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For the fourth installment of SLEEP HACK, we interviewed Daiki Tanaka, who was active as an announcer on TV programs such as "SPORT!" and "Tokudane," later went independent, and is now expanding his challenges in business as a company president.
He shared stories related to "sleep" from various perspectives as an athlete, announcer, and businessman, making it a very unique and passionate interview!
――Is there anything you do to improve the quality of your sleep?
I make a big effort to prevent my body from drying out. It also affects my throat, so I've been sleeping with a mask for about 15 years now. Of course, I use a humidifier, and when I go to hotels, I fill the bathtub with hot water and open the door. I'm conscious of maintaining my body temperature.
When I really feel my body is cold, I go to a tanning salon. For my throat and for my sleep. And to boost my metabolism, I try to soak in a hot bath for an hour. Also, I try not to go to sleep immediately after my body sweats and my metabolism rises. Or rather, I can't sleep then (laughs).
■Career
After graduating from Hyogo Prefectural Ono High School and Keio University, he joined Fuji Television in 2003.
▼Student Days
During high school and university, he was a member of the baseball team. In high school, he was selected as a Hyogo Prefecture representative player and received the Prefectural Excellent Player Award. In university, he played in the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League and was the home run king in his fourth year's spring season. He was part of the "Matsuzaka Generation."
▼Announcer Days
Mainly in news and sports programs, he served as presenter/assistant for the morning news program "Information Presenter Tokudane!" and as a sports caster for "SPORT!" and "Sports LIFE HERO'S" for nearly 10 years.
In sports commentary, he covered the Japan Series of baseball, as well as boxing and badminton broadcasts. He has conducted over 1,000 interviews in various news and sports fields.
He left Fuji Television at the end of April 2018.
▼Present
In addition to media appearances, he also engages in writing activities, such as serializations in sports magazines like Number and Baseball Magazine. He is also actively pursuing business development centered on sports.
As an Announcer at a TV Station
What was your daily routine like as an announcer?
――Why did you decide to become an announcer?
I was in the baseball team at university, and during the off-season, we all went to Fuji TV for their recruitment test. I was miraculously chosen in the end, and that's how it started. There were 7-8 recruitment tests, and during that time, I would take the Yurikamome to Odaiba every morning and think about whether there were any links between the profession of an announcer and what I had done so far.
I always acted as a bridge between the players and the coaches in a baseball team. I conveyed the coach's thoughts to the team and the players' ideas to the coach. The job of a TV announcer is also to stand between the people who create TV and the viewers, conveying the creators' intentions to the viewers. And to increase viewership ratings. If that happens, the joy is doubled because I connected both sides.
It was the same with baseball. When I presented at the recruitment test with "I might be doing something very similar to the path I've lived," as my core idea, I think that was one of the factors that convinced them.
――Did your experience playing baseball lead to you doing many sports programs?
Yes, but at first, it was mainly programs for housewives. I always wanted to be a professional baseball player and played until university, but even if I lost baseball, it's a profession where I could still be involved in the baseball field, so I decided to take the Fuji TV recruitment exam.
I wanted to do sports programs, be a sports caster, and do sports commentary, but the first program I was in charge of was for housewives, like morning wide shows and midday information programs. It was the complete opposite of sports, and even though I wanted to do sports programs, I did "Tokudane" in the morning for nearly 10 years. So, I'd wake up at 4 AM. I'd wake up at 4, leave the house at 4:15. I'd just shower and leave immediately, a car would pick me up, and I'd arrive in Odaiba around 4:30. From there, I'd have two hours of meetings, then makeup, rehearsal, and then the live broadcast.
――You must have had another live broadcast after the morning broadcast ended, right?
Yes. So, my life was pretty much about taking naps. After the morning broadcast finished at 10 AM, I'd take a nap at 11 AM in preparation for the afternoon's work. There were four beds in the announcer's room. That's where we could sleep.
I remember being contacted by Magniflex at the time and suggesting to general affairs, "If there's a nap room in the announcer's room, why don't we change the beds to Magniflex?" So, there's probably still one Magniflex bed being used there.
