Roland (stylized as ROLAND) is a Japanese host, fashion model, TV personality, and entrepreneur. He is the representative director of Roland Group HD, Inc. As the Kabukicho host club sales record holder, he has been nicknamed "King of the Hosts". His income amounts to 42 million yen per month; his

cosmetic surgery Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes cranio ...

costs have incurred more than 10 million yen, with touch-up procedures costing 200 thousand yen per month.

History

Roland was born Fuuga Matsuo (松尾風雅) in 1992 in Tokyo. After graduating from Teikyo Koutou School, he proceeded to enter

Teikyo University is a private university headquartered in the Itabashi ward of Tokyo, Japan. It was established in 1931 as Teikyo Commercial High School (帝京商業高等学校). It became Teikyo University in 1966. It is part of Teikyo Group, a multinational ...

, but dropped out and made his host debut at age 18 as Makoto Tojo. After a year as a low ranking employee, he became representative director of the club he had been working at age 21. In 2013, at the major host club group KG-produce's Club PLATINA -Main Branch-, he brought in a record amount of cash flow as the lead host. Afterwards, he made appearances on many TV programs and became active as a talent. In August 2017, he changed his pseudonym from Makoto Tojo to ROLAND. His birthday event in 2018 brought sales of more than 60 million yen to his host club, making a new record for highest sales in the group. At that time, he hosted broadcasts on

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Comp ...

keiretsu A is a set of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings. In the legal sense, it is a type of informal business group that are loosely organized alliances within the social world of Japan's business community. The '' ...

's variety TV show, ''Sono Saki'', making his name known to the general public. Afterwards, he quit working as a lead host and separated from KG-produce. Since October 2018, he is affiliated with his office, Schwarz, which he created. In 2019, he opened his first exhibition at

Ikebukuro is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits. It is considered the second larges ...

PARCO, titled ''Ro LAND ~Ore ka, Ore Igai ka~'', which included virtual reality elements. A total of 100,000 people attended. In April of that same year, he opened a host club, named THE CLUB. On 28 February 2020, ROLAND opened his YouTube channel, ''THE ROLAND SHOW''. As of 18 March 2020, his videos had been viewed a total of 2,300,000 times, and the number of subscribers to his channel had surpassed 97,000. In response to the Tokyo government's request for self-quarantine due to the spread of the

Coronavirus disease 2019 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

pandemic, THE CLUB suspended operations from April to 26 May. Due to measures to prevent the spread of the virus, businesses were able to reopen at the end of May. On 9 July, the number of infected people in the city reached a new peak. As it was determined that further business was no longer possible, THE CLUB was permanently closed on the same day. On August 3, ROLAND was featured in a collaboration with

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds ''PUBG: Battlegrounds'' (previously known as ''PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds'') is a battle royale game developed by PUBG Studios and published by Krafton. The game, which was inspired by the Japanese film '' Battle Royale'' (2000), is based ...

, appearing in a voice card. On December 16 of the same year, he co-produced women's dress and lingerie brand G&R in collaboration with musician

Gackt , better known by his mononymous stage name Gackt (stylized as GACKT), is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Born in Okinawa, Japan, to a Ryukyuan family, Gackt learned the piano at a young age and was raise ...

; however, three days after the press release, some of the dresses were accused of copying from foreign brands. The operating company Dazzy (stylized as dazzy) confirmed suspicions that the designs had been copied, and announced that items and merchandise which were sold were recalled and refunded. On Roland's official YouTube channel, Roland released an apology in regard to the incident and announced the end of his contract with dazzy. On December 18, 2020, a

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...

titled ' by Noriyoshi Inoue was released, based loosely on Roland's journey to becoming a top host. When talking about the project, Roland said that his dream had been granted. Various promotional campaigns were run for its first release. As of 28 January 2021, the manga had sold over 100,000 copies, and a second volume was announced. In March 2021, Roland ran a limited-time

pop-up shop Pop-up retail, also known as pop-up store (pop-up shop in the UK, Australia and Ireland) or flash retailing, is a trend of opening short-term sales spaces that last for days to weeks before closing down, often to catch onto a fad or scheduled e ...

