“He seems used to being around women…” Izumi Chikama, the beautiful city councilwoman who confessed her feelings to Shinji Ishimaru, reveals the “private side of the former mayor in love”

“Mr. Ishimaru was always a gentleman to me, but he would fly into a rage at the staff (laughs).”

Izumi Chigama (33), a Nishi-Tokyo City Council member who went on a drive date with Shinji Ishimaru (44) on the dating reality show “Love Hospital” (ABEMA), recalled the filming experience in this way.

After working as an elementary school teacher for six years, she began a career in entertainment and gained popularity on social media as “Izumin-sensei,” sharing “everyday school stories.” She was first elected in the Nishi-Tokyo City Council by-election in February 2025 and continues to juggle her roles as a councilwoman and entertainer.

She said she had no hesitation about appearing on a dating show as a sitting city council member.

“There are city council members who hold other jobs, such as doctors, architects, and tax accountants. Being an influencer or a TV personality is also a profession, isn’t it? So, I keep my work as a council member and my other activities separate in my mind. I’m free to date, and I thought appearing on the show itself would be fun.”

Enjoying the “Typical Politician” Moments

Participating in the show was also an opportunity for her to confront her own love life, which she had been putting on the back burner amid her busy schedule.

“After quitting teaching, I started using social media, then entered the world of politics… I just didn’t have any time for romance at all. When I received the offer, I realized, ‘Come to think of it, I might not have been dating at all.’ I hoped this would be a chance to regain that sense of romance, even just a little bit.”

She wasn’t told who the male cast members were until she met them in person. She said she was surprised when Mr. Ishimaru appeared, following businessman Ryusei Kuwata (40).

“When I saw Mr. Kuwata, I was shocked—‘That’s the guy from *Reiwa no Tora*!’—and then Mr. Ishimaru came out. You wouldn’t expect such famous people to show up, would you?I did know he was a former mayor who had run for governor of Tokyo, but I didn’t really have that intimidating image of him—someone with a strong tone of voice or who would argue people down. My impression was limited to having seen him give speeches during the election.”

The two men she was interested in romantically were Mr. Ishimaru and former J.League player and culinary expert Hayato Koizumi (31).

“I wanted to talk to people I had things in common with. With Mr. Ishimaru, it was politics; with Mr. Koizumi, it was being an active social media influencer. Since I got to talk to Mr. Koizumi on our first date, I thought I’d like to talk to Mr. Ishimaru next.”

She says the proactive approach she showed on the show was “my own decision.”

“I thought that if we just drove around and talked, it would turn into a talk show. So, I set myself the mission of speaking informally, holding hands, and giving a hug. I figured I had nothing to lose, and honestly, I thought I might get turned down, but they went along with it. Of course, I was embarrassed and nervous. My heart was racing.”

There were absolutely no instructions from the show’s staff, such as ‘Please approach this person’ or ‘Please act this way in this scene.’ It was entirely up to each individual to decide who to talk to and how to act.”

During the time they spent together, they had conversations unique to two people who’d both been involved in politics.

“Mr. Ishimaru was really good at conversation. While we were driving, we got to talking about whether a certain road was a city road, a prefectural road, or a national highway. Normally, you wouldn’t talk about who manages the roads on a date, would you? (laughs).Since I’m a city council member, I could keep up, but it was interesting how that kind of topic naturally became a conversation. We also had fun talking about those ‘politician things’ that only we would understand.”

Although she was free to choose whom to approach, she did receive instructions from staff regarding how to stage the dates. During a drive date, she reportedly received instructions from staff via a smartphone left in the car for communication purposes.

“I guess they thought the road talk was boring, because we got instructions like, ‘Liven things up a bit’ or ‘Talk about this kind of thing.’ Mr. Ishimaru got angry right away. ‘We don’t need that kind of thing,’ he said. He went on to say something like, ‘You’re interrupting, so the conversation stops. Why can’t you see that you’re ruining the mood?’

Scenes like that happened quite often, and he was getting increasingly irritable. I wondered if this was what people meant by the so-called ‘Ishimaru style.’ But his anger was directed solely at the staff; he remained a gentleman toward me the entire time. I thought he was very mature.

For example, when we sat by the beach, he laid a towel on a rock for me, and in places where the ground was uneven, he gently escorted me. He even draped something like a small blanket over me because I was wearing a skirt. I thought he was clearly used to treating women with care. That kind of behavior isn’t something that comes naturally on the spot.I felt that he was someone who was always polite and kind to others.”

That’s classic “Ishimaru style.”

In the end, she didn’t end up pairing up with Mr. Ishimaru. Still, she says she felt a change within herself as a result of participating in the show.

