all caps
In typography, text or font in all caps (short for "all capitals") contains capital letters without any lowercase letters. For example: All-caps text can be seen in legal documents, advertisements, newspaper headlines, and the titles on book co ...
) is a Japanese
host
A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it.
Host may also refer to:
Places
* Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County
* Host Island, in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica
People
* ...
, fashion model, TV personality, and entrepreneur. He is the representative director of Roland Group HD, Inc. As the Kabukicho
host club
A hostess club is a type of night club found primarily in Japan which employs mostly female staff and caters to men seeking drinks and attentive conversation. Host clubs are a similar type of establishment where mostly male staff attend to women. ...
sales record holder, he has been nicknamed "King of the Hosts". His income amounts to 42 million yen per month; his cosmetic surgery costs have incurred more than 10 million yen, with touch-up procedures costing 200 thousand yen per month.
History
Roland was born Fuuga Matsuo (松尾 風雅) in 1992 in Tokyo. After graduating from Teikyo Koutou School, he proceeded to
Teikyo University
is a private university headquartered in the Itabashi, Tokyo, Itabashi ward of Tokyo, Japan. It was established in 1931 as Teikyo shogyo, Commercial High School (帝京商業高等学校). It became Teikyo University in 1966. It is part of Teik ...
, where he eventually dropped out and made his host debut at age 18 as Makoto Tojo. After a year as a low ranking employee, he became representative director of the club he had been working at age 21.
In 2013, as the lead host at Club PLATINA -Main Branch-, part of the prominent host club group KG-produce, he generated a record amount of cash flow. Afterwards, he made appearances on many TV programs and became active as a talent.
In August 2017, he changed his pseudonym from Makoto Tojo to ROLAND.
His birthday event in 2018 brought sales of more than 60 million yen to his host club, making a new record for highest sales in the group. At that time, he hosted broadcasts on
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...
keiretsu
A is a set of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings that dominated the Japanese economy in the second half of the 20th century. In the legal sense, it is a type of business group that is in a loosely organized al ...
's variety TV show, ''Sono Saki'', making his name known to the general public. Afterwards, he quit working as a lead host and separated from KG-produce. Since October 2018, he is affiliated with his office, Schwarz, which he created.
In 2019, he opened his first exhibition at
Ikebukuro
is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro Station, and several shops, restaurants, and department stores are located within city limits.
Transportation
At the center of Ikebukuro is ...
PARCO, titled ''Ro LAND ~Ore ka, Ore Igai ka~'', which included virtual reality elements. A total of 100,000 people attended. In April of that same year, he opened a host club, named THE CLUB.
On 28 February 2020, ROLAND opened his YouTube channel, ''THE ROLAND SHOW''. As of 18 March 2020, his videos had been viewed a total of 2,300,000 times, and the number of subscribers to his channel has surpassed 97,000. In response to the Tokyo government's request for self-quarantine due to the spread of the
Coronavirus disease 2019
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include f ...
pandemic, THE CLUB suspended operations from April to 26 May. Due to measures to prevent the spread of the virus, businesses were able to reopen at the end of May. On 9 July, the number of infected people in the city reached a new peak. As it was determined that further business was no longer possible, THE CLUB was permanently closed on the same day.
On August 3, ROLAND was featured in a collaboration with
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
''PUBG: Battlegrounds'' (previously known as ''PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds'') is a 2017 battle royale video game published by Krafton, and developed by Krafton's PUBG Studios. The game, which was inspired by the Japanese film '' Battle Ro ...
, appearing in a voice card.
On December 16 of the same year, he co-produced women's dress and lingerie brand G&R in collaboration with musician
Gackt
, better known as Gackt (stylized in all caps), is a Japanese singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and actor.
Born in Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa to a Ryukyuan people, Ryukyuan family, Gackt learned the piano at a young age and was rai ...
; however, three days after the press release, some of the dresses were accused of copying from foreign brands. The operating company Dazzy (stylized as dazzy) confirmed suspicions that the designs had been copied, and announced that items and merchandise which were sold were recalled and refunded. On Roland's official YouTube channel, Roland released an apology in regard to the incident and announced the end of his contract with dazzy.
On December 18, 2020, a
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
titled ' by Noriyoshi Inoue was released, based loosely on Roland's journey to becoming a top host. When talking about the project, Roland said that his dream had been granted. Various promotional campaigns were run for its first release. As of 28 January 2021, the manga had sold over 100,000 copies, and a second volume was announced.
In March 2021, Roland ran a limited-time
pop-up shop
Pop-up retail, also known as pop-up store (pop-up shop in the UK, Australia and Ireland) or flash retailing, is a trend of opening short-term sales spaces that last for days to weeks before closing down, often to latch onto a fad or scheduled e ...
in the Shibuya Hikarie building for his menswear brand Christian Roland. Further apologizing for the G&R incident, he said that this time, he didn't want to sell anything that isn't 100% produced by the collaboration of himself and designer Munetaka Yokoyama.
