, and now I'm pretty sure it had a lot of tomfoolery to make it work. It's still interesting, and I'd watch it... But I don't believe it was fully legit.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
- BelenusMordred 5y ago
  Reading the wikipedia entry it sounded borderline illegal and cruel, then watching a bit on youtube and it feels completely staged to the point of being mainly about paid product placements with some jokes thrown in. Get the vibe this stuff is in the perennial "Weird Japan" myth category. https://youtu.be/IKABFYiUpyA?t=236 https://youtu.be/IKABFYiUpyA?t=236
MeinBlutIstBlau 5y ago
That's such a fascinating story. In the US you couldn't do that because people would sue. In Japan, they took it as something of value. I mean positive thinking even in the event of a "master-slave relationship." >>Nasubi reports that he is grateful for his experience and that the producer apologized to him. The producer, Toshio Tsuchiya, says he has no regrets and confirms that he did apologize, and states that his goal is to produce miracles on film, and with Nasubi, that is what happened.
- snypher 5y ago
  I wonder who you think would be sued; it seems voluntary and I'm sure there's contracts etc.

irjustin 5y ago

Incredible, thanks for sharing. I felt sorry for him just reading the synopsis alone. I hope he's rich somehow given what the studio put him through. Seems heart breaking. > In April 2020, Nasuga tried to persuade people to cooperate with the self-disciplined stay home during the COVID-19 by citing his own experience. This makes me believe he's a really good guy and that there is still hope for humanity.

sosborn 5y ago
Nasubi is awesome and he really seemed to enjoy his time on the show.

ALittleLight 5y ago

What did he win for this? The wikipedia page doesn't make it seem like very much.

Taylor_OD 5y ago

The history of this show is insane. If I remember correctly the show regularly had 10 million viewers. That is a truly absurd number at the time and even now. You can find the show online. It's an incredible watch and so so sad.

asiachick 5y ago

lots of Japanese friends told me the entire thing (and most similar shows) was staged.

Clewza313 5y ago
It was livestreamed to the public 24/7. I'm sure the producers tinkered around the edges re: prizes and such (it would be bad PR to have the guy actually die of starvation), but the basic concept of a guy in a box for a year is not really possible to fake.
- Oddskar 5y ago
  > It was livestreamed According to what I've read it was not livestreamed to an audience, with the exception of some brief experiment with 24/7 internet livestreaming. So pretty easy to fake.
mitchdoogle 5y ago
What do you mean by staged? That he wasn't actually living in an apartment alone and naked, gathering supplies via sweepstakes?
- wccrawford 5y ago
  I think the "gathering supplies via sweepstakes" is what they're questioning. I was dubious about that part at first, and then they said he did it in Korea in a language he didn't speak, and now I'm pretty sure it had a lot of tomfoolery to make it work. It's still interesting, and I'd watch it... But I don't believe it was fully legit.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
BelenusMordred 5y ago
Reading the wikipedia entry it sounded borderline illegal and cruel, then watching a bit on youtube and it feels completely staged to the point of being mainly about paid product placements with some jokes thrown in. Get the vibe this stuff is in the perennial "Weird Japan" myth category. https://youtu.be/IKABFYiUpyA?t=236 https://youtu.be/IKABFYiUpyA?t=236

MeinBlutIstBlau 5y ago

That's such a fascinating story. In the US you couldn't do that because people would sue. In Japan, they took it as something of value. I mean positive thinking even in the event of a "master-slave relationship." >>Nasubi reports that he is grateful for his experience and that the producer apologized to him. The producer, Toshio Tsuchiya, says he has no regrets and confirms that he did apologize, and states that his goal is to produce miracles on film, and with Nasubi, that is what happened.

snypher 5y ago
I wonder who you think would be sued; it seems voluntary and I'm sure there's contracts etc.