I’ve been meaning to tackle this subject for a while. However, I keep stalling out because I feel like it could spiral into a 4,000-word essay.
So, instead, I’m going to explore the topic here in multiple parts. Today, I want to answer the basic question: Who, exactly, is this guy whose ads you see all over Japan’s trains? What’s he selling?
“Your fortune will gradually improve,” proclaims the ad for the book Kyōun (“Strong Fortune”). Written by Fukami Tōshū (real name Handa Haruhisa), this work has apparently sold 1.73 million copies. Its author is notable enough that Maye Musk, Elon Musk’s mother, attended his 25th anniversary birthday art exhibition.
Maye Musk isn’t the only celebrity that Fukami has hob-knobbed with. His book boasts kind words from the likes of boxer Evander Holyfield and even Michael Bolton (the musician, not the programmer from Initech).
Fukami doesn’t just advertise his work on trains, either. In 2015, one reporter from Gendai counted up the number of ads he’d seen from Fukami in various newspapers. He counted 643. Reporter Hasegawa Gaku estimated this outlay cost Fukami a billion yen ($6.7M).
