Hayato Ichihara on Taking on Tough Roles and His True Calling as an Actor

“I don’t have any room to enjoy myself at all.”

“I like the character for ambition (志).”

When asked about his favorite word, Hayato Ichihara (38) said this and wrote it on a shikishi board. The three characters he wrote, “志高く” (“High Ambition”), reflect his earnest and sincere approach to acting.

Ichihara made his acting debut in 2001 with the film All About Lily Chou-Chou and has since appeared in numerous hit and notable dramas, including WATER BOYS 2 (Fuji TV) and ROOKIES (TBS). Known for his passionate performances, Ichihara stars in the latest film Oishii Kyushoku: Honoo no Shūgaku Ryokō (released October 24), a gourmet comedy where his character, middle school teacher Yukio Amrida—a school lunch absolutist—battles his students to see who can enjoy school lunches more.

Amrida is an eccentric character who loves school lunches above all and cannot forgive those who do not. Since the drama first aired in October 2019, the series has produced three seasons and three theatrical films, making it a popular franchise.

Regarding his approach to this offbeat role, Ichihara explained:

“Because it’s a comedic work, people often say I seem like I’m having fun, but in reality, there’s no time to enjoy it at all. There’s no source material, so we had to figure out the character and world from scratch. On top of that, Amrida is an incredibly intense character, so most of the filming was improvised.

Chaplin once said, ‘Life is a tragedy when seen up close, but a comedy when viewed in a long shot.’ That’s exactly what this embodies. I’ve played extreme action roles and insane protagonists before, but this set was uniquely challenging.”

Even for Ichihara, with over 20 years of experience, Amrida was a demanding role. Yet he found aspects of the character that resonated with himself:

“I relate to his neutral perspective—he evaluates things fairly without bias, calling things good or bad as they are. I also share his love of food. As a child, I loved fried bread and often joined janken contests to get leftover milk. I went to school for the lunches, too [laughs].”

The October 10 issues of FRIDAY (October 24 & 31) and the paid edition FRIDAY GOLD feature Ichihara discussing his driving force for acting and future goals.

From the October 24/31, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”