“I Work Part-Time at a Supermarket”… Takehisa Maeyama on the State of Mind He’s Reached in a Life Where “I’m Slandered Just for Breathing”　

“I don’t think the slander against me will end unless I die.”

Takahisa Maeyama (35) was active as an actor in theater and musicals. Facing days where he was publicly shamed and attacked on social media simply for walking down the street, he said , “I’ve gotten used to it… or rather, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that no matter where I am or what I’m doing—even just breathing—people will say bad things about me,” before continuing with the words at the beginning of this article.

In December 2021, following the death of his then-girlfriend Sayaka Kanda, a barrage of harsh criticism and slander directed at Maeyama ensued, triggered in part by weekly magazine reports about their relationship. He subsequently left his agency in 2022. As is well known, he retired from the entertainment industry.

After a period away from the public eye, he has now resumed his activities in new forms, such as live streaming on TikTok and producing music.

Amid ongoing harsh criticism, why did Maeyama choose to return to the public eye? We asked him about his time away from the entertainment industry, his current life, and his reasons for continuing his activities.

“Don’t mention Maeyama on social media”

“Since I ended up quitting acting before I could fulfill my dreams, it was a huge shock at the time. I couldn’t even imagine doing a regular job, let alone continuing my entertainment career.

I couldn’t stay in Japan, so I studied abroad in South Korea for a while, but after returning home, I started thinking, ‘I want to work in entertainment again.’ That was about two years after I quit. I couldn’t just stay out of work forever, so I consulted with those around me. That’s how I ended up landing a role in a stage play in 2024.”

However, as soon as Maeyama’s comeback was announced, the play he was scheduled to appear in was flooded with criticism. Cast members, fearing for their safety, withdrew one after another, and the production was canceled. As he attempted to return to the public eye, he was once again made keenly aware of the harsh scrutiny directed at him by the public.

There were also changes in her relationships with those around her.

“While having dinner with an actor friend, they confided in me, ‘My agency told me not to post on social media that I’m in contact with Maeyama.’ It’s fine if I’m the one getting attacked. But what’s even harder to bear is making my friends walk on eggshells or causing them trouble. I couldn’t stand the thought that just because they were supporting me, they’d end up being viewed negatively too.

This happened a few times, and that’s when I made up my mind. ‘ From now on, I won’t involve anyone else—I’ll do everything on my own .’ That way, no one but me would be criticized. Right now, I handle everything on my own—from running the fan club to managing social media. I don’t even have a manager. On TikTok, I just post my own content and avoid getting into arguments. Once I actually tried it, it turned out to be easier for me.”

Currently, TikTok is the center of his activities.

“I started in April of this year at the lowest rank, D5. Since I was teaching myself without relying on anyone, I didn’t even know how TikTok worked at first. I didn’t even know about the gifts (tips) fans send, so I’d reply with things like, ‘Thank you for sending me a sticker!’”

Even so, the harsh criticism from the public never stopped.

“I was criticized when I started my fan club and YouTube channel, too. I think the number of fans who’ve supported me from the very beginning is steadily decreasing. Honestly, it’s difficult to win back the people who liked me back when I was all glitz and glamour and had no scandals.

But on the other hand, I’ve also gained new fans. So now, rather than trying to win back my old fans, I feel I have no choice but to rely on the support of those who get to know me as a person and can relate to me. I have no choice but to let people become fans by seeing my life as it is.” I’ve given up on returning to the spotlight as an actor. Acting is a profession that involves third parties.”

I have no lingering attachment to the entertainment industry

While talking about his current life, Maeyama revealed a surprising fact.

“I work part-time at a supermarket in Tokyo.”

During his acting days, Maeyama was active in theater and musicals and gained popularity for his handsome looks. You’d think that if a man like him were standing on the sales floor of a very ordinary supermarket, customers would recognize him and cause a commotion—but…

“The store manager recognized me just once and said, ‘It must be tough for you right now.’ But maybe because I’m wearing a mask, no customers have ever recognized me.”

While on duty, he wears a name tag that says “Maeyama” and works on the sales floor just like any other part-time employee. He works the register and also stocks shelves.

“I handle everything from vegetables to snacks. Stocking heavy beverages is tough. The backroom is cold, too. But… the hardest part is when I finish stocking too early. The situation where I have nothing left to do but still have time left on my shift—that’s the hardest part.”

Maeyama’s TikTok account—the centerpiece of his activities—rose from the lowest rank to the top-tier A1 rank in just four months since he started posting. He likely has no trouble making ends meet, but there’s still a reason he continues working part-time at the supermarket.

“While I’m working, I can forget about the criticism I’m facing… and the painful reality. I can’t even touch my phone while I’m on the job, and when I’m immersed in my work, I can keep my mind completely free of any extraneous thoughts. I think the reason I can’t bring myself to quit this part-time job is because that time is so important to me.”

The time he spent away from the entertainment industry also changed Maeyama’s values regarding work.

“Even when I see actors who used to share the stage with me thriving, I no longer feel resentful. Maybe it’s because I’ve been criticized so much that I’ve hit rock bottom, but I’ve recently realized that it’s not that I ‘want to be in show business’—it’s that I ‘enjoy being in front of people.’

