Higashiyama-kai, Marshmallow-kai, Ryuhei-kai… A thorough study of the “00-kai” that exist in Johnny’s!

Johnny’s is one of the many entertainment companies where there is a lot of interaction among the talent. At times, that connection is often the key to their advancement or decline” (source from a major entertainment professional).

From the day they enter the office in their early teens, Johnny’s talents accompany their seniors on tours and deepen their relationships. The many opportunities for contact with a wide range of ages, from elementary and junior high school students to those in their late 20s, make the scene seem like an extension of a boys’ school. In recent years, the “Janino Channel,” which was born out of YouTube, has seen an increasing number of like-minded members working together across group boundaries, starting with Kazunari Ninomiya (39), Yuichi Nakamaru (39), Ryosuke Yamada (30), Fuma Kikuchi (28), and others.

Besides “Johnny’s,” Kento Nakajima (29) of “Sexy Zone,” Teru Iwamoto (Hikaru) (30) of “Snow Man,” and Hiroki Shigeoka (30) of “Johnny’s West” co-starred in “BAD BOYS J: The Last Guardian,” a movie starring Nakajima released in ’13. Their work ethic and attitudes toward work matched, and they have continued to interact with each other ever since. Recently, they have been tweeting together and both Iwamoto and Shigeoka have appeared in commercials together,” said a source from a major advertising company.

The strongest ties are the “00-kai,” or unofficial talent clubs at the office.

The most famous group is the “Marshmallow Club. Centered on Sho Sakurai (41), the main members include Tatsuya Ueda (39) of KAT-TUN, Takahisa Masuda (36) of NEWS, Fuma Kikuchi of Sexy Zone, and Junta Nakama (35) of Johnny’s WEST. Sakurai even went on to Keio University while working at a time when it was not considered necessary for Johnny’s to have an academic background. There are numerous junior members who respect his attitude. Ueda, in particular, calls Sakurai “Aniki” and adores him. and held a meeting with his admirers, so it was called “Aniki Kai” by those around him. However, Ueda and the other members looked too tough, so Sakurai decided to at least give it a cute name and called it the ‘marshmallow party.

An Unexpected Gathering of Hobbyists

It is said that there are currently 11 “00-kai” groups, of which the “Higashiyama-kai” led by Noriyuki Higashiyama (56) is the most prominent.

The “Higashiyama-kai” is led by Noriyuki Higashiyama (56) and is said to be a group that “mainly discusses work worries and other issues. The group consists of Domoto Koichi (44) of “KinKi Kids” and Inohara Yoshihiko (47) of “20th Century,” who are involved in training younger members, and Nakajima Kento, a junior member who is stoic about his work. They do not drink alcohol and sometimes get together at a coffee shop.
Domoto is in a position to train junior members on stage, and Inohara is the president of Johnny’s Island. When you are in a position of being above others, you often become isolated from the junior members and subordinates you usually work with, not being understood by them. I think that senior and junior staff who can give us their opinions as a third party are valuable to them” (source from a major entertainment professional).

The most common type of “00-kai” is a hobby-based gathering.

The “Miyata-kai” led by Toshiya Miyata (34) of “Kis-My-Ft2” is famous as a gathering of otaku. Miyata still frequents Nana Mizuki’s concerts and other events, and once even took a day off from work to attend a live performance of “μ’s.” “The ‘Miyata-kai’ is a well-known group of otaku. When his manager found out, he told her, “You’re a nerd. When it was discovered, his manager asked him, “Since you are in the position to be chased, isn’t it strange for you to be chasing them? When it was discovered, the manager scolded him, saying, “You are the one who is supposed to be chased, so it’s not right for you to be chasing him. However, Miyata’s nerdiness seemed to be encouraging to his younger colleagues who were also nerds, and before they knew it, Daisuke Sakuma (30) of “Snow Man” and others had formed the “Miyata-kai. Miyata invites them over to his house for takoyaki parties and treats them like friends,” said a source from the record company.

In addition to his rather geeky hobbies, such as anime and video games, Miyata also seems to have his own unique celebrity hobbies and gatherings.

The “Senga Gundan,” led by Kento Senga (32) of “Kis-My-Ft2,” is a group whose hobby is beauty. In particular, he and Shota Watanabe (30) of “Snow Man” exchange information on beauty treatments. Although from another agency, Matt (28) is also a member of the group, and words such as ‘nicotinamide mononucleotide’ and ‘picotoning,’ which are incomprehensible to ordinary people, are thrown around at the drinking sessions.

Johnny’s’s fierce internal politics

There are many Japanese talents who take good care of their friends and family, but one who has a surprising side to him is Kazuya Kamenashi (37).

He says, “I invite my juniors over to my house, and Kamenashi goes to the supermarket alone to buy groceries and prepare home-cooked meals to entertain them. In winter, he would prepare oden. This group used to be all Jr. members, including Meguro Ren (26) of “Snow Man,” but they all later made their CD debuts. They may have been successful because they were originally athletic and could get along with Kamenashi, who is strict about manners and etiquette.

There is also another unexpected person who has a “XX group.

He is usually quiet, but there is a “Kyomoto-kai” (Kyomoto Association), which consists mainly of members of “Travis Japan. He calls on the members to produce music, and in private he is a strong leader of others.

At these meetings, the senior members buy dinner for the junior members, but some of them are quite unreasonable, according to the TV station insider.

Tsukada Ryoichi (36) of A.B.C-Z, who is at the center of the Tsukada-kai, is so full of the spirit of service that when asked by a fan to do the Y-balance on the street, he does it. He once took a junior member of Tsukada-kai to dinner so much that he could not pay his rent and had to borrow money from his mother. JUMP’s Hiroki Arioka (32) and others, and is now the largest group in the group.

The figure below is a summary of the entire “XX Association. This chart reveals a side of the celebrities that cannot be seen just by watching TV.

The “XX Association” has a very strong sense of the inner circle of each association, and even if you wanted to join, you could not easily do so. Fuma Kikuchi belongs to three such associations and has his own association. He belongs to a group of his generation that meets for swimming and other activities, as well as a group that leads to work. In fact, because of his close friendship with Sakurai, he also appeared in the drama “Daihyoin Sukyo” (Nippon Television Network Corporation), in which Sakurai starred. He is also a member of “Janino. He is highly trusted by the office, and can be said to be one of the youngest talents who is strong in internal politics.

It is often heard from their mouths that “the presence of their seniors and peers in the group has kept them from leaving the office” through exchanges at these meetings. Enjoy the profound world of the “XX Association,” which has a total of 54 members, more than half of whom are from the office.

From the June 2, 2023 issue of FRIDAY