"Miwa has carried on being a true monster (kaibutsu), whereas many amazingly talented freaks have gone back to looking and behaving normally after enjoying a brief boom in popularity," said dramatist Hideki Noda at a press conference last month for "Miwa," his play based on the real-life 78-year-old chanson singer, actor and director Akihiro Miwa.

Now probably better known for his yellow hair, stylish cross dressing and charismatic TV persona, Miwa may be a tongue-in-cheek "monster" to 57-year-old Noda, but for many of Japan's youth, his fascinating life and rise to fame has made him a popular idol.

Born in Nagasaki, Miwa was 10 when the U.S. atom bomb exploded 4 km from his home on Aug. 9, 1945. For a few seconds afterward, he said, there was an absolutely still silence — then came the most awful deafening roar.