On April 21, 2021, Roland released a book titled ''ROLAND ENGLISH'', published by
Nihon Bungeisha
, or , is a book and magazine publisher established in 1959 and based in Chiyoda, Tokyo
, known as Chiyoda City in English,Kadokawa, on July 8, 2021. An
audiobook
An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements.
Spoken audio has been available in sch ...
version, narrated by popular voice actor
Junichi Suwabe
is a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo. He is affiliated with Haikyō. His popular roles include Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez in ''Bleach'', Omega Zero in '' Megaman Zero 3'', Keigo Atobe in ''The Prince of Tennis'', Victor Nikiforov in '' Yuri!!! o ...
and also published by Kadokawa, is scheduled for a November 14, 2022, release on
Audible
Audible may refer to:
* Audible (service), an online audiobook store
* Audible (American football), a tactic used by quarterbacks
* ''Audible'' (film), a short documentary film featuring a deaf high school football player
* Audible finish or ru ...
.
Currently, he is operating a hair removal salon and a restaurant. Additionally, he is active in beauty product sales and the champagne import agency business, while also working as an investor. ROLAND continues to pay rent for the building that was intended to be an expanded relocation site for his old host club; after the pandemic restrictions have decreased, he aims to reopen at the new location.
On September 17, 2021, BELLA NOTTE, an Italian restaurant was opened by him in Shinjuku. However, some customers at one table experienced a delay in receiving their order which took over 60 minutes. In November 2021, a second location was opened in Hachioji, in the location that had been tapioca shop THE PEARL, as well as the Roland Museum. Some of the museum exhibits, including his boots and bust statue, remain as decor.
On April 15, 2022, he debuted a new fashion brand, Minimus.
In May 2022, he became the first mizu shōbai worker to make an official appearance with
Sanrio
is a Japanese entertainment company. It designs, licenses, and manufactures products focusing on the ''kawaii'' ("cute") segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts, and Fashion accessory, a ...
character My Melody, as the two presented advice in response to questions in collaboration with An An.
He was a featured guest at IT Trend Expo 2022 Summer, which took place from September 5 to 9, 2022, giving a talk titled 白い目で見られても気にしない！～白は何色にでも染められる～.
From March 7, 2023, he presented an online course on "The Philosophy of Confidence", via Taiwan's PressPlay Academy, stating that this year, he intends to expand his efforts internationally.
On March 24, 2023, he was presented as the official ambassador for 9Lives, a Chilean wine brand to be released by Asahi Beer in Japan from March 28.
Trivia/Episodes
* His name is derived from the character Roland Himuro, from the
Usamaru Furuya
is a Japanese mangaka, manga artist.
Biography
During elementary school, Furuya enrolled in the Osamu Tezuka Manga Correspondence Course and by the time he reached high school he had discovered a darker, more underground style.
He graduated fr ...
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
'' Teiichi: Battle of Supreme High''.
* Roland's fans are called Rolanders.
* He declared himself that his reason for changing from Makoto Tojo to ROLAND was for the sake of changing his branding. On his own YouTube channel, THE ROLAND SHOW, he stated (of his time as Makoto Tojo), "There were many times I was unable to make girls happy. That started to make me feel upset, why do I keep doing things to make girls cry? s a result,I grew out of the business style of thinking that women are money", he cites as his reason for the change.
* A book collection of quotations from his posts on SNS and various media, ''Ore ka, Ore Igai ka. Roland Toiu Ikikata'' became a hit best-seller with over 230,000 copies in circulation. All of the royalties are being donated to the establishment of schools in
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
. In regards to this, he says that one doesn't have to be selfish to make sharp remarks and have them be heard by others.2021年1月10日放送の『林先生の初耳学』
* While he was an underling, he lived in a single-room apartment in
Nishi-Shinjuku
is a skyscraper business district in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. The region was previously called .
History
Nishi-Shinjuku was Tokyo's first major foray into building skyscrapers with the first appearing in the 1970s with Keio Plaza Inter-Con ...
which he rented for 60 thousand yen per month and rode a bicycle to work. Afterwards, he would stay in hotels that cost 200,000 yen per night. Currently, he lives in a
Roppongi
Roppongi (, , 'six trees') is a district of Minato, Tokyo, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, famous for the affluent Roppongi Hills development area and popular night club scene. A few foreign embassies are located near Roppongi, and the night life is popu ...
high-rise apartment.
*According to his SNS, his friendships include
Asashōryū Akinori
is a Mongolian former professional sumo wrestler (''rikishi''). He was the 68th ''yokozuna'' in the history of the sport in Japan, and in January 2003 he became the first Mongolian to reach sumo's highest rank. He was one of the most successf ...
