Where is Tomoaki Hamatsu now?
Currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+ (in select territories) is The Contestant, a new documentary telling the story of Tomoaki Hamatsu, aka Nasubi, an aspiring comedian who starred in one of the world’s first reality TV shows in Japan.
The show was a big success but it came at a cost for Tomoaki, who was broken by the experience.
In this article, we briefly discuss the show and ask the question: Where is Tomoaki Hamatsu now?
What happened to Tomoaki Hamatsu?
In 1998, Tomoaki, after auditioning for the new reality show, was blindfolded and taken to a small room, where he was tasked with entering mail-in sweepstakes until he won ¥1 million in total.
He was cut off from the outside world and had nobody to keep him company. To make matters even harder for him, he was told by the show’s producer that he had to strip naked.
Tomoaki was told highlights of his experiences would be shown on TV after he had achieved his target. This was a lie. Unbeknownst to Tomoaki, his experiences were being broadcast weekly while he endured the loneliness and isolation that the reality show inflicted on him.
The TV show broke all records in Japan, with 17 million people tuning in each Sunday night. But while the show was a hit, life wasn’t easy for Tomoaki, who was mentally broken by his experience.
When speaking about the show, Toshio Tsuchiya, the programme’s producer remarked that he wanted to create something that pushed boundaries in “where to draw the line.” Little consideration was given to the emotional toll the show might have taken on Tomoaki.
Reality TV shows are known for pushing contestants to the limits and sometimes going too far. Case in point: There’s Something About Miriam, a tacky and controversial British reality show that is the subject of the recent documentary series Miriam: Death of a Reality Star.
Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes, the show in which Tomoaki featured, became one of the worst points of his life. You can find out more about his experiences by watching The Contestant on Hulu or Disney+.
Where is Tomoaki Hamatsu now?
After finding fame on the show, Tomoaki found fame again, this time in his hometown of Fukushima.
This fame wasn’t from any type of reality show or even from his comedy. Rather, it’s because he dedicated his life to the people of Fukushima who, in 2011, were hit by a giant tsunami and a massive earthquake that devastated the town.
Tomoaki spends his time rebuilding the area as well as raising awareness of the disaster. One of the ways he raised awareness was by climbing Mount Everest.
He never made it big on the comedy circuit but he still performs as an amateur stand-up comic. You can catch up with what Tomoaki is doing now by following him on his X account. That being said, you will need to know how to read Japanese to understand his posts, unless you can find a good translator!
Read More: The Contestant Review
What did you think of The Contestant? What is your opinion on reality shows? Let us know in the comments below.