When I was in my 20s and 30s, even if I had to wake up at 4 AM, I couldn't sleep 7 hours before that. So, in the end, I'd go to bed around midnight, sleep for only 4-5 hours, do the broadcast, take a nap, and then face the evening. This was my routine. So, after the broadcast, when I'd take the Yurikamome, I'd often fall asleep and not even realize I'd gone past Shimbashi, only to be woken up by a station attendant.
Back then, there was no concept of work style reform, so I'd do morning programs from Monday to Friday and sports programs at night on the weekends, meaning I'd do live broadcasts 7 times a week as a matter of course.
Performance Varies by How You Nap
――Do you have any unique methods you use when taking a nap?
I focus on sleeping deeply for as short a time as possible. It's hard to sleep for too long, you know. If I take a three-hour nap, my body won't be able to move afterward. I also paid attention to what I wore to sleep. It's tiring to sleep in a suit or costume, so I'd change into a T-shirt, or shorts, or take off my socks. I was conscious of taking naps in a state where I could relax, loosen, and free my body as much as possible. That's why my company locker was full of various pajamas.
Also, the pillows were sometimes shared. They would come and change the pillowcases every day at lunchtime, but after that, they wouldn't change for the rest of the day, so I kept a lot of towels and bath towels made of comfortable materials in my locker to make it easier to sleep.
――It seems many TV station employees are in situations where they can't get enough sleep...
At Fuji TV, there are capsule hotel-like facilities and even a public bath, so some people don't go home for a whole month. Others would line up desk chairs to sleep, or spread out sleeping bags on the floor.
TV is something people watch when they're at home and resting, so naturally, our lives are reversed. Morning and night, and the time before people go out, are when most people watch, so it's a typical service industry.
――What are your tips for performing well on little sleep?
For example, when I was going to broadcast a playball at Jingu Stadium at 6 PM, the hour between 5 PM, when the pre-game meeting ended, was crucial. I'd go to the stands where there were no spectators yet and sleep for just 15 minutes. Then my head would feel incredibly clear. Players effectively take a nap before performing.
But when I asked Professor Nishino if it was right to suddenly get an adrenaline rush after feeling sluggish or letting my body rest, Professor Nishino said, "It's almost always better to sleep. There's data that shows taking a nap absolutely improves performance." He said, "You absolutely should sleep," and it made sense to me. I still believe it's important to calm and rest your body before expending energy.
――Are few athletes focused on sleep?
Nowadays, literacy is becoming very high, so it feels like education has finally emerged where the time spent sleeping is also part of performance. It's a good culture that various places have started promoting sleep to athletes. What you do during your sleep is important, right?
When we played baseball, it wasn't at all like that; it was like, "just sleep anywhere on a futon is fine," but now it's changed a bit, hasn't it? I don't think you can break up sleep into small parts, but it's more about breaking it up to improve concentration.
――What do you think about the recent developments in recovery wear?
I think the era will probably come when we finally reach that point. We (people who work on morning shows) are chronically sleep-deprived. Anyone who wakes up earlier than 5 or 6 AM will probably feel sleep-deprived no matter how long they sleep. That's why the term "chronic sleep deprivation" is popular, and there are really people who fall asleep during live broadcasts or in the narration booth.
There's no cycle; it's a "personal jet lag life." There's no fixed time, no "what time do I go to bed at night..." 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you focus on timetables or routines, it won't work. There's no routine. I came to think of no routine as my routine. I was always sleep-deprived and always felt jet-lagged.
――Did you ever find yourself unable to sleep due to the mental pressure of being in the public eye?
It happened when I was younger. Now, I don't get sick or have acne, but back then, I frequently caught "colds." My skin would break out, and I pushed my body too hard.
――Is your rhythm now different from your rhythm during your announcer days?
It's changed. The broadcast time always comes, so that's the only routine. But the time of day is irregular, and the challenge is how to adjust to that. For example, for a program like "SPORT!", I have to bring out my maximum performance around 11 PM. According to the human body clock, that's the time when people are most tired and sleeping, but for me, it's the opposite.
For morning programs, I'm sleepy, but if I can deliver my best performance, then I can get tired and sleep afterward. Which do you choose? After all, not sleeping is a sin, and it's hard to improve performance without sleep. You can't even speak properly if you haven't slept.
The Vision of a Representative of Inflight Inc.
Creating a shelf of what can be done
――Please tell us what led you to become independent as Inflight Inc.