“I talked to people with romance in mind, had some physical contact, and felt that flutter in my heart for the first time in a long while. I feel like I’ve rediscovered what it’s like to be in love. However, since I’m no longer a student, when it comes to whether I’ve been able to date casually since then, I’ve definitely become more cautious. I think dating at an age when marriage is on the horizon is really difficult.”

Some time after the show aired, when she learned that Mr. Ishimaru had been photographed by *Friday* magazine with a beautiful woman who resembled First Summer Uika, she said, “Rather than being surprised, I found it understandable.”

“I thought, ‘He’s probably popular with women.’ He’s considerate, and he has a sharp, polished appearance. Given his position, I imagine it’s difficult for him to date, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he were in a relationship.”

The woman in question is involved in politics and currently serves as Mr. Ishimaru’s secretary. How did City Councilmember Senma, who took an interest in Mr. Ishimaru because of their shared background in politics, view the two of them?

“I think it’s easier to open up to someone who understands what you’re going through to some extent, rather than someone from a completely different world. When he asked *Friday* for a ‘definition of romance’ during the interview, I thought, ‘That’s classic Ishimaru.’ It’s a form of art, really. But since I was just a co-star, to be honest, I wasn’t that interested in it (laughs).”

From the classroom to social media, the city council, and now a dating show—the starting point for this expansion of her activities was the resolve she felt after retiring: “I’m going to do what I want to do.”

“I’ve always loved anime and musicals. When I thought about my own life, I decided, ‘Everything is a challenge, so I’ll just do what I want to do.’ I started out on stage, joined a talent agency in 2023, and began taking on video work as well. I started using social media at the agency’s recommendation. Since 2025, I’ve been working with them under a business partnership rather than as a signed artist.”

The subject she chose was the school environment she had experienced firsthand. Initially, she intended her content to be aimed at fellow teachers.

“I wasn’t aiming to go viral from the start. I think everyone has a general idea of what a teacher’s job is like, but there are challenges and joys that aren’t apparent from the outside. I just wanted people to understand that.

As civil servants, teachers face certain professional constraints that make it difficult to speak freely. So, my approach was to reach out to fellow teachers, asking, ‘This is what happened to me—how about you?’ I started with the simple hope that the general public might find it entertaining as well.”

However, it wasn’t just “those on the teaching side” who responded to the videos.

“Seventy percent of my followers are middle and high school girls. Even when I’m out and about, elementary and middle school students start up to me, asking, ‘Are you Izumin-sensei?’ Once, when I asked, ‘What grade are you in?’ a student replied, ‘Fifth grade.’ It really hit me that kids that young were watching my channel. It really made me feel the times.”

Her follower counts on TikTok and YouTube have both surpassed 100,000. While she’s received a Silver Play Button from YouTube and can truly feel the results of her efforts, there are also unforgettable moments that mean more to her than just the numbers.

“A boy who looked like he was in third or fourth grade came up to me, looking really nervous, and said, ‘I watched your videos, and they made me want to become an elementary school teacher.’ He told me he was working hard in his studies and added, ‘I want to be a teacher just like Izumin-sensei.’ It made me so happy. It made me realize that what I share can actually have an impact on someone’s life.”

That moment made me acutely aware of the responsibility that comes with sharing content.

“To be honest, I’m not really a fan of the world of TikTok or influencers. Of course, there are people who take it seriously, but sometimes I sense an atmosphere where people feel it’s okay to do anything just to get views or go viral.

Even ‘school life’ videos—you can make them even without any teaching experience, right? In fact, I sometimes come across videos where I think, ‘This kind of thing doesn’t actually happen in the classroom.’ I want to share the facts based on my own experiences, and I don’t want to lie.”

However, even though she received empathy and positive feedback, there were challenges that couldn’t be solved by that alone.

“I’m happy when teachers tell me, ‘I totally get it.’ But I realized that just sharing my perspective wouldn’t change the actual hardships faced in the classroom.”

It was comedian Hidekazu Nagai (56)—a Nishi-Tokyo City councilmember who took the nation by storm with his catchphrase “That’s for sure!”—who encouraged Ms. Senma to run for city council.

“I was walking near the station around 8:00 p.m. when I ran into Mr. Nagai. I’ve been a huge fan of his since elementary school. Back when *Entame no Kamisama* (Nippon TV) was popular, if someone asked me, ‘Who’s your favorite comedian?’, I’d always say Mr. Nagai—that’s how much I loved him. So, so I took the plunge and called out to him, ‘I used to watch “Enta”!’ He gave me his business card as a council member, but to me, it felt like ‘I just met a celebrity!’”

