Akira Kawashima’s Solo Stop After “Love it!”

A popular TV host, highly trusted by television professionals, is lining up to charge up their energy.

In early November, Kawashima Akira (45) of Kirin was seen walking briskly through the bustling office district of Akasaka, Tokyo. After finishing the live broadcast of Lavit! (TBS), Kawashima walked straight ahead, not looking around, until he eventually stopped in front of a particular shop. Soon, a line began to form behind him.

What was this place that Kawashima, despite his work fatigue, was determined to visit alone first thing in the morning?

“This is a popular ramen shop famous for its rich tonkotsu (pork bone) broth. In fact, this shop was featured on Lavit! in October. Kawashima visited the shop that day as well, but he couldn’t get in because the timing didn’t work out. It seems that this time, he was determined to go no matter what and lined up at the front of the queue,” shared a source from the production company.

After slurping down the hearty tonkotsu ramen and recharging his energy, Kawashima left the shop in about 20 minutes and headed to his next location.

Lavit!, the show hosted by Kawashima, is on an unstoppable winning streak. By late September, the number of registered users on TVer, a streaming service that is an important indicator for TV professionals, surpassed 1.5 million—a rare feat considering many of its competitors only have around 100,000 followers.

“The key to its success is Kawashima’s reliability. He understands compliance well, so TV professionals find him easy to work with. He’s also the only host who asks about the rehearsal results for the games on the show. He’s particularly detailed when it comes to how the punishment games are portrayed, ensuring that no co-stars look bad or fail. His attention to detail has earned him a reputation as ‘the middle-aged host most feared by Akashiya Sanma,’” said a veteran staff member from a major TV network.

As a leading MC in the comedy world, his view remains sharp.

This is an unpublished cut showing Kawashima Akira of Kirin walking alone after finishing his Lavit! broadcast and heading to a specific place.