Ruriko Kojima: “I am far from smart now. But that’s the real me” [Exclusive Long Interview].

The Determination Behind the Blonde Hair

Blonde hair enhances her bright expression. Ruriko Kojima, 32, a TV personality who has changed her look from her trademark black hair, smiled shyly and said, “I mixed a little pink into my blonde hair to make it more spring-like, but it was difficult to get the color to stay the way I wanted.

Whenever she tilted her head, her blonde hair would sway. Her behavior at the photo shoot was so refined that it was hard to believe that she had been inactive for two and a half years.

Since announcing his return last October, he has appeared on TV and in online videos, but this is his first interview for a magazine. Please give me your best regards.”

Since entering the entertainment world at the age of 15, Kojima has been active at the forefront of the industry for 13 years. Her current life, which she resumed after a hiatus, is built around the three axes of being a celebrity, a business owner, and a mother.

She says, “I wore a one-piece dress for the photo shoot, but for personal wear, I wear a light turtleneck and denim. I only have three tops and two pairs of denim, so I wear them alternately. It’s almost like a uniform (laughs). I don’t want to waste time worrying about coordinating my outfits.

In 2009, she won the Grand Prix at the Horipro Talent Scout Caravan and entered the entertainment industry. With her talk ability as a weapon, she has been active in a wide range of activities, including serving as an MC for variety shows, sports programs, and educational programs.

One of her most famous appearances was in “Akira Ikegami’s General Election Live” (TV Tokyo), a special election program for the House of Representatives election in 2005. She reported live from the polling center, and was described as “Kojiruri Musou” for the way she returned votes and the power of her comments. However, she had mixed feelings about this.

Thankfully, my workload has increased, but I don’t think of myself as a muso. I was expected to be perfect, and I felt like the bar for many things had been raised. It was a heavy load, and it was tough.”

Husband dies suddenly, but she still looks forward

While boasting of her popularity with the media, she resigned from HORIPRO in February 2011. The following month, she married Mr. Kota Kitamura (29 years old), a sauna business owner, and fulfilled her wish to study in China for a short period of time. After returning to Japan and giving birth to her first son, she devoted herself to housework and childcare as a full-time housewife. It seemed as if her happiness would continue, but in February of last year, her situation changed drastically when her husband passed away suddenly.

I wanted to support him as he worked hard in his business day in and day out. But …… there may have been something in his heart that I couldn’t fully understand. The more I thought about it, the more painful it became, and the time since that day has been the hardest I have ever experienced, both physically and mentally. But I was able to look forward to the future because of my son.

In October of last year, he set up his own private agency and resumed his entertainment activities. He reported that in addition to his work as president and TV personality, he is also involved in the tea business. This is based on his own experience of being saved by time spent drinking tea during a difficult time.

I have always loved tea, but I realized that it is not only the taste and aroma, but also the time spent taking a sigh of relief over a cup of tea that calms the mind and enriches one’s life. Tea is a profound subject that I want to continue to pursue. I also thought that it would be great if I could bring something to the hearts of people who are in the same kind of difficult situation, or who are looking for peace of mind.

When he gets an idea, he acts quickly. He has asked a university professor who is a tea researcher to teach him about tea leaves, visited tea farmers, and even visited tea wholesalers (tea merchants).

In January of this year, Kojima opened a restaurant in Akasaka, Tokyo, for a limited two-week period, serving tea as the main ingredient in a course meal. 268 customers visited the restaurant, and he himself served them and explained about tea. Everything was a new experience for Kojima, including setting up his own reservation site. One would think that he must have had a hard time, but he was surprisingly unconcerned.

It was definitely hard work, but whether or not I had done it before was not important. We live in an age when you can do most research using AI, and there are functions that allow you to build a reservation site, so if you want to, you can make it work even if you’ve never done it before.

We never give up, no matter what.”

The two-week reservation was filled in a blink of an eye, and the response from customers was positive. He felt a positive response.

I was relieved,” he said. It was a great feeling to know that if we work hard, we can deliver something. To be honest, I had a vague sense of anxiety while preparing for the project. I would ask myself questions like, ‘Will this business really succeed? But I was afraid that if I spoke out, it would all be for nothing.

Last November, when I was at the peak of my anxiety, my manager murmured to me, “We seem to be preparing for the school festival all the time. I thought, ‘Oh, he was thinking the same thing, even if he didn’t say it out loud.

In fact, Kojima’s current manager is a close friend of 20 years. Last year, Kojima personally asked her, a classmate since elementary school, to join him. She accepted Kojima’s invitation and immediately decided to quit the company she had been working for and join him.

I couldn’t say, ‘I’m sure you’ll succeed, so don’t worry,'” she said. But I told him, ‘If you follow me, I’ll do it until I succeed,’ and I seduced him.

Kojima was inspired by the words of the late Konosuke Matsushita, the “God of Management,” who said, “If you stop when you fail, it will be a failure. If you continue until you succeed, it will be a success.

Even before I brought her into the business, I was determined to ‘never give up, no matter what happens. I was determined to continue until we succeeded. That’s why I was able to say, ‘I want you to quit your job and join us,’ and I think she made an immediate decision because she understood that determination.”

Immediately after he spoke with fervor, a light shining from his eyes, he said, “It’s kind of like a Showa-era spore. It’s not very Reiwa-like,” he said with a wry smile.

I really think it would be cool if I could do it smarter. …… I’m far from being smart right now. But that’s the real me.”

[Exclusive Interview, Part 2] Ruriko Kojima: “I am truly blessed, and I want to live up to the expectations of those who support me.

From the May 1-8, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY