[Exclusive] Ruma Takahira’s Full-Throttle Night Out at Japan’s Top Italian Hotspot!

In February this year, a popular comedian admitted to being involved in online casino gambling and suspended their activities. Since resuming in April, nearly two months have passed—what changes have taken place since then?

Overcoming the scandal, her number of appearances continues to rise steadily

Two Months After Resuming Activities — Caught Energetically Out at Night in Good Spirits!

On April 28, Kuruma Takahira (30) of Reiwa Roman made headlines when he announced via his YouTube channel that he had left and rejoined Yoshimoto Kogyo—a first in the company’s history. Since restarting his career, he’s been more in demand than ever.

“Since his management contract with Yoshimoto Kogyo was terminated, appearing on venues like ‘Lumine the Yoshimoto’ has become difficult. However, his YouTube channel official Reiwa Roman continues to upload content at a rapid pace and is getting good viewership. His podcast show ‘Reiwa Roman no Goyousu’ is also ongoing.

In mid-May, he made headlines when he appeared wearing a guest pass on ‘New York no New Radio’, a YouTube radio program streamed live from Yoshimoto’s Tokyo headquarters. Also, the day before that, on ‘THE SECOND’ (Fuji TV), a post Kuruma made on X—‘#THESECOND is suddenly way too exciting’—was featured on air. After making his return to terrestrial television through that broadcast, he continued to appear on shows such as ‘Love It!’ (TBS) and ‘Nagano & Kuruma no Hikkakari Nietzsche’ (TV Asahi),” said a TV station insider.

On his comeback episode of Love It!, the host Akira Kawashima (46) welcomed him with a lighthearted line:

“So I guess your car inspection is finally done, huh?” Kuruma fired back with self-deprecating humor: “Yeah, but it looks like I changed manufacturers during the process.”

So, what was Kuruma’s life like during his roughly two-month break?

“According to him, he stayed completely indoors during his hiatus because journalism (entertainment reporters) were always outside his place. He barely watched comedy shows or YouTube, bought a vacuum cleaner and did house chores, and spent his time growing a cherry blossom bonsai. He once joked that it was thanks to his apartment—the same one Kazunari Shimasa of New York comedy duo criticized as too expensive since he moved in—that he managed to survive the tough self-isolation period. To combat lack of exercise, he would climb the stairs from the first floor to the rooftop every day to refresh himself,” according to a sports newspaper reporter.

Busy making the rounds for greetings

After a period of self-restraint, Kuruma, now fully recharged, was spotted by our magazine one night in mid-May.

We encountered him at a stylish Italian restaurant tucked away in a back alley in Tokyo, enjoying wine with around 15 people who appeared to be from the entertainment industry. According to reviews on gourmet sites and posts on social media, the place is such a renowned spot that some even call it the most impossible-to-book phantom Italian restaurant in Japan.

The restaurant’s glass walls made the interior fully visible from the outside, and some passersby were seen turning back to do a double take.

“I was walking past the restaurant after work and was shocked to see Kuruma from Reiwa Roman inside. They were seated around a long table, and since he was sitting near the entrance, he stood out quite a bit. While sipping wine, he was talking animatedly with gestures, and the people around him were listening intently and laughing,” said a male passerby.

Around 1 a.m., roughly six hours after they had entered, Kuruma and his group began to emerge from the restaurant. They got into taxis on the main road and disappeared into the night.

After a recording session of New York on New Radio, Kuruma was also spotted heading to a nightlife district near Yoshimoto Kogyo’s Tokyo headquarters with his senior, Shimasa. They sat side by side at the counter of a dimly lit bar, enjoying drinks and conversation.

While Kuruma is actively engaging in nightlife networking to build new connections and rekindle old ones, one can’t help but wonder: Does he have a secret strategy for navigating the rough roads of the entertainment industry? All eyes remain on what lies ahead for him.