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Yoshiro Nakamatsu, We Salute You

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Thanks to Kory for the heads up on this guy—a goofy, lovable and generous mad scientist from Japan who’s working towards 6000 inventions before he dies at age 144.  He has built an elaborate daily ritual which keeps him energized, loving life, and creating brilliant ideas left and right.

“In my country, the drive to succeed-and the competition-is unbelievably intense. From early on, Japanese children are under enormous pressure to learn. I was fortunate that my parents encouraged my natural curiosity along with my academic learning from the very beginning. They gave me the freedom to create and invent-which I’ve been doing for as long as I can remember.”

This began as a quick “We Salute You” post, because it’s been over a week since my last entry—but Nakamatsu’s beautiful brain has covered so much territory that I wound up with a badass article despite myself.  Please enjoy the ride.

Our Kinda Weird

Nakamatsu Ig Nobel Award

Yoshiro Nakamatsu is a national hero in Japan, where’s he affectionately known as “Dr. NakaMats.” He sleeps four hours a night.  He maintains this demanding schedule courtesy of special food that he naturally invented himself:

“...these are snacks I’ve invented, which I eat during the day. I’ve marketed them as Yummy Nutri Brain Food. They are very helpful to the brain’s thinking process. They are a special mixture of dried shrimp, seaweed, cheese, yogurt, eel, eggs, beef, and chicken livers—all fortified with vitamins.”

There’s more than power snacking: Nakamatsu also takes regular power naps, and he’s invented a device to enhance that, too.  It’s called the Cereberex chair, and according to Dr. NakaMats “it improves memory, math skills, and creativity, and it can lower blood pressure, improve eyesight, and cure other ailments.”

“Special sound frequencies pulse from footrest to headrest, stimulating blood circulation and increasing synaptic activity in the brain. An hour in my chair refreshes the brain as much as eight hours of sleep.”

For an enlarged version of the diagram to the left, click here.

The Cereberex works by cooling the head and heating the feet, which does indeed increase the blood circulation to the brain.  His Cereberex website makes a very interesting observation in vaguely broken English:

According to Dr. NakaMats’ research, the unhealthy body has a poor blood circulation to extremities resulting cold feet.  This is the same state with the stressed body in which your sympathetic nervous system took over parasympathetic nervous system.  Sympathetic nervous system anticipates your body for “fight-or-flight” situation.

Inventing is a Dangerous Business

What really sold me on Dr. Nakamats was when I came across the following passage from some German interview.  The question was one the author has probably asked hundreds of times—“so, where do you get your ideas?”—and Nakamatsu has the last answer anyone but him would ever suspect:

Is there a secret to becoming an inventor? How do you come up with new ideas?

I am teaching philosophy at the University of Tokyo. The base for everything is a strong spirit, followed by a strong body, hard studies, experience and finally leads to a “trigger” experience. You “trigger” a bullet which contains spirit, body, study and experience - and finally that releases the actual invention.

How do you “trigger” an invention?

A lack of oxygen is very important.

A lack? Isn’t that dangerous?

It’s very dangerous. I get that Flash just 0.5 sec before death. I remain under the surface until this trigger comes up and I write it down with a special waterproof plexiglas writing pad I invented.

Do you do that a lot? Putting yourself in that kind of situation to come up with a new invention?

Of course.  This is the Dr. Nakamatsu method.

Self-Made Madman

The key to successful innovation, according to Nakamatsu, is “freedom of intelligence.” By this he means working with no strings attached. Nakamatsu says he has never sought funding from any person, company or government and prefers to develop and produce his own inventions. “If you ask or borrow money from other people, you cannot keep freedom of intelligence,” he says simply.

----from this Engology.com article.

Of course, even free spirits can only go so far.  Nakamatsu has more than a few inventions which will probably never get the attention and investment they deserve, not least of which is the Nostradamvs II Engine, which “can run with just water, so there is no pollution at all.” Coming never to a car dealership near you!

The Nakamatsu water engine is a curious little rabbit hole.  It’s also been patented under the name Enerex, and a search for that yields paranoid gems like this one:

NO SCIENCE BACKGROUND IS NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND THE ABSOLULTELY OBVIOUS REALITY OF THE WATER POWERED ENGINE invented by the greatest inventor alive today (Dr. Nakamatsu) who is thoroughly documented! Doesn’t it seem at least a little SUSPICIOUS that a scientist as great as Dr. Nakamatsu is practically unknown in America?

Well...there’s a great deal that Americans don’t know about, Bubba.  However, a highly efficient, non-polluting engine that invented 17 years ago and still hasn’t seen any production is a very strange thing.

Yoshiro Nakamatsu, in nearly every article about him I could find, is listed as the inventor of CDs, floppy disks, and digital watches.  Curiously, Wiki makes no mention of Nakamatsu whatsoever.  Of course, here in the United States, most of this history books have some downright hilarious passages on “electricity” which make no mention of Nikola Tesla whatsoever.