in the

Shibuya Hikarie The is a Tokyu skyscraper and retail complex completed in 2012 and located in the Shibuya shopping district of Tokyo, Japan. The Hikarie is 183 meters tall. As of November 2013, it was tied for being the 52nd tallest skyscraper in Japan and 40 ...

building for his menswear brand Christian Roland. Further apologizing for the G&R incident, he says that this time, he doesn't want to sell anything that isn't 100% produced by the collaboration of himself and designer Munetaka Yokoyama. On April 21, 2021, Roland released a book titled ''ROLAND ENGLISH'', published by

Nihon Bungeisha , or , is a book and magazine publisher established in 1959 and based in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Magazines *''Weekly Manga Goraku is a Japanese weekly manga magazine published since 1968 by Nihon Bungeisha which targets a demographic of adult ...

. The book uses his widely quoted sayings to teach English grammar. Following sales of ''Ore ka, Ore igai ka. Roland toiu Ikikata'' which totaled over 370,000 within two years, a sequel volume titled ''Kimi ka, kimi igai ka. Kimi he okuru Roland no kotoba'' has been scheduled for release, also by

Kadokawa Kadokawa may refer to: *Kadokawa Corporation, the holding company of the Kadokawa Group **Kadokawa Content Gate and Kadokawa Mobile, both former names for BookWalker **Kadokawa Future Publishing, a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation and the publi ...

, on July 8, 2021. An

audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sc ...

version, narrated by popular voice actor

Junichi Suwabe is a Japanese voice actor and singer from Tokyo. He is affiliated with Haikyō. His popular roles include Omega Zero in Megaman Zero 3 , Keigo Atobe in '' The Prince of Tennis'', Victor Nikiforov in '' Yuri!!! on ICE'', Grimmjow Jaegerjaque ...

and also published by Kadokawa, is scheduled for a November 14, 2022 release on

Audible Audible may refer to: * Audible (service), an online audiobook store * Audible (American football), a tactic used by quarterbacks * ''Audible'' (film), a short documentary film featuring a deaf high school football player * Audible finish or ru ...

. Currently, he is operating a hair removal salon and a restaurant. Additionally, he is active in beauty product sales and the champagne import agency business, while also working as an investor. ROLAND continues to pay rent for the building that was intended to be an expanded relocation site for his old host club; after the pandemic restrictions have decreased, he aims to reopen at the new location. On September 17, 2021, he opened an Italian restaurant named BELLA NOTTE in Shinjuku. Customers at one table complained that their order had not been brought out in over 60 minutes. In November 2021, a second location was opened in Hachioji, in the location that had been tapioca shop THE PEARL, as well as the Roland Museum. Some of the museum exhibits, including his boots and bust statue, remain as decor. On April 15, 2022, he debuted a new fashion brand, Minimus. In May of 2022, he became the first

mizu shōbai , literally the water trade, is the euphemism for jobs that do not provide a contractually fixed salary, but instead rely on the popularity of the performer among their fans or clientele. Broadly, it includes the television, theater and movie ind ...

worker to make an official appearance with

Sanrio is a Japanese entertainment company. It designs, licenses, and produces products focusing on the '' kawaii'' ("cute") segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts, and accessories which are so ...

character My Melody, as the two presented advice in response to questions in collaboration with

An An ''An An'' (stylized as ''an an'') is a weekly Japanese women's lifestyle magazine. It is one of the earliest and popular women's magazines in Japan. In 2009 it was described by ''Japan Today'' as a mega-popular women's magazine. It is also one o ...

. He was a featured guest at IT Trend Expo 2022 Summer, which took place from September 5th to 9th, 2022, giving a talk titled 白い目で見られても気にしない！～白は何色にでも染められる～.

Trivia/Episodes

* His name is derived from the character Roland Himuro, from the

Usamaru Furuya is a Japanese manga artist. Biography During elementary school, Furuya enrolled in the Osamu Tezuka Manga Correspondence Course and by the time he reached high school he had discovered a darker, more underground style. He graduated from Tama ...

