Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Masafumi Nagasaki: the naked Japanese hermit

Ah retirement, loads of free time to catch up on hobbies, stay in touch with family or just relax and reflect on a lifetime of work and commitment. Meet 76 yr old Masafumi Nagasaki, he doesn`t care much for mainstream society so he decided to go full hermit in the early 90`s on the little Japanese Island of Sotobanari. This kidney shaped island is just 1 km wide and is located in Japan`s tropical Okinawa prefecture and is actually closer to Taiwan than Tokyo. Did I mention the currents are so dangerous that local fishermen give it a wide berth? Or the powerful typhoons and biting insects? None of this seems to matter to good old Masafumi who walks around naked and lives off of $120 sent by his family along with water and rices cakes that he has to get from a nearby island once a week.

To quote Masafumi: "I don`t do what society tells me, but I do follow the rules of the natural world. You can`t beat nature so you have to obey it completely. That`s what I learned when I came here, and that`s probably why I get by so well."

Love you man, stay crazy.

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