Hidehiko Ishizuka Expresses Desire to Reunite with Partner for Comedy Sketches While Focusing on Food Reporting

Praised as “fierce” and “monster-like.”

Are you familiar with the “insanity of Instagram”? Hidehiko Ishizuka (62) from Honjamaka has been cosplaying as everything from Anpanman, Bulldog Sauce, the Glico sign, B’z, to bouldering—all using his own face as the base for the cosplay. Moreover, he uploads a new creation every day.

Comedians like Cookie (48) from Yasei Bakudan and Kazunobu Kubota (44) from Torio Salmon have praised it as “fierce” and “monster-like.” Ishizuka laughs as he reveals how this Instagram craze started:

“My manager suggested, ‘In this day and age, you absolutely need to be on Instagram,’ so I started it. At first, my manager would take photos of me at work and post them, but they weren’t funny at all (laughs). So, I decided to try it myself. I wanted to show my personality, and one day, when I put the lid of a seasoning bottle from the kitchen on my nose, I looked just like Doraemon.
After that, I wrapped a light blue towel around my head to make it more complete, and it started getting fun. I thought, if it’s something I enjoy, I can keep doing it, so I began cosplaying. At first, I just used things I had on hand, but it started to feel a bit lacking. These days, I get paints from a makeup supply store in Shimokitazawa. At first, the shopkeeper thought I was preparing for some stage play (laughs).”

So far, he has posted over 1,000 cosplay creations. When asked about the most memorable ones, he pondered for a moment before saying:

“I thought I might be a genius when I did the cosplay of ohagi and mame daifuku. I used cardboard to recreate the interior of a room where ohagi was placed, and I even painted the tatami mat patterns with incredible detail. When I recreated the sign for ‘Kinuta Dental Clinic,’ which had become a hot topic for its abundance in Tokyo, I received a message from Director Yasukazu Kinuta, and he invited me to his radio show. Right now, I just can’t get enough of doing cosplay.”

“I haven’t met with Megumi in three years.”

Ishizuka has opened up new horizons, but he insists that “food reporting is my main job.”

“For me, it’s vital work that I want to continue for a lifetime. Just like Instagram, food reporting allows me to connect with people. For example, I get to hear about the passionate commitment the chef has to their cooking. Within that, you can sense their way of life, which is very educational. It’s truly enjoyable and rewarding to chat with customers at the restaurant about trivial things. That, I believe, is the real charm of it. That said, I basically just say ‘delicious’ when it comes to food reporting. I don’t even know much about secret ingredients. Once, when I was eating pork with Papaya Suzuki (58), I ended up saying, ‘This is the best chicken!’ (laughs).”

Ishizuka has established his position as a gourmet reporter, while his partner Toshiaki Megumi (59) has been active as an MC, hosting the 15th-anniversary edition of Hiruobi (TBS). The two, who have been prominent in their solo careers, last met a surprising “three years ago.”

“Honjamaka has different directions for each of us. Megumi enjoys summarizing conversations, while my job is to disrupt them. Right now, there are no offers for us to work together as a duo, so we haven’t met at all. However, Megumi is the best partner for comedy sketches. I believe our Honjamaka sketches are one-of-a-kind, and I’m not considering a breakup at all.
The last time we met was about three years ago. I was having a meal with my family at a department store restaurant in Tokyo when someone tapped on the window. I thought, ‘Is there some weird person out there?’ and when I looked, it turned out to be Megumi! He was there with his family as well, and while we were talking about our kids, it got a bit noisy with the surrounding customers, so we parted ways. It seems that it was quite rare for us to be seen together in public (laughs).”

Ishizuka himself has high hopes for Honjamaka.

“If it were to end like this, I would wonder what Honjamaka has accomplished. That’s why I want to do comedy sketches with Megumi one more time. Until then, I’ll keep working hard on my lifelong passion of food reporting while updating Instagram every day!”

As he hones his new weapon of “insane Instagram,” Ishizuka is waiting for “that day” to come.

From the September 20, 2024 issue of ‘FRIDAY.’