,
Tetsuya Komuro
is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and has introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of t ...
,
Max Matsuura
, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese record producer and entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of Avex Group, one of the largest music labels. He is known mainly for discovering and developing new artists into stars (most notab ...
Gamba Osaka
is a Japanese professional association football, football club based in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's home stadium is Panasonic Stadium Suita. They form a ...
Japan national football team
The , also known by the nickname , represents Japan in men's international Association football, football. It is controlled by the Japan Football Association (JFA), the governing body for football in Japan.
Prior to the late 1980s, Japan's nat ...
), Tetsuya of
L'Arc-en-Ciel
, stylized as L'Arc〜en〜Ciel and abbreviated as Laruku, is a Japanese rock band formed in Osaka in 1991 by bassist Tetsuya and vocalist Hyde. Following the departure of original members Hiro and Pero, guitarist Ken and drummer Sakura were ...
, and
Minami Takahashi
is a Japanese idol, singer, tarento and a former member of the Japanese girl idol group AKB48. She is in Team A of AKB48. She became the first of AKB48 and its sister groups. In an interview with Nippon Television in June 2010, AKB48 produc ...
, among others. Additionally, the musician Gackt has said that he adores Roland as if he were his younger brother.
* Baseball pitcher Yasuaki Yamasaki was his classmate at Teikyo High School, sharing a class with him for three years.
* Actresses
Rika Adachi
is a Japanese ''tarento'' and actress. She was born in Nagasaki Prefecture, and raised in Mie Prefecture. She has appeared in several films, including '' Say "I love you"'' (2014) and '' Ghost Theater'' (2015), and has played leading roles in the ...
and Rina Ikoma visited Roland's exhibition Rina Ikoma said that she became a fan of him.
* His family consists of five people: his parents, a younger twin sister, and a brother 6 years younger than him. His father is professional guitarist Youichi Matsuo, who made accomplishments working with AIRBLANCA,
JAM Project
JAM Project ("JAM" standing for "Japan Animationsong Makers") are a Japanese Music in Japanese animation, anison band founded on July 19, 2000, by anison singer Ichirou Mizuki. The band is composed of many vocal artists well known in the anime mu ...
Mitsuko Horie
is a Japanese actress, Voice acting in Japan, voice actress and singer from Yamato, Kanagawa. She is known as the .
Horie has voiced several characters throughout her career, such as Shadow Galactica#Sailor Galaxia, Sailor Galaxia in ''Sailor ...
, among others.
* In October 2021, a series of acrylic stands, coasters, and key holders were released as a collaboration between ROLAND and
Haruhi Suzumiya
is a Japanese light novel series written by Nagaru Tanigawa and illustrated by Noizi Ito. It was first published in 2003 by Kadokawa Shoten in Japan with the novel ''The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'', and has since been followed ...
in commemoration of the release of his book Kimi ka, kimi igai ka.
Soccer Affiliations
*From elementary school until high school, he was very focused on
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
Kashiwa Reysol
is a Japanese professional association football, football club based in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Sankyo ...
junior youth's Ōme branch; in high school, he joined the Teikyo High School Soccer Team. He still continues to participate in soccer, and plays
Futsal
Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...
once a week with his host associates.
* On October 23, 2018, TV Asahi Keiretsu broadcast ''Sono Saki'' showed Roland going to see
Real Madrid CF
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
players
Luka Modrić
Luka Modrić (; born 9 September 1985) is a Croatian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder and Captain (association football), captains both La Liga club Real Madrid and the Croatia national football team, Cro ...
,
Luís Figo
Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo (; born 4 November 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a winger for Sporting CP, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan. He won 127 caps for the Portugal national team, a one-t ...
, and
Roberto Carlos
Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (born 10 April 1973), often known as Roberto Carlos and sometimes ''RC3'', is a Brazilian former professional association football, footballer. He has been described as the "most offensive-minded left-back in the ...
.
* On October 6, 2019, before the J.League J1 League
Cerezo Osaka
is a Japanese professional football club based in Osaka. The club currently plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's name ''Cerezo'' (Spanish for cherry blossom) is also the flower of the city of Osak ...
vs
Kashima Antlers
The are a professional association football, football club based in Kashima, Ibaraki, Japan. They currently play in the J1 League, the top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The club has financial backing from Mercari, a Japanese ...
28th match at Yanmar Stadium Nagai, Roland appeared as the main guest at a talk event, holding a talk show with Cerezo's FW Ken Tokura, whom had been withdrawn due to injury. Additionally on that day, he was a referee escort. He also updated his blog on that day, saying "Despite acknowledging the many risks, I had many from the J.League Club bravely reach out to me and make this a reality, for which I am incredibly happy", expressing thanks for Cerezo and declaring, "From this day forward, I am a Cerezo Osaka supporter!"
