Former Japanese National Athlete Becomes Kabukicho Host
While the Paris Olympics fervor is in full swing, the night scene is captivated by the MMA matches of “RIZIN.” However, Shinjuku’s Kabukicho area is home to many former elite athletes.
Especially in host clubs, those with sports backgrounds are valued for their grit. Among them is Harurelya Haruki, a former trampoline athlete who is rumored to be an unparalleled top athlete turned host.
“When I was in third grade, I used to play on the trampoline on the supermarket rooftop while my parents were shopping. My parents said, ‘If you love it so much, why not take it up as a hobby?’ and that’s how I started competing.”
Two years after starting, Harurelya moved to a competitive club. While many athletes start from kindergarten, he began his career just before he was too old. According to him, starting at a young age makes a significant difference in body flexibility.
“By my third year of junior high, I was able to compete for championships at the national level. Although my small stature was a challenge, I won both synchronized and individual trampoline events at the national high school tournament. I also won at the Junior Olympics. I think my high school years were the best in terms of performance.”
Despite his impressive achievements and continuing his sport in college, Harurelya faced the harsh realities of the sports world. He also had conflicts with his family over his approach to the sport. During college, he lived almost separately from his family, with a microwave and refrigerator in his room.
“I couldn’t achieve the results I wanted. I realized I didn’t have the skill to attract sponsors as an athlete and couldn’t make a living from it.
Continuing through college would have led to coaching opportunities, and I could have become a coach while still competing. However, just being a coach wouldn’t generate enough funds to start my own club.
Some professional athletes continue their sport while working part-time, showing how difficult it is to make trampoline a sustainable business. I was too focused on the sport and lacked worldly experience, so I decided to step away from both the sport and my family to earn money.”
In the fall of his fourth year of college, Harurelya retired from the sport and transitioned to being a host after graduation. Just like in trampoline, he quickly found success and, by his third year, was making 20 million yen a month and became the top host.
“At that time, I received a message from a family member for the first time in a while. They happened to see on social media that I had become No. 1. They said, ‘It’s really hard to be number one at anything, so I wanted to reach out and say congratulations.’ From there, we gradually started to reconnect.”
Harurelya credits his experience in competitive sports for helping him in the fiercely competitive host industry.
“In the world of sports, you interact deeply with people who have similar careers, but Kabukicho is the opposite. It’s a big advantage to learn various perspectives, especially from a business standpoint.
The strengths I gained from sports include… being able to liven up a party with backflips (laughs). Also, the manners I learned during my competitive career have stayed with me. Additionally, having been in a competitive world, I have a habit of closely analyzing numbers like sales figures. I have a strong sense of self-assertion, so it’s not just about getting paid; I also want to be among the top.
I’ll keep working hard as a host for a while, but I still enjoy watching trampoline events at the Paris Olympics and continue to cheer them on.”
In the corner of Kabukicho, Harurelya dreams of making another leap while keeping his thoughts on Paris.
Currently participating in the filming of the drama “Shinjuku Battlefield Hospital” (Fuji TV) as a shooting assistant,
Sasaki Chihuahua’s book “Host! Tachinbo! To Yoko! Overdose na Hito-tachi” (Kodansha) is now on sale and receiving positive reviews!
From the August 16, 2024 issue of ‘FRIDAY’.
