- Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa is the first person booked to fly round the moon with Elon Musk's space firm SpaceX in 2023.
- Maezawa announced on Sunday he's looking for a "female partner" to accompany him, and he will find this special someone through the medium of a reality TV show.
- We submitted an application, and documented the process.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
In September 2018 it was announced Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa would be SpaceX's first space tourist, and had booked tickets to fly round the moon in 2023.
Maezawa is a Japanese entrepreneur and the founder of online fashion firm Zozo. According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, he has a current net worth of $3.6 billion. He resigned as CEO in September 2019 after selling a 30% stake in the company.
On Sunday Maezawa announced he's holding a reality TV competition to help him find a lifelong romantic partner who will accompany him on his journey round the moon.
The search for his life partner will be made into a series by Japanese streaming site Abema TV in what it describes as a "serious matchmaking documentary," and prospective candidates can apply via a website.
The deadline for applications is January 17, and so far 20,000 people have already applied.
Here's how you apply to be Maezawa's space companion:
Yusaku Maezawa tweeted the link to the application page to his 7.2 million followers on Sunday.
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1216272633248903168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[WANTED!!!]
Why not be the 'first woman' to travel to the moon?#MZ_looking_for_lovehttps://t.co/R5VEMXwgglpic.twitter.com/mK6fIJDeiv
This link takes you to this webpage explaining what Maezawa's looking for in applicants.
The billionaire has a short, but quite specific list of attributes he's looking for in a space partner. The candidates will go through a three-month process before he decides on the winner.
Maezawa says he's looking for women over the age of 20 with "bright" personalities. They'd also have to be willing to go through the three-month process before he makes up his mind.
The page also contains an open letter from Maezawa explaining his reasoning for looking for love on reality TV.
Maezawa reflects on his rise to fame and fortune, and says that now he has resigned as CEO of fashion retail giant Zozo, he's looking to change his way of life.
"I'm sure I've been able to acquire my share of money, social status, and fame along the way. But now I'm restarting my life. I'm 44 now. As feelings of loneliness and emptiness slowly begin to surge upon me, there's one thing that I think about: Continuing to love one woman," he writes.
Maezawa says that when Abema TV initially approached him for the program he was initially struck by feelings of "embarrassment and pride," and his first instinct was to reject the idea, but he came around.
Once you hit the "click here to apply" button, you're taken to this Google form.
After submitting some basic info (name, place of birth etc), Maezawa wants to know a few professional and contact details. He doesn't ask for salary details.
Then the form tries to get more of a sense of personality, asking for the candidate's "hobbies,""special skill," and "selling points."
Next, applicants have to share a photo, either by linking to a public social media account or emailing the network with a photo attached.
Now comes the million (or more accurately multibillion) dollar question: applicants have to say what they think of Yusaku Maezawa.
Finally comes a section called "free entry fields," which appears to be a space where applicants can write anything else they feel is important to tell the program makers, followed by a disclaimer.
The disclaimer seems to outline requirements from Abema, the streaming service which will air the program. Among other things, the agreement states that applicants can't be gangsters.
When we applied, there was no confirmation that our application had been submitted, nor was there a confirmation emails.
Applicants apparently have to wait and see if they're in with a chance.
After the original application site went live, the Japanese language version added a "love diagnostic test," which applicants can use to test whether they would be compatible with Maezawa.
Applicants are encouraged to take the test if they're having doubts about whether to apply to "Full Moon Lovers."
The test is multiple choice, and comprises of ten questions.
Questions include: "If you rode in a private jet where would you go,""What is your favorite dish," and "If Maezawa farted in front of you what would you say?"
The test gives you a compatibility ranking, and if you score highly a smiling photo of Maezawa comes up.
A more equivocal score will bring up a less happy-looking Maezawa.
