Snow Man Koji Mukai: “Acting and Variety are Great Activities”

A major breakthrough to become a sought-after brand

On June 5, it was announced that Snow Man’s Koji Mukai had become the brand ambassador for PUMA Japan’s golf brand COBRA PUMA GOLF. Mukai is addicted to golf, and last May he and Takahiro Hamada of West. opened a golf channel on YouTube called “Hama-chan to Koji no Ojite desu” (Hama-chan and Koji are good at golf). The decision to make them ambassadors has been met with a wave of congratulatory comments from fans.

Mukai joined the former Johnny’s s office (now “SMILE-UP.”) in October 2006 and was a member of Kansai Junior. In January 2007, Mukai suddenly joined the junior unit Snow Man, which already had a large fan base, and in January of the following year he made his long-sought CD debut.

Mukai is also known as a camera enthusiast, and in 2008 he began a series of articles on the theme of cameras in the April issue of Asahi Camera (Asahi Shimbun Publications, April issue). After the magazine ceased publication, the serialization was taken over by “AERA” (Asahi Shimbun Publications, from July 2008). Following his camera, his hobby of golf has also led to work.

He is also half-Japanese, with a Japanese father and Thai mother, and spent some of his childhood in Thailand. He can speak Thai at a daily conversational level. He is the first Japanese actor in the history of Thai dramas to play the lead role in “Dating Game (tentative title),” a drama to be broadcast in Thailand this year, and he also stars in the Japan-Thailand co-production movie “(LOVE SONG)” with actor Winn Morisaki, which will be released in Japan on October 31, 2012.

This year, she has been getting a lot of work related to her roots in Thailand, such as being appointed as a commercial character for Ajinomoto’s Tom Yam Kung Noodle “Yum Yum”.

(Entertainment writer) “That’s why fans are so excited about her appointment as an ambassador for Thailand,

Koji’s ability to connect his hobbies and weapons to his work is what makes him so special.

I really admire him for being able to turn his camera, golf, and Thailand into a career. It’s wonderful to see someone who loves so many things.

I’m glad to see that Koji’s love and efforts in camera, Thai language, and golf are leading him to big jobs.

He was happy to hear that.

Mukai, who now seems to be on a roll, experienced a period of adversity before his debut.

When she was a member of Kansai Junior, she belonged to a unit called ‘Kin Kan. The three members at that time were former King & Prince, Shiyoh Hirano (now Number_i), and Hiiruma Kaneuchi, who later left the office. Working with them was “Naniwa Prince,” which consisted of Ren Nagase (now King & Prince), Ryusei Onishi, and Daigo Nishihata (now Naniwa Boys).

These two groups were also the members of the TV program “Maido! Journey” (BS Fuji) and often appeared as a set in magazines. However, Hirano and Nagase moved to Tokyo first, and the remaining Mukai, Onishi, and Nishihata continued their activities based in the Kansai region. Hirano and Nagase debuted as King & Prince in May 2006, while Mukai was not selected as a member of Naniwa Otoko, a unit within Kansai Junior formed in October of the same year.

Very popular among children.

However, the turning point came when they joined Snow Man in January of the following year. Mukai, Raoul, and Ren Meguro joined Snow Man, which was a six-member group at the time, upon the recommendation of Hideaki Takizawa. Although there was a lot of criticism when the increase in the number of members was first made, as a result, Snow Man has grown into a group that has produced a string of million-seller albums.

Recently, the group has appeared in the variety show “Dokkuri GP” (Fuji Television Network, Inc.)! (Fuji TV) is very popular among children, and I have the impression that their fan base is expanding.

He also made a regular appearance in the drama series “Special Search 9 final season” (TV Asahi), which reached its final episode on June 11, and has become a sought-after performer in acting and variety shows in addition to his group activities with Snow Man. He has been able to improve himself during his down-and-out period and has continued to increase his arsenal, which is probably the reason for his current success.

Idols like Mukai must serve as good role models for their younger colleagues who are aiming to make their debut.