One reason was that I had done everything I could as a TV announcer and didn't feel like going through it all again just to raise the quality. I was fortunate to work as a sports caster for about 10 years and went to the Olympics many times, so I feel like I've completed a cycle.
This time, I was interested in what innovations I could create with the people I had connected with. I believe that business, companies, and society are about thinking about what can happen through encounters and what kind of business entity will emerge. In my case, I strongly wanted to transition to that chapter next.
――Could you please explain the business policy of Inflight Inc.?
Of course, I do sports MC and commentary, but I'm interested in how people at the stage before coming to the media build up the pyramid. When it came to doing the Olympics, I had been an Olympic caster many times, but I wanted to work with the Olympic organizing bodies, JOC and IOC.
When it comes to commentating professional baseball, I want to be involved in the management of professional baseball teams. In short, I want to be on the other side, not the media side.
――Did you encounter any difficulties when you became independent?
When I went independent, I thought, instead of putting things I couldn't do on a shelf, I would continue to put things I could do on a shelf and expand my possibilities. If you start listing negative things like "what if I quit?", you'll become immobile. So, I basically decided to go independent with the idea of putting many, even small, things I could do on my shelf of possibilities.
Not the past, but the future me
――As you became independent, did the types of people you interacted with change?
We used to only look at the very end. So, we only knew a certain amount about the process of how we got called to commentate. But there's a story in how it was built up in the end.
After leaving my corporate job, I realized I couldn't just lie down. In other words, I didn't have time to rest. I began to feel that I always had to keep creating something new.
――Please tell us about your future activity plans.
My biggest goal is to be forgotten as "the announcer I used to be." Right now, people often say, "I saw you on TV," but eventually, I want it to become "Were you at Fuji TV a long time ago?" This way, my current activities will take precedence, and people will learn about my past as an announcer later.
It's still less than two years since I became independent, so I'm still seen as a freelance announcer, but eventually, I hope that part will disappear and I'll have my own caption, and then I'll feel that these activities were worthwhile.
Mr. Tanaka's Sleep Situation
Pursuing sleep to improve performance
――Do you ever find yourself unable to fall asleep because you're using your smartphone before bed?
Yes, I do. In my case, when I can't sleep, I don't force myself to. There's no doubt that my mobile phone is a work tool, and it also serves as my alarm clock. Since I also have my mobile phone when I'm trying to sleep, it's all about how well I manage my relationship with my smartphone. It's both an enemy and a friend to sleep.
――Do you have any current sleep concerns?
I travel a lot now, so the challenge is how to sleep well while traveling. On planes, in cars, on bullet trains... I wish I could have asked Professor Nishino about that.
Many people's jobs involve mostly travel, don't they? Athletes also travel a lot. So, I think many people want to use travel time for sleep. How can one sleep well while traveling? Some people use sleeping pills, right? To force themselves to sleep. But you don't want to use sleeping pills, do you? So, I'm still experimenting. Sometimes I can sleep well during travel, and sometimes I can't at all. It's an eternal theme because of external factors. I think people who can manage it well have high performance.
Ideally, it would be great if I could sleep in pajamas. But I can't dress like that. So, when I have long flights, I try to wear a suit that stretches as much as possible. For a while, I used to carry a change of clothes. I tried to travel in comfortable clothes to relax my body, and then change once I arrived.
――Is there anything you've been curious about regarding sleep recently?
I think "bed mattresses" have been researched extensively, but I'm really curious about what works best overall, not just the mattress and pillow, including my bed size and the height of my position.
Also, how much light to let in. I think it's better to live with the sun now, so I don't have blackout curtains. But when I want to take a nap, I want it to be completely dark, so I wonder what's best. So, I'm also very interested in "how to deal with sleep and light."
Finally
YouTube Channel Launched!
【Channel Introduction】
The editing team of the legendary sports program, "SPORT!" (Fuji TV), has launched a YouTube channel specializing in athletes!
With sports anchor Daiki Tanaka as the main caster, along with star athletes and related individuals, we deliver valuable videos that can only be seen here and precious stories that can only be heard here, to all who love sports!
(Interview, composition, editing = BrainSleep Editorial Department / Photography, writer = Enishiemotion Takiyama)
