# Welcome to the N.H.K.
**Welcome to the N.H.K.** (*N・H・Kにようこそ！*, NHK ni Yōkoso!) is a Japanese novel by Tatsuhiko Takimoto (滝本竜彦), published by [Kadokawa Shoten](https://www.edgepedia.org/kadokawa-shoten) in January 2002, about a 22-year-old hikikomori who convinces himself that his social withdrawal is the work of a conspiracy called "N.H.K."[1](https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA57276515) In the title, "NHK" does not abbreviate the public broadcaster Nippon Hoso Kyokai but the fictional 日本ひきこもり協会 (Nihon Hikikomori Kyokai, the Japan Hikikomori Association).[2](https://kotobank.jp/word/nhk%E3%81%AB%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%93%E3%81%9D-1826736) The novel was adapted into a manga by Kendi Oiwa (大岩ケンヂ) and a 24-episode anime by Gonzo in 2006.[2](https://kotobank.jp/word/nhk%E3%81%AB%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%93%E3%81%9D-1826736)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Novel | *NHKにようこそ!* by Tatsuhiko Takimoto, Kadokawa Shoten, January 2002[1](https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA57276515) |
| Web serialization | Boiled Eggs Online, January–April 2001.[2](https://kotobank.jp/word/nhk%E3%81%AB%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%93%E3%81%9D-1826736) |
| Title's acronym | "NHK" = 日本ひきこもり協会 (Nihon Hikikomori Kyokai), not the broadcaster[2](https://kotobank.jp/word/nhk%E3%81%AB%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%93%E3%81%9D-1826736) |
| Manga | Kendi Oiwa, *Monthly Shōnen Ace*, February 2004 to June 2007 issues; eight volumes.[2](https://kotobank.jp/word/nhk%E3%81%AB%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%93%E3%81%9D-1826736) |
| Anime | Gonzo, 24 episodes; final episode scheduled for broadcast December 17, 2006[3](https://gonzo.co.jp/archives/nhk/story.html) |
| English novel | Published as *Welcome to the N.H.K.* by Tokyopop on October 9, 2007; Italian edition by Edizioni BD (J-Pop Romanzi) on November 17, 2011[4](https://myanimelist.net/manga/119282/NHK_ni_Youkoso) |
## Publication history
Takimoto first published the story as a web novel on Boiled Eggs Online between January and April 2001.[2](https://kotobank.jp/word/nhk%E3%81%AB%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%93%E3%81%9D-1826736) Kadokawa Shoten issued the book in January 2002, as recorded in the CiNii catalog.[1](https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA57276515)
## Plot summary
The protagonist is Tatsuhiro Satō (佐藤達広), 22 years old, a college dropout in his fourth year as a hikikomori, a term for acute social withdrawal. He leaves home only to visit the convenience store, has zero friends, and sleeps sixteen hours a day.[5](https://www.gonzo.co.jp/works/nhkniyoukoso/index.html) Unable to face his situation directly, Satō constructs a paranoid explanation: his condition is the doing of a vast evil organization, "N・H・K" (日本ひ○こ○り協会), which is deliberately producing a hikikomori-filled world.[5](https://www.gonzo.co.jp/works/nhkniyoukoso/index.html) • [6](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6357)
Into this life comes Misaki Nakahara (中原岬), a beautiful girl who appears suddenly and declares a "project" to free Satō from his withdrawal, presenting a contract under which she will support his escape from his current life and his return to society.[5](https://www.gonzo.co.jp/works/nhkniyoukoso/index.html) • [2](https://kotobank.jp/word/nhk%E3%81%AB%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%93%E3%81%9D-1826736) [Anime News Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/anime-news-network)'s manga entry describes Misaki's "project" as offering an escape from Satō's NEET lifestyle.[7](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=5117)
## Themes: hikikomori, NEET, and conspiracy
The work is built around two Japanese social categories. A *hikikomori* is a term for sustained social withdrawal; *NEET* stands for "Not in Employment, Education, or Training."[6](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6357) Satō is both: 22 years old, four years withdrawn, unemployed and out of school.[3](https://gonzo.co.jp/archives/nhk/story.html) The novel's satirical device is the acronym itself, which reassigns the broadcaster's name to a fictional "Japan Hikikomori Association."[2](https://kotobank.jp/word/nhk%E3%81%AB%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%93%E3%81%9D-1826736)
## Adaptations
**Manga.** Kendi Oiwa's manga adaptation ran in Kadokawa's *Monthly Shōnen Ace* from the February 2004 issue to the June 2007 issue and was collected in 8 volumes under the Kadokawa Comics Ace label.[2](https://kotobank.jp/word/nhk%E3%81%AB%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%93%E3%81%9D-1826736)
**Anime.** Gonzo animated the work as *N・H・Kにようこそ！* in 2006, with series composition and screenplay by Satoru Nishizono (西園悟); the original work is credited to Takimoto and to Oiwa's *Shōnen Ace* manga.[5](https://www.gonzo.co.jp/works/nhkniyoukoso/index.html) It ran 24 episodes, the last, titled 「N･H･Kにようこそ！」, scheduled for broadcast on December 17, 2006.[3](https://gonzo.co.jp/archives/nhk/story.html)
The anime's finale departs into darker territory than its premise suggests: in the last episode Satō resolves to confront N・H・K＝日本ひきこもり協会 after finding the despairing Misaki, who left a suicide note and disappeared from the hospital.[3](https://gonzo.co.jp/archives/nhk/story.html)
## English-language publication
The novel reached English readers as *Welcome to the N.H.K.* in Tokyopop's translation on October 9, 2007, and Italian readers through Edizioni BD's J-Pop Romanzi imprint on November 17, 2011.[4](https://myanimelist.net/manga/119282/NHK_ni_Youkoso) Viz lists the English-language manga under the title *Welcome to the N.H.K.*[8](https://www.viz.com/welcome-to-the-n-h-k)
## References
1. [NHKにようこそ! (CiNii 図書)](https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA57276515)
2. [NHKにようこそ!とは？ 意味や使い方 - コトバンク](https://kotobank.jp/word/nhk%E3%81%AB%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%93%E3%81%9D-1826736)
3. [N・H・Kにようこそ！ (Gonzo archives, episode guide)](https://gonzo.co.jp/archives/nhk/story.html)
4. [NHK ni Youkoso! (Welcome to the N.H.K.) | Novel - MyAnimeList.net](https://myanimelist.net/manga/119282/NHK_ni_Youkoso)
5. [N・H・Kにようこそ！ | GONZO](https://www.gonzo.co.jp/works/nhkniyoukoso/index.html)
6. [Welcome to the NHK (TV) - Anime News Network](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6357)
7. [Welcome to the N.H.K. (manga) - Anime News Network](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=5117)
8. [VIZ | The Official Website for Welcome to the N.H.K.](https://www.viz.com/welcome-to-the-n-h-k)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Creative written works and worlds › Prose fiction › Standalone novels › Standalone novels by language and national tradition (non-English)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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