'' Teiichi: Battle of Supreme High''. * Roland's fans are called Rolanders. * He declared himself that his reason for changing from Makoto Tojo to ROLAND was for the sake of changing his branding. On his own YouTube channel, THE ROLAND SHOW, he stated (of his time as Makoto Tojo), "There were many times I was unable to make girls happy. That started to make me feel upset, why do I keep doing things to make girls cry? s a result,I grew out of the business style of thinking that women are money", he cites as his reason for the change. * A book collection of quotations from his posts on SNS and various media, ''Ore ka, Ore Igai ka. Roland Toiu Ikikata'' became a hit best-seller with over 230,000 copies in circulation. All of the royalties are being donated to the establishment of schools in

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...

. In regards to this, he says that one doesn't have to be selfish to make sharp remarks and have them be heard by others.2021年1月10日放送の『林先生の初耳学』 * While he was an underling, he lived in a single-room apartment in

Nishi-Shinjuku is a skyscraper business district in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. This region was previously called . Nishi-Shinjuku was Tokyo's first major foray into building skyscrapers with the first appearing in the 1970s with Keio Plaza Inter-Continental. It ...

which he rented for 60 thousand yen per month and rode a bicycle to work. Afterwards, he would stay in hotels that cost 200,000 yen per night. Currently, he lives in a

Roppongi is a district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan, famous for the affluent Roppongi Hills development area and popular night club scene. A few foreign embassies are located near Roppongi, and the night life is popular with locals and foreigners alike. It ...

high-rise apartment. *According to his SNS, his friendships include

Asashōryū Akinori is a Mongolian former professional sumo wrestler ('' rikishi''). He was the 68th '' yokozuna'' in the history of the sport in Japan, and in January 2003 he became the first Mongolian to reach sumo's highest rank. He was one of the most succes ...

Tetsuya Komuro is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...

Max Matsuura , better known by his stage name , is a Japanese record producer and businessman. He is the founder of Avex Group, one of the largest music labels. He is known mainly for discovering and developing new artists into stars (most notably Ayumi Hamas ...

Gen Shoji is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Gamba Osaka in the Japanese J1 League. A strong and physical centre–back defender, Shoji is capable of covering and positioning using speed as well as his considerable stren ...

(of

Gamba Osaka is a Japanese professional football club based in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's name ''Gamba'' comes from the Japanese , meaning "to do your best" or "to s ...

), Yuki Kobayashi (of

Japan national football team The , nicknamed the , represents Japan in men's international football. It is controlled by the Japan Football Association (JFA), the governing body for football in Japan. Japan was not a major football force until the end of the 1980s, wi ...

), Tetsuya of

L'Arc~en~Ciel L'Arc-en-Ciel (French: 'The Rainbow', stylized as L'Arc~en~Ciel), also known as Laruku, is a Japanese rock band, formed in Osaka in 1991 by bassist tetsuya and vocalist hyde. Following the departure of original members hiro and pero, guitaris ...

, and

Minami Takahashi is a Japanese idol, singer, tarento and a former member of the Japanese girl idol group AKB48. She is in Team A of AKB48. She became the first of AKB48 and its sister groups. In an interview with Nippon Television in June 2010, AKB48 produ ...

, among others. Additionally, the musician Gackt has said that he adores Roland as if he were his younger brother. * Baseball pitcher

Yasuaki Yamasaki is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Career Yamasaki was drafted with the first pick by the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in 2014 Nippon Professional Baseball draft. He has ...

was his classmate at Teikyo High School, sharing a class with him for three years. * Actresses Rika Adachi and Rina Ikoma visited Roland's exhibition Rina Ikoma said that she became a fan of him. * His family consists of five people: his parents, a younger twin sister, and a brother 6 years younger than him. His father is professional guitarist Youichi Matsuo, who made accomplishments working with AIRBLANCA,

JAM Project JAM Project ("JAM" standing for "Japan Animationsong Makers") are a Japanese anison band founded on July 19, 2000 by anison singer Ichirou Mizuki. The band is composed of many vocal artists well known in the anime music industry. Aside from the m ...

Yukari Tamura is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Amuleto (formerly Arts Vision and I'm Enterprise). She debuted as a voice actress in 1997, releasing her debut single "Yūki o Kudasai" on March 26, 1997. Her role as Nanoha Takamachi in the ...

Ichiro Mizuki , better known by his stage name , was a Japanese singer, lyricist, composer, voice actor and actor best known for his work on theme songs for anime and tokusatsu. For over 50 years, he had recorded over 1,200 songs for Japanese film, televisio ...

