Hiroshi Kawahara. Born in 1964 in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kawahara moved to Tokyo with dreams of becoming a singer and later became an apprentice to the comedy duo W Kenji. In 1987, he opened the first Nandenkanden ramen shop along Tokyo’s Kan-nana (Loop Route 7) in Hanegi, Setagaya Ward. At its peak, the business generated annual sales of 300 million yen, and his monthly income exceeded 10 million yen.