About half a year later, she ran into Mr. Nagai again at a birthday party hosted by a mutual acquaintance. Since they both lived in the same city, they decided to meet up for tea.

“We were talking about YouTube, comedy, and the entertainment industry when, out of the blue, he said, ‘There’s an election in six months—why don’t you run?’ At first, I turned him down, saying, ‘No, no, that’s impossible. I couldn’t do that.’ I wasn’t well-versed in politics, and I didn’t know much about the political parties or policies I supported.”

Even so, Mr. Nagai kept urging her , “Why don’t you just see what it’s like?” For about a month, they met once or twice a week, and she accompanied him to political events and interacted with political figures. She says she felt like she was “being courted” the whole time.

“It was basically him trying to persuade me to run for office (laughs). He invited me enthusiastically, but I was agonizing over it, thinking, ‘Being a politician is just not for me.’”

Advice from Hidekazu Nagai

What really moved me was when I helped out with the House of Representatives election in October 2024. I served as a campaign announcer on the election car, handed out flyers, and listened to the candidates’ speeches up close.

“Everyone had such a strong desire to improve their communities, the country, and people’s lives. Since I had been acting, so I was already used to ‘communicating with people.’ But in those speeches, I sensed something like a ‘cry from the soul.’ I thought, ‘A job where you speak from the bottom of your heart and influence people is amazing—maybe I should give it a try…’”

I made the decision to run around the end of October that year. There were only about three months until the special election the following February, and there was only one seat up for grabs. Following Ms. Nagai’s advice, I joined the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

“I had the option of running as an independent, but Mr. Nagai explained that joining a political party would allow me to receive election support and would be strategically advantageous. To be honest, at the time, I didn’t fully understand the differences in policies and campaign pledges between the various parties.”

Days spent giving speeches in front of the station and handing out flyers. Former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (69) also came to show his support.

“Security personnel were there, and security was extremely tight. I was deeply moved, thinking, ‘A former Prime Minister has come to support me.’ Incumbent members of the Diet also came to show their support, and I learned that ‘this is what it means to run for office with the backing of a political party.’ “When I won, I was just so happy. Since so many people had supported me, my first thought was simply, ‘Thank you!’”

Since becoming a lawmaker, I’ve been tackling a wide range of issues beyond my specialty of education.

“Long-term care, social welfare, childcare, roads… There are so many things funded by taxes—far more than I’d imagined—so I can’t just say, ‘I’ll only focus on education.’ I joined the Construction and Environment Committee, but I didn’t know anything about construction or roads. When a National Health Insurance proposal came up in the supplemental budget, I had to study how that system works, too. My first year was completely consumed by learning.”

Even when it comes to education, there are systems that the city council alone cannot change.

“Even if I think, ‘Classroom teachers have it tough, so I want to add another teacher,’ or ‘I want to reduce class sizes from 35 to 30 students,’ the city council alone can’t make those decisions. Action has to be taken at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government or national level. People familiar with politics might think, ‘That’s obvious!’ but at first, I didn’t even fully understand that.

Even though I wasn’t interested at all at first, once I took a closer look, I began to see things I hadn’t noticed before. That’s exactly how it was with politics. That’s why I want to open even more doors that I haven’t opened yet. Recently, I went to see a musical starring my favorite actor and was deeply moved. I have experience on stage, but I’ve never done a musical. I thought, “I’d like to try that.”

Since becoming a city council member, I’ve managed candidates’ social media accounts for both the House of Councillors and House of Representatives elections.

“I made about 80 videos in a month, and some even reached 1 million views. I did everything myself—from coming up with ideas to filming and editing—including the longer videos. I went to bed at 4 a.m. and woke up at 6 a.m., living on just two hours of sleep a day for about a month. But I really enjoyed giving it my all to manage other people’s accounts.

I found it rewarding to use my abilities to support someone who was working hard. I’m not sure yet whether it will take the form of a management service or something like a training program, but I’d like to use the skills I’ve cultivated here to help others.”

In March 2023, she spoke about her experiences to date during a career guidance session for about 80 high school students. She felt that her journey of taking on various challenges could serve as food for thought for students considering their future paths.

“If they get a glimpse into my life—where I’ve taken on all sorts of challenges—they might think, ‘It’s okay to live like this, too.’ Conversely, it’s fine if they look at me and think, ‘This isn’t for me.’

A life spent sticking to one job versus a life spent taking on new challenges—by comparing the two, I think people can gain clarity on what they truly want. I’d be happy if I could give a little push to those hesitating to take that first step, and I hope my story can serve as a reference point for them as they choose their own path.”