, and

Mitsuko Horie is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer. She was born in Yamato, Kanagawa. She has voiced several characters throughout her career, such as Sailor Galaxia in '' Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars'' and Remi in the Nippon Animation World Master ...

, among others. * In October 2021, a series of acrylic stands, coasters, and key holders were released as a collaboration between ROLAND and

Haruhi Suzumiya is a Japanese light novel series written by Nagaru Tanigawa and illustrated by Noizi Ito. It was first published in 2003 by Kadokawa Shoten in Japan with the novel ''The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'', and has since been followed ...

in commemoration of the release of his book Kimi ka, kimi igai ka.

Soccer Affiliations

*From elementary school until high school, he was very focused on

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

; in middle school, he was in the J.League team

Kashiwa Reysol is a Japanese professional football club based in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadi ...

junior youth's Ōme branch; in high school, he joined the Teikyo High School Soccer Team. He still continues to participate in soccer, and plays

Futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is ...

once a week with his host associates. * On October 23, 2018 TV Asahi Keiretsu broadcast ''Sono Saki'' showed Roland going to see

Real Madrid CF Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wo ...

players

Luka Modrić Luka Modrić (; born 9 September 1985) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and captains the Croatia national team. He plays mainly as a central midfielder, but can also play as an a ...

Luís Figo Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo (; born 4 November 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a winger for Sporting CP, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan. He won 127 caps for the Portugal national team, a one ...

, and

Roberto Carlos Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (born 10 April 1973), commonly known as Roberto Carlos, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who now works as a football ambassador. He started his career in Brazil as a forward but spent most of his car ...

. * On October 6, 2019, before the J.League J1 League

Cerezo Osaka is a Japanese professional football club based in Osaka. The club currently plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's name ''Cerezo'' (Spanish for cherry blossom) is also the flower of the city of Osaka. ...

Kashima Antlers are a football club in Kashima, Ibaraki, currently playing in the J1 League, top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The name ''Antlers'' is derived from the city name, Kashima, which literally means "deer island". The club has fin ...

28th match at

Yanmar Stadium Nagai , known as the Yanmar Stadium Nagai ( ja, ヤンマースタジアム長居) for sponsorship reasons, is a stadium in Osaka, Japan. It is the home ground of J. League club Cerezo Osaka. The stadium has a seating capacity of 47,000. History When N ...

, Roland appeared as the main guest at a talk event, holding a talk show with Cerezo's FW Ken Tokura, whom had been withdrawn due to injury. Additionally on that day, he was a referee escort. He also updated his blog on that day, saying "Despite acknowledging the many risks, I had many from the J.League Club bravely reach out to me and make this a reality, for which I am incredibly happy", expressing thanks for Cerezo and declaring, "From this day forward, I am a Cerezo Osaka supporter!" *On February 22, 2020, he once again appeared in the talk event for the J1 opening round Cerezo Osaka vs Oita Trinita match at Yanmar Stadium Nagai. Preceding this event, on February 20, it was announced on Cerezo's official home page that he was inaugurated as an "Official CereMan". On that day, in addition to the talk event, he also worked as referee escort like during the previous event. Additionally, an inauguration was held during the halftime show, where president

Hiroaki Morishima is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played for the Japan national team. Club career Morishima was born in Hiroshima on April 30, 1972. After graduating from high school, he joined Japan Soccer League club ...

officially appointed Roland as Official CereMan. When greeted afterwards, he promised lifelong loyalty to Cerezo, declaring, "There are only two types of soccer clubs in the world. Is it Cerezo, or is it the rest?", which Cerezo supporters accepted with wild cheers. His contract was renewed for the 2021 season. *His opportunities to appear in soccer-related events and media such as the above cases increased; he appeared as a guest commentator in the sub-audio of the TV terrestrial broadcast of the J.League YBC Levain Cup final match (

Kawasaki Frontale is a Japanese professional football club based in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium, in Nakahara ...

Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo is a Japanese professional football club, which plays in the J1 League. The team is based in Sapporo, on the island of Hokkaido. The club name of "Consadole" is made from ''consado'', a reverse of the Japanese word and the Spanish expression ...

) held on October 26, 2019. On December 8th of the same year, at the J.League Awards 2019, he appeared as a presenter for the Winning Director Award.

