Retiree returns to desert island after brief sojourn in civilization – World News

Masafumi Nagasaki, 86, lived alone on a remote island for nearly 30 years before being forced back into civilization by the Japanese government. Now he has received permission to return

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OAP returns to a remote island after returning to civilization

A retiree who lived on a remote island for nearly 30 years has now returned after struggling with civilization.

Masafumi Nagasaki, 86, left his family and friends to live on the desert island for 29 years but was forced back into civilization by the Japanese government in 2018.

Now he has been allowed to return to his home on Sotobanari Island in the Yaeyama Islands after his time in the real world left him anxious and unhappy.

And Masafumi feels free again after shedding his clothes to live happily ever after on the tropical island.

Alvaro Cerezo, 41, a Spanish explorer, found Masafumi while searching for remote islands and later fought with Japanese authorities for his right to return.

“He had struggled so much in civilization that when we finally managed to bring him back it was amazing,” Mr Cerezo said.

“We had meetings with his doctors and the local authorities for about three weeks and they finally agreed that we could take him back.

“Obviously they were against letting him die on the island. When we told him the plan, he jumped up for joy and burst into tears of gratitude.

“His face lit up like an excited little kid when he found out he was going back. During the drive he often looked up, smiled at the sky and thanked life with folded hands.

“As soon as we landed on the island, he started cheering and celebrating.”

Mr. Cerezo first discovered Masafumi while scouting the region for desert islands for his company Docastaway, which abandons brave vacationers to faraway desert islands to survive completely alone for days or weeks.

He said: “I spent a few days with him on the island in 2014 to get to know him and his lifestyle.

“At the time, I didn’t share the interview we recorded out of respect for his privacy.

“It was only in 2018 that I shared it after finding out he had been forced to leave the island to share his story and try to rally support.

“He had always said he wanted to die on the island, so it was very difficult to hear that he had been forced to leave.”

Masafumi struggled to adjust to life in civilization after becoming accustomed to taking care of himself.

“In a primitive society like that of the Japanese, there was hardly anyone who could understand his eccentric way of life or his extreme desire to live naked on a desert island,” Cerezo said.

“As a result, most of the people in his neighborhood looked at him with disdain and a little fear. He spent most of his life locked in his room, hiding from the noisy world.

“His tiny room became his desert island to isolate himself on as it was the only place he could live nude and feel free like he had for the past 29 years.

“Sometimes when he felt too cooped up in his room, he would go out and collect trash from the street because he was appalled at the pollution and all the trash that people had created.”