Why Former Fuji TV Announcer Left Stability for Real Estate Investing

An Ace-Level Announcer

A massive Y-shaped high-rise towers over the bay area. With the unusual building behind him, the man began speaking passionately.

“This is what’s called a tri-star design, and it’s extremely rare. With this shape, the number of corner units increases, so as a buyer you think, ‘Yes! This is it.’ It’s a hybrid of vibration-control and base-isolation structures, so you could say it’s the strongest earthquake-resistant tower condominium in Tokyo!”

Delivering commentary like a real estate consultant is former Fuji TV announcer Takahiro Nishioka (49), who left the company in March.

In addition to providing play-by-play commentary for major events like the World Cup and Olympics, he also served as a host on “Mezamashi 8,” performing at an ace level among male announcers. Why did he abandon a stable career and choose a new path just before turning 50? We explore his unusual career and the true face of this tower-mansion otaku.

“In my third year of high school, I watched the ‘Agony of Doha’ on TV. When Japan’s dream of qualifying for the World Cup was crushed after losing to Iraq, it was the first time in my life I felt frustration over something that wasn’t about myself. But I didn’t have the talent to become a soccer player and take revenge myself. So I thought—if I become a sports announcer, maybe I can support them.”

Holding that dream, he graduated from Saga Nishi High School and Keio University, then joined Fuji TV in 1998. But harsh reality awaited him.

“A senior colleague told me, ‘You’re not suited for sports commentary.’ My voice wasn’t powerful, nor was I particularly strong in descriptive skill. If sports commentary were like baseball, I wasn’t a 160km/h fastball pitcher — I was a breaking-ball pitcher. So I had to find another way and struggled desperately.”

What Nishioka discovered was his strength in commentary that reveals what can’t be seen.

“If all you do is describe what’s on-screen, anyone can do that with training. What matters is how well you can communicate the unseen intent behind what’s happening.”

He refined this technique through F1 broadcasts. Machines race past at high speed, and the footage offers no explanations.

“If you just say, ‘Car in 8th place is shown now,’ that’s the end of it. When the 8th-place car appears, you have just a fraction of a second to think, ‘They’re showing this because the gap is closing.’ Then you weave a narrative like, ‘We have a fierce battle for position!’ You must constantly speak while interpreting meaning and presenting it to the viewer.”

In 2014, he was at the peak of his career, handling both World Cup commentary and serving as MC of “Sport!” It was a career many envied—yet Nishioka felt conflicted.

“Even though I was doing the job I had dreamed of, somehow I didn’t feel fulfilled. When I interviewed athletes every day, they all told me, ‘Maintaining the status quo is the same as declining.’ That’s when I realized—I was maintaining the status quo. In other words, I was declining.”

Thus, in March of this year, after 27 years at Fuji TV, he left the company and began a new chapter.

The November 14 issue of FRIDAY (Nov. 28 & Dec. 5 combined issue) and the paid digital edition FRIDAY GOLDinclude his candid account of why he decided to resign and how he began his career as a real estate investor.

For more details and photos, click here ↓

From the November 28/December 5, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”