There’s no disputing that when Nakamatsu makes claims about being a great inventor, the numbers back him up.  Thomas Edison, the most prolific inventor in US history, died with 1,093 patents.  Nakamatsu, as of 2003, had 3,128. 

Taking Down Viagra

“Love Jet is a spray-type health enhancer spattered directly across the private parts and works to combat male impotency,” Nakamatsu tells Spa! during an interview for its feature on Japan’s boki business - the booming trade to keep men erect. ”Viagra is a chemically based pharmaceutical aimed to help people with an illness, but Love Jet was created through my ideas about sex and uses all natural materials with no side-effects. And, unlike most other anti-impotency treatments, it’s not a pill, but a spray, allowing it to work immediately. It improves sexual response by three times among men and women.”

Doctor Nakamatsu explains that understanding the difference between Love Jet and other treatments isn’t all that hard.

“There’s a hormone, often used in the United States, called DHEA, which is frequently prescribed as an impotency treatment alternative to Viagra,” he says. “DHEA levels markedly drop at around 25 years old, but a spray of Love Jet increases levels by three times. It doesn’t just work on erections, but also slows down the aging process.”

This is more than a cheap attempt to “sex up” Brainsturbator—I mention the Love Jet because it’s such a beautiful window into weirdness of Dr. NakaMats.  You see, a single bottle of Love Jet costs 30,000 Yen, which translates to a little under $250.  However, manufacturing a single bottle of Love Jet costs over 80,000 Yen, which translates to a loss of over $400 per bottle.

To any CEO on Earth, then, Love Jet is an insane waste of time.  To our man Yoshiro, however, this $400 hemmorage is a perfecly sane investment. As we already know, Nakamatsu operates from a different perspective.

“...Love Jet is not about money. Japan’s biggest problem is not this economic slump we’re in now, but the low birthrate. GDP growth relates closely to population. In 50 years time, we’ll be looking at a country half as strong as it is now. I want to save Japan from a crisis, so Love Jet is a labor of love.”

Save Japan, Save the World

As Dr. NakaMats keeps telling anyone and everyone who will listen: “The spirit of invention is LOVE.”

“Genius lies in developing complete and perfect freedom within a human being. Only then can a person come up with the best ideas.”

And finally, Yoshiro has some words of advice for the USA:

“I’d like to see the work ethic in the United States more geared to creativity. We need more creative people and more creative leaders. Governments as a whole must learn to be more creative. I’ve just written a book called The Invention of Government. I’m trying to show that through the creative process, governments—not just individuals—can be more innovative. Among my goals right now are working in political reform in Japan and improving our relationship with the United States. I want Americans and others to understand that many of the perceived barriers between nations—trade barriers, cultural barriers—aren’t as strong as people think they are. It’s just that we don’t understand each other as well as we should, and that means we must become more open with each other.”

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22 responses to "Yoshiro Nakamatsu, We Salute You"

  • avatar

    Jan 31, 2007 at 6:52 AM
    Brendan Davis     says...

    I’ve never wanted to hug an old Japanese man more than I do right now.  Great discovery!  Thanks for hipping me (and all of us) to him.

  • avatar

    Jan 31, 2007 at 6:57 AM
    Wishtank     says...

    If the Brainsturbator Library still existed, “The Invention of Government” would be a must have. Let me know if you find it somewhere.

    one love,
    Garrett from Wishtank

  • avatar

    Jan 31, 2007 at 7:04 AM
    thirtyseven     says...

    ^^All of his works appear to be untranslated.  Also found this out:
    “The result, he says, was a “floppy media and drive” that could be read with magnetic and light sensors and for which he received a Japanese patent in 1952, 20 years before IBM got a US patent for a basic floppy design and 28 years before Sony and Philips Electronics introduced the compact disc in 1980. Big Blue will only say it owns the legal patent to the floppy and that it reached several nonexclusive patent agreements with NakaMats in the late 1970s to avoid conflicts. “

  • avatar

    Jan 31, 2007 at 7:08 AM
    Mariusz     says...

    Thanks for a great and entertainin read! I’ve never heard about this guy, but I love such “mad scientists” - a resemblance to Tesla is obvious. If not for them we would still live in Dark Ages. I wish his work or papers were translated.

  • avatar

    Jan 31, 2007 at 11:57 AM
    George     says...

    When I read about the water engine a few years ago, I thought the same thing, why isn’t this in production anywhere?
    Dr. Nakamats has been a subconscious inspiration to me, ever since I first read about him, back in the day. Being the most amateur of amateur inventors myself, he reminded me of the importance of the far out idea.
    America is practically made in Japan nowadays, we should adopt more ideas from great men like the good dr.

  • avatar

    Jan 31, 2007 at 1:36 PM
    skoltrony     says...

    “[Rather than being 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration as Edison suggested, genius is] 1 percent perspiration and 99 percent “ikispiration.” Now, more than ever, we have to have ikispiration. This means I encourage myself to go through my three elements of creation: suji, the theory of knowledge; pika, inspiration; and iki, practicality, feasibility, and marketability. In order to be successful, you must go through all three stages and make sure that your ideas stand up to all of them, which is ikispiration. Also, these days, the computer saves time and cuts out the 99 percent perspiration.”