The criteria for what constitutes ‘making it’ are pretty vague these days, aren’t they? For example, influencers who appear on dating reality shows become famous and gain more social media followers—but does that really mean they’ve ‘made it’? Are they even celebrities to begin with?　

“I used to feel frustrated about not being able to return to the entertainment industry, but now I’ve come to realize that I don’t need to be tied to the entertainment industry—I can just build my own platform and be active there.”

One of the new activities Maeyama has started on her own platform is music production. Originally, Maeyama entered the entertainment industry through an idol audition.

“I’ve always wanted to release songs. I thought about what I needed to do to achieve that goal, and decided to first build a loyal fan base through stage performances—with the intention of releasing music later on—so I also appeared in musicals. However, I didn’t think I had any musical talent. Even when fans would say, ‘Mae-chan, you should release a song,’ there was still a part of me that wanted to keep up appearances.

Even so, after retiring from show business, I did approach a record label and say, ‘I want to release a song.’ I actually got a positive response, but I worried that if I had to work with band members or a large staff, it might cause another online backlash and drag them into it. Thinking that, I decided against it.”

“So-So” Songwriting

Leaving the entertainment industry actually made some of his dreams come true. It was a clerk at a bar he frequented who gave Maeyama the push he needed to start producing music in earnest.

“The clerk was a rapper. He didn’t know I was Takahisa Maeyama, but when I told him I wanted to release a song, he taught me everything—from how to use a studio and record to how to make music.

“Before, I was with a major agency, so my manager and the people around me handled everything for me. While I’ve come to truly appreciate how fortunate that was, I realized that doing things on my own is faster, freer, and better suited to me.”

Currently, he creates songs by purchasing pre-made beats—known as “type beats”—and adding his own lyrics and melodies to them.

“If you search for the names of artists you like, all kinds of beats come up. Apparently, this is a method rappers often use—someone told me, ‘With this method, you can make a song in as little as a day.’ I was really impressed.

For example, during my free time after finishing a TikTok livestream, I’d search for beats on YouTube, hum a melody that came to mind, record it on my phone… and I was able to make three songs in about three weeks.”

While I learned songwriting from scratch, my experience as an actor in musicals came in handy for recording.

“I had some recording experience back when I was performing in so-called ‘2.5-dimensional’ musicals. I wasn’t shy about singing in front of a microphone, so I got into it right away.

I’m the type of person who goes all in or nothing at all— so when I think, ‘This is it!’, I’m the type to go all out without overthinking it. I’ve always loved music and listened to all kinds of songs, so maybe I was already used to expressing myself.

Actually, back when I couldn’t leave the house due to COVID, I had some free time, so I tried my hand at songwriting—a dream I’d had for a long time. I wrote a song thinking, “Let’s make this go viral,” but when I played it for my manager at the time, he told me, “It’s a bit iffy,” so I gave up on it. That was actually quite a shock (laughs).

But now, I’m making songs I love, and my fans are listening to them. Of course, I don’t think of myself as an artist. I’m just happy that I’m able to do exactly what I want with “100% purity.”

Back when I was figuring out how to get my career back on track, some people reached out and asked, “Can I help?” With the support of those around me, I launched a YouTube channel where I tried my hand at playing roles that left a strong impression, like the “peeping Tom.” While the videos racked up views, there were also reactions where people conflated the character with Maeyama himself, and I faced harsh criticism.

“I have no regrets. Whether it’s work or romance, I’ve always given it my all—100 percent. It’s only natural that people have different opinions. I’m the one who knows myself best. So now—and I know I’m repeating myself—I want to think hard about what I truly want to do and bring it to life on my own.”

The defamation and slander directed at Maeyama continue to this day. Seeing him endure such prolonged criticism, friends have even expressed concern for his mental and physical health. Even so, Maeyama chose not to disappear from the public eye, but rather to step back into the spotlight.

“For example, even if I were to disappear from the public eye and live quietly and happily somewhere far away, the haters would probably still attack me. I think there are people who won’t be satisfied until I’m dead. So, I’ll step out into the open. I’ll take a step forward.”

Even during his TikTok live streams, he sometimes receives comments from haters. When faced with malicious comments, he says he sometimes tries to reason with them, telling them, “You shouldn’t say things like that.”

“Sometimes fans watching the stream will even call out the haters. I’m really grateful for that. At this point, it’s not exactly ‘better to be infamous than unknown,’ but I feel I have no choice but to look at it positively. I just have to turn the fact that so many people now know who I am into a positive.”

He says the purpose of this interview is to “rewrite” that narrative.

“When I’m doing TikTok Live, people who’ve recently discovered me sometimes ask, ‘Why is this guy getting bashed?’ There are even people who first learned about me through my streams and ended up liking me. So rather than running away from my past, I decided to keep working, keep making the news, and keep overwriting and updating the story of who I am.”

Some people become afraid to appear in public after facing online backlash or being bashed. Some even give up on their dreams.

But if there’s an example like me, maybe they’ll think, ‘There’s another way to live like this.’ I hope that my continued work—even as I face slander and defamation just for being alive—can serve as a guiding light for those people on their path back.

I think that’s the meaning behind my efforts—even if I’m doing this all on my own.”