Terry Ito Column Vol.33 TKO Kinoshita becomes a host in Kabukicho

In 2020, TKO's Takayuki Kinoshita, who had disappeared from the media due to power harassment, including throwing a plastic bottle at a junior comedian, and his partner Takehiro Motoki, who had been on hiatus for a while after a 700 million yen investment scandal involving a junior comedian was revealed in 2022, appeared on Fuji TV's "27-Hour TV," where Kinoshita hurled a plastic bottle at his fellow comedians, bringing laughter to the show. According to "NEWS Post Seven," Kinoshita apparently works at a host club in Shinjuku's Kabukicho district about twice a month. To be honest, he's not exactly handsome, so one wonders whether he'll be able to compete in the fiercely competitive Kabukicho host club district. However, the article also reveals that he openly admitted to working as a host for two years when he was 16. While it's a bit strange to be working as a host at 16, he's a tough man to live. I've had a bit of a second opinion of him. I met him during his suspension, and he spoke calmly and without any self-deprecating manner, so I felt he had a lot of guts, but when I heard that he had been working in the sex industry since he was 16, it made sense.

I understand his experience as a fearless teenage host, but he's now 52. Even if it's just twice a month, it takes a lot of nerve to go to Kabukicho, change into appropriate clothes, and wait for customers on the floor. Among the many popular hosts, female customers choose the host they want and take their seat. Who will choose a host in his 50s? Of course, Kinoshita had anticipated such a crisis, and would have called his female friends in advance to ask them to come to the club, but knowing Kinoshita, he's bound to have few female friends. So, what should he do? He predicts that he'll have zero requests from opening to closing in the near future. He'll probably be closing alone by next month. His lonely and sad commute to the Kabukicho host club continues...

In fact, this is where comedian Kinoshita Takayuki shines. If he were to talk about the brutal story of the Kabukicho host club on stage with his partner Motoki, it would surely be a hit with the audience and become a hot topic. All the negative images he's had up until now would fly away in an instant. Kinoshita is a smart guy, so I'm sure he's already factored it all in without me having to tell him. When you think about it like that, being a comedian is great. No matter what adversity he faces, no matter how scorned he is by society, there's always a chance for him to turn things around in one fell swoop.

Even so, it's true that getting started as a host is a high hurdle. But I'd like to give it a try! However, in my case, I can't do my hairstyle, I don't own any host fashion clothes, I can't drink alcohol, I get sleepy easily at night, and I don't listen to what people say. I'm the typical type of person who gets rejected at an interview. But it looks interesting, so I'll go to Kinoshita's place.

Terry Ito (director)

Born in Tsukiji, Tokyo in 1949. After attending Waseda Jitsugyo Junior and Senior High School, he graduated from Nihon University's School of Economics.
In March 2023, he completed the Master's program at the Graduate School of Media and Governance at Keio University.
He joined the television production company IVS Television, where he worked on variety shows such as "Tensai Takeshi's Genki ga Deru TV" and "Neruton Benikujidan."
He then went independent and worked on planning and directing a number of television programs, including TV Tokyo's "Asakusabashi Young Clothing Store."
His book "Comedy North Korea" became a bestseller, and he subsequently made numerous media appearances under the name Terry Ito.
In addition to his work as a director, he is also active in a variety of fields as a producer, entertainer, and commentator.
YouTube channelTerry Ito's Comedy Backdrop'
Currently writing a column in LALALA USA
https://lalalausa.com/archives/category/column/terry