Dancer and Actor Naoki Kobayashi

From EXILE to Hollywood

Over the last decade, Naoki Kobayashi has carved out a place for himself in Japan’s entertainment industry. Best known as a performer and choreographer for the J-pop bands EXILE and Sandaime J Soul Brothers, he performs frequently for audiences in the thousands while balancing projects as a runway model and TV and film actor. His latest venture is into Hollywood, making his debut in the English film Earthquake Bird, a psychological thriller produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Wash Westmoreland that was released worldwide in October 2019. Tokyo Journal Editor-in-Chief Anthony Al-Jamie talked to Naoki Kobayashi about his career in music and film.

EXILE: A Quest for Eternal Success

Interview by Anthony Al-Jamie and Elizabeth Mays Photographs by Shane Karns

EXILE is an all-male J-pop group that over the past two decades has evolved from a boy band to a multi-generational entertainment empire. Six of EXILE’s 11 studio albums have gone platinum, with over 20 million sold in Japan alone. The group has had four generations of members, beginning in 1999 as J Soul Brothers and continuing today as EXILE. The group’s founder, Hiroyuki Igarashi, better known as EXILE HIRO, has retired from performing, but he oversees the band as chairman of its management company, LDH JAPAN Inc. LDH produced a supergroup of artists known as EXILE TRIBE, a collective that includes EXILE, EXILE THE SECOND, J SOUL BROTHERS III, GENERATIONS, THE RAMPAGE, FANTASTICS, BALLISTIK BOYZ, and Gekidan (Theater Company) EXILE. LDH has branched out globally through a score of initiatives ranging from music production and artist development schools to apparel, martial arts, modeling, film production and distribution, organic food production, and wedding planning. Members and EXILE TRIBE have also ventured into the world of acting, including Ryohei Kurosawa, better known by his stage name EXILE AKIRA, who appeared in Martin Scorsese’s Silence; Naoki Kobayashi, a lead actor in the Netflix original film Earthquake Bird executive produced by Ridley Scott; and Ryuji Imaichi. Each of these members appeared with Hiro at the 2019 Short Shorts Film Festival (SSFF) at Japan House in Hollywood. This interview was conducted on January 17, 2019.

Japan House Los Angeles

Perspectives on Japan: Art, Culture, Design, and Technology

Yuko Kaifu, the daughter-in-law of former Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu, joined the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs shortly after graduating from Nara Women’s University in Japan. Following an exciting career as an interpreter for Japan’s Empress Michiko and as a diplomat to the United States, Yuko Kaifu now serves as president of Japan House Los Angeles. Tokyo Journal Editor-in-Chief Anthony Al-Jamie sat down with Yuko Kaifu before the COVID-19 pandemic to discuss her role in the international promotion of Japanese culture and the efforts and successes of Japan House’s projects.

Rolling with Rola in L.A.

Fashion model, TV talent, actress, and singer Rola has one of the largest social media followings of any Japanese celebrity.

Travel to Las Vegas

NoMad Las Vegas

On the top four floors of the Park MGM complex, the NoMad Hotel is one of the premier European-style hotels in Las Vegas.

Study in Japan

Why study in Japan?

Welcoming Foreigners and Promoting Respectful Exploration

Tokyo has been hard at work on the mammoth task of preparing for the Tokyo Olympics and creating ways to make life easier for the throngs of foreigners who will visit, including English translations. Japan is known for its exotic charm, partly because most visitors can’t read the signs, newspapers or menus. This creates a disconcerting, yet incredibly exhilarating feeling that you are on another planet.

Yumiko's Home Cooking: YAKITORI

Prep Time:30 min

Cook Time:15 min

Total Time:45 min

Yakitori is a Japanese skewered chicken cooked on a grill with either sweet soy sauce or just salt. You do not marinate the chicken before cooking. It's great for entertaining a big crowd, as it is a kind of finger food and it is easy to make. In this recipe, you will learn how to make the two most common yakitori: negima (chicken and shallots or scallions) and momo (plain chicken thigh) with sweet soy sauce. The recipe also includes different methods of grilling yakitori – on a yakitori griller or barbecue, or using the oven grill or broiler.

Serves:12 skewers

Calories:100kcal

Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto

Chef/Owner of Morimoto Management

Chef Masaharu Morimoto — known to millions as the star of Iron Chef and Iron Chef America — has garnered critical and popular acclaim for his seamless integration of Western and Japanese ingredients. Since 1998, Morimoto has competed on the Japanese television show Iron Chef, and he also appears on Food Network’s Iron Chef America.

NOBU: Chef Nobu Matsuhisa

Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, known as “Nobu,” is the critically acclaimed chef and owner of Nobu and Matsuhisa restaurants, which have received rave reviews from such publications as The New York Times, Zagat Survey, and Michelin Guide. Chef Nobu currently has 41 Nobu Restaurants, 11 Matsuhisa Restaurants, and 10 Nobu Hotels in 48 different cities around the world, spanning six continents.