Businesses Operated

ROLAND GROUP HD, Incorporated * THE CLUB ( host club) (Closed on July 9, 2020; slated to reopen in July 2022) * ROLAND MUSEUM (a renewal of

Tapioca tea Bubble tea (also known as pearl milk tea, bubble milk tea, tapioca milk tea, boba tea, or boba; , ) is a tea-based drink that originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s. Taiwanese immigrants brought it to the United States in the 1990s, initially ...

shop ''THE PEARL'') As of November 2021, this location has been converted to a second location of BELLA NOTTE Italian restaurant, with some museum exhibits remaining on display.
PARIS ROLAND Omotesando (Beauty salon)

ROLAND Beauty Lounge (Men's hair removal salon)

ROLANDALE (Beauty products, supplements, cosmetics)

CHRISTIAN ROLAND (Apparel brand)

R-GALLERY (High-end flower brand)

SCHWARZ (Entertainment production)

BELLA NOTTE (Italian restaurant)

Appearances

TV Programs

* ''Kingen Picks~Tsuginaru Kigyouka ni,Chie wo Sazukeru'' (October 4, 2020, TBS) - Host (TV host/MC) * ''Roland-sensei ~Ichiryu Ningenryoku Test~'' (April 20, 2020,

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...

) - Himself * ''Konna Denwa ga Kakattekimashita'' こんな電話がかかってきました (March 18, 2022,

) - Himself

TV Drama

* '' Aibou'' Season 15 Episode 3（October 26, 2016,

） - Host * '' Detective Story (2018 TV Drama Version)'' (April 8, 2018,

)

Commercials

* NIKEN＝ナイケン（ YAMAHA） *

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and makes Japanese whisky. I ...

Oolong tea Oolong (, ; (''wūlóngchá'', "dark dragon" tea)) is a traditional semi-oxidized Chinese tea (''Camellia sinensis)'' produced through a process including withering the plant under strong sun and oxidation before curling and twisting.Zhonggu ...

* CHINTAI (2020 - ) *

Gerolsteiner Gerolsteiner Brunnen GmbH & Co. KG (Gerolsteiner) is a leading German mineral water firm with its seat in Gerolstein in the Eifel mountains. The firm is well known for its Gerolsteiner Sprudel brand, a bottled, naturally carbonated mineral wate ...

(March 2020 - ) *Medical Corporation Yushinkai Clear Dentistry (December 2020 - )

Music videos

Sandaime J Soul Brothers from EXILE TRIBE , formerly simply J Soul Brothers and stylized as Sandaime J Soul Brothers from Exile Tribe, are a J-pop vocal and dance group formed by Exile ex-leader and producer Hiroyuki Igarashi in Japan in 1991. Sandaime J Soul Brothers are managed by Hiro ...

"''Rat-tat-tat''" (2020)

Other

* FABULOUS NIGHT (2020, 2021) - Official Fabulous Ambassador

Books

*' (

, March 11, 2019) *' (self-narrated

published by Kadokawa via

, December 13, 2019) *' (Noriyuki Inoue,

Takarajimasha is a Japanese publishing company based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It is known for publishing subculture-oriented fashion magazines aimed at teens, fashion magazines in general, as well as guide books. History The company was founded on September 22, ...

, December 18, 2020) / *' (Noriyuki Inoue,

, May 27, 2021) /ローランド・ゼロ逆襲篇
/ref> *' (

Fusosha Publishing is a Japanese publishing company wholly owned by Fuji Media Holdings and part of the Fujisankei Communications Group. History Fuji TV established Living Magazine Co. , Ltd as a publishing business. In 1984, the company name was changed from Li ...

, August 22, 2020) *''ROLAND ENGLISH'' (

, April 21, 2021) *' (

, July 8, 2021) *' (audiobook version narrated by

, published by Kadokawa via Audible, November 14, 2022)

References

External links

* * {{IMDb name, 10542097
ROLAND Group HD

ROLAND on Twitter
1992 births Living people Japanese television personalities People from Hachiōji, Tokyo 21st-century Japanese businesspeople Japanese entertainers Japanese businesspeople in fashion Japanese businesspeople Japanese YouTubers People known for their body modification