[Reiwa Trends] M-1 Runner-Up Ginji Watanabe’s “Masumasu-so” and More… Share House Comedians Are All the Rage

The number of “sharehouse comedians” is on the rise

Ginji Watanabe (40) of “Donde Corte,” who took second place in the “M-1 Grand Prix 2025” (TV Asahi), has become a hot commodity in the advertising industry, following his appearance in McDonald’s Japan’s “Adults Are the Best!”campaign, and has now been cast in a web commercial for Kirin Beer’s “Ichiban Shibori Draft Beer,” making him a hot commodity in the advertising industry. What’s particularly noteworthy is that the commercials feature elements inspired by “Masumaso,” the share house where Ginji lives.

“Masumasu-so is part of the family home of Kohei Masuda (40) from ‘Kageyama.’ He and Ginji are from the same comedy class, and Masuda’s father—who wants to turn the place into a ‘comedy version of Tokiwa-so’—lets fellow comedians who are struggling financially stay there.Ginji has been a resident since the beginning. Life at Masumaso is streamed on a YouTube channel, which has helped boost his popularity,” says a comedy writer.

Traditionally, comedians would move out once their careers took off, but Ginji has continued to live there even after his breakthrough. It has also been announced that Hiroshi Yamazoe (41) of “Aiseki Start”—a former resident of Yoyoyo-so—will be moving back in, which has become a hot topic.

“Oinari Yoshino (32) of ‘Mezon’—who also advanced to the finals of last year’s ‘M-1 Grand Prix’—has been sharing an apartment with two fellow comedians from the same class, calling it ‘Itabashi House.’ He had already gained popularity on YouTube before his comedy duo came into the spotlight.

Although they’ve since broken up, Shunsuke Ito (36) of ‘Oswald’ andIwakura (36) of ‘Kaeru-tei’ also lived together with Himan Ohtsuru (34) of ‘Mama Tart’ and R-1 Grand Prix finalist Morimoto Cider (37) before they started dating, and they, too, were streaming on YouTube.

“In the Reiwa era, comedians who get along well tend to garner more fan support and can expect higher video revenue. That’s why the number of ‘sharehouse comedians’ is on the rise,” says a broadcast writer.

This broadcast writer continues, noting that “another benefit for sharehouse comedians is the ripple effect that occurs when a housemate becomes famous.”

“When Naoki Matayoshi (46) won the Akutagawa Prize, Tomohiro Kodama (46) of ‘Sarugorilla’—who was living with him at the time—saw a sudden surge in work opportunities where he talked about Matayoshi. Perhaps his rising profile sparked his motivation, as he later went on to win ‘King of Conte.’In the ‘Ichiban Shibori’ commercial featuring Ginji, Masuda makes a cameo appearance thanks to their connection through the share house, and Masuda is also receiving more offers to appear on variety shows. Roommate comedians are sometimes invited to talk shows like ‘Ame Talk!’ (TV Asahi). In short, there are many benefits.”

Of course, there are downsides as well.

“Ito and Iwakura are a prime example, but for male-female comedy duos living together, if they date and then break up, they lose one of their ‘selling points.’In some cases, they’re barred from appearing together, and they might even be turned down for casting because ‘it wouldn’t be funny anymore.’ If the two of them had gone ahead and gotten married, I think their popularity would have gone up and their work would have doubled…” (Director at a production company)

Doing a shared-house comedy act purely for “business” is also a big no-no.

“Both ‘Masumasu-so’ and ‘Itabashi House’ are supported by fans because they convey a relationship where the residents lived together without thinking about profit or loss, even back when they weren’t famous. If they were forced to live together just to make money on YouTube or similar platforms, fans would see right through it.” (Same production company director)

The bonds between comedians in a shared house aren’t built in a day.

From the July 10, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*