  • avatar

    Jan 31, 2007 at 6:35 PM
    sendenka     says...

    great post.  I’ll be spending the next two weeks scouring the internets for more info on the nostradamvs engine.  the patent can be found at rexresearch.com:

    http://www.rexresearch.com/nakamats/nakamats.htm

  • avatar

    Jan 31, 2007 at 7:09 PM
    Khanverse     says...

    Excellent work my furry friend.

  • avatar

    Feb 01, 2007 at 4:52 AM
    Miqel     says...

    I’ve got a new hero! THANKS! This guy makes me smile like the room is full of Nitrous Oxide.

  • avatar

    Feb 01, 2007 at 6:04 AM
    shamonkey     says...

    how old is he now?

  • avatar

    Feb 01, 2007 at 6:56 AM
    p0t     says...

    feels like someone dropped a bag of knowledge on my head

  • avatar

    Feb 01, 2007 at 1:58 PM
    Aloysius     says...

    I wish this man was my grandfather, and that my little brain was full of childhood memories of protein powders and near-death drowning experiences…

  • avatar

    Feb 01, 2007 at 5:57 PM
    Senator Knee Hi     says...

    I’d love it if you’d explore a little further the creative potential of asphyxia.

  • avatar

    Feb 01, 2007 at 6:18 PM
    mistah w     says...

    domo arigatoo to all the stinky fingered white boys behind the scenes at the BITP for giving props to my naka, matsu that is...sayoonara bitches

  • avatar

    Feb 01, 2007 at 9:24 PM
    Shadowtheweak     says...

    Have you found a website selling the Yummy Nutri Brain Food?  It seems a like a worthy investment to at least try some…

  • avatar

    Feb 03, 2007 at 4:32 PM
    Miqel     says...

    RE: “I’d love it if you’d explore a little further the creative potential of asphyxia.”

    From current understanding of neurochemistry, Dr. Nakamatsu is using endogeneous (internally produced) DMT Flashes to bring his inventions back from the “edge”

    In “DMT: the Spirit Molecule: Dr. Rick Strassman of U of New Mexico got FDA approval & did human studies of DMT effects. In the book he mentions research that shows since Serotonin and Melatonin (both major brain chemicals) are structurally similar to DMT, that during Death enzymes break down Sero and Mela into DMT, 5-MEO-DMT and a host of other fast-acting, intensely psychedelic molecules.

    So this indicates that during the process of dying (if your’re lucky enough to now be instantly exploded or something) that your LAST MOMENT will be the ULTIMATE psychedelic experience as ALL your Serotonin degrades into DMT and Time comes to a complete stop as the brain activity fades away.

    Weird, huh? and ironic too!

  • avatar

    Feb 04, 2007 at 12:39 AM
    Sage     says...

    hahah awesome! this guy rocks!

    ...water engines have been around as long as the engine itself has existed though. the reason why they aren’t in production anywhere in the world is obvious though isn’t it...just like all other free energy devices, alternative medical devices such as rife machines, etc. etc.

    the evils of the world perplex me in their amount of greed.

  • avatar

    Mar 13, 2007 at 10:03 PM
    george     says...

    I must have missed something.

    Was there something he posted here was was worthwhile???

    Why hasn’t he built that water engine and saved the world??

  • avatar

    Mar 14, 2007 at 8:59 PM
    dos     says...

    A lot of his inventions are similar to things sold through multilevel marketing schemes (MLM), which are pervasive in Japan, and very destructive. I suggest looking into the phenomenon, there’s tons of great material for an article.

  • avatar

    Mar 15, 2007 at 3:40 PM
    george     says...

    You said it right there, MLM.  You do know that MLM is nothing but a pyramid scheme don’t you???  In the US, those are illegal.  (MLM isn’t for some reason)

    I suggest you try building something yourself and becoming a billionaire.  Of course, you won’t.  because you know it’s all bunk anyway.

    As I said, if it were true, why pass up the chance to save the world??  Really, how can you pass that up??

    If you really, and truly had the chance to save the world, wouldn’t you do whatever it took to do it??

    Yet you’re not.  Nor is he.  Nor is anybody else.

    Because it’s all BS.

    Doesn’t matter how much material there is for this article.  What does that prove??  Other than he’s a prolific writer.

    BUILD IT.  PROVE IT.

    You might also try getting a good education.  Not meant as an insult, but only people with poor educations believe this stuff.  (or crazy people).

    The people selling it, don’t really believe it, they’re only in it for the money.

    Sorry, but you have fallen for BS, hook, line and sinker.

  • avatar

    Mar 16, 2007 at 3:33 AM
    dos     says...

    george, I wasn’t responding to you, I was stating that some of his inventions seem like the things sold in MLM schemes, and that an article about MLM would be interesting, that’s all.

  • avatar

    Aug 02, 2007 at 12:52 PM
    Rizzo     says...

    it’s still true, whatever anyone said. you just don’t know how to believe it.

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