*On February 22, 2020, he once again appeared in the talk event for the J1 opening round Cerezo Osaka vs
Oita Trinita
is a Japanese football club located in Ōita, Capital of Ōita Prefecture. They currently play in J2 League, Japanese second tier of professional football.
Name origin
The club's name, ''Trinita'', is the Italian translation of the word ' ...
match at Yanmar Stadium Nagai. Preceding this event, on February 20, it was announced on Cerezo's official home page that he was inaugurated as an "Official CereMan". On that day, in addition to the talk event, he also worked as referee escort like during the previous event. Additionally, an inauguration was held during the halftime show, where president Hiroaki Morishima officially appointed Roland as Official CereMan. When greeted afterwards, he promised lifelong loyalty to Cerezo, declaring, "There are only two types of soccer clubs in the world. Is it Cerezo, or is it the rest?", which Cerezo supporters accepted with wild cheers. His contract was renewed for the 2021 season.
*His opportunities to appear in soccer-related events and media such as the above cases increased; he appeared as a guest commentator in the sub-audio of the TV terrestrial broadcast of the J.League YBC Levain Cup final match (
Kawasaki Frontale
is a Japanese professional football club based in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. The club currently compete in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium i ...
vs
Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo
is a Japanese professional football club based in Sapporo, on the island of Hokkaido. They will play in the 2025 J2 League, the second tier league of Japanese football, after relegation from the J1 League at conclusion of the 2024 season.
Th ...
) held on October 26, 2019. On December 8 of the same year, at the J.League Awards 2019, he appeared as a presenter for the Winning Director Award.
Businesses Operated
ROLAND GROUP HD, Incorporated
* THE CLUB (
host club
A hostess club is a type of night club found primarily in Japan which employs mostly female staff and caters to men seeking drinks and attentive conversation. Host clubs are a similar type of establishment where mostly male staff attend to women. ...
) (Closed on July 9, 2020; slated to reopen in July 2022)
* ROLAND MUSEUM (a renewal of Tapioca tea shop ''THE PEARL'') As of November 2021, this location has been converted to a second location of BELLA NOTTE Italian restaurant, with some museum exhibits remaining on display.
PARIS ROLAND Omotesando (Beauty salon)
Fuji TV
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...
) - Himself
* ''Konna Denwa ga Kakattekimashita'' こんな電話がかかってきました (March 18, 2022,
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...
) - Himself
* ''Risqué Business'' Season 1 Episode 5: Kabukicho, Hosts, and ROLAND'' (April 25, 2023,
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
) - Himself
TV Drama
* '' Aibou'' Season 15 Episode 3（October 26, 2016,
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...
Suntory
(commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and ...
Oolong tea
Oolong or Wulong (, ; ; , "black dragon" tea) is a traditional semi-oxidized Chinese tea (''Camellia sinensis)'' produced through a process that includes withering the leaves under strong sun and allowing some oxidation to occur before curling ...
audiobook
An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements.
Spoken audio has been available in sch ...
published by Kadokawa via
Audible
Audible may refer to:
* Audible (service), an online audiobook store
* Audible (American football), a tactic used by quarterbacks
* ''Audible'' (film), a short documentary film featuring a deaf high school football player
* Audible finish or ru ...
, December 13, 2019)
*' (Noriyuki Inoue,
Takarajimasha
is a Japanese publishing company based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It is known for publishing subculture-oriented fashion magazines aimed at teens, fashion magazines in general, as well as guide books.
History
The company was founded on September 22, ...
, December 18, 2020) /
*' (Noriyuki Inoue,
Takarajimasha
is a Japanese publishing company based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It is known for publishing subculture-oriented fashion magazines aimed at teens, fashion magazines in general, as well as guide books.
History
The company was founded on September 22, ...
Fusosha Publishing
is a Japanese publishing company wholly owned by Fuji Media Holdings and part of the Fujisankei Communications Group.
History
Fuji TV established Living Magazine Co., Ltd as a publishing business. In 1984, the company name was changed from L ...
, August 22, 2020)
*''ROLAND ENGLISH'' (
Nihon Bungeisha
, or , is a book and magazine publisher established in 1959 and based in Chiyoda, Tokyo
, known as Chiyoda City in English,Kadokawa, July 8, 2021)
*' (audiobook version narrated by
Junichi Suwabe
is a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo. He is affiliated with Haikyō. His popular roles include Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez in ''Bleach'', Omega Zero in '' Megaman Zero 3'', Keigo Atobe in ''The Prince of Tennis'', Victor Nikiforov in '' Yuri!!! o ...
, published by Kadokawa via Audible, November 14, 2022)