Yutaro, From Harajuku "Shop Staff" to Rule-Breaking Actor - Face, Followers, Future

Hi, I'm Yutaro.
I'm a retail shop staff, actor, and I also model.

Thanks for having me.

Check out these 5 frames of love for us and you.

Eventually I stopped going to school.

I want people to cherish and value their individuality.

Through Yutaro, I've come to love fashion.

I feel more confident
when I put on my favorite clothes.

People ask me all the time why I don't
quit the shop, but I won't, ever.

That's so touching.

Good morning, everyone.

Today, I'm being interviewed by a magazine
about my daily makeup routine.

I change up my makeup style and products daily.
Today, I brought a few favorites.

I'm excited to talk about
men's makeup since it's on the rise.

I can't wait. Let's go.

Let's get started!

Why did you choose this primer?

Makeup rubs off under face masks.
I use the primer, so it stays put.

And it helps protect against the sun.

I rub the leftover product on my neck.

TOKYODOT Magazine aims to teach
subjects we don't learn in school.

My intention was to create a bridge
among all ages and genders with it.

Yutaro just loves what he loves to a fault.

And he loves skirts, so wearing
them is natural to him.

It's not about being a "girl" or "boy."
Yutaro is truly his own individual being.

I think he brings hope to those
who don't want to be categorized.

If someone is struggling with
their identity, they can look to him.

And just like him, they can sidestep
the boundaries of society and be proud of it.

This is why I keep inviting Yutaro for interviews.

This is my older sister, Touyu.

Here, my sister spoke to me on camera
for the first time ever.

She kept her face private, though.

You can see I was shy.

When I was hikikomori (a shut-in)...

You were a different person.

I only left the house once every two weeks.

I couldn't understand why you
stopped going to school.

You had bedhead all day,
and just wore whatever mom picked out.

It made me so upset, I told you
to stay away from me.

We really couldn't stand each other.

But one day, we went out shopping together.
I picked out some clothes that looked nice on you.

I also did your hair and put some makeup on you.

I was in puberty. My skin was bad, and
I wore face masks that made it worse.

At that time, I believed the stereotype
that makeup was for girls, not boys.

I still remember how I felt when I put on some
BB cream and a bit of lipstick the first time...

I felt so good about my face
for once and wanted more.

At age 15 or 16, I finally had an idea of who
I wanted to be and enjoy the journey.

I was obsessed with myself.
I got a job just to buy more makeup.

You gained the confidence to go out
and talk to people, too.

Yeah, I also made friends in the fashion industry.

I remember the relief I felt when you had friends.

I was really happy about it.

You'd always needed your
hand held to do anything.

So, I was so happy to see you doing things
on your own terms and having fun.

It felt so good.

You and the people around me kept me alive.

And now you're an actor.

The family is so proud of you.

You bring us joy and laughter, and I'm so
grateful to have you as my brother.

Tsubasa was interested in hearing
more about my way of life.

Did makeup and skin care change anything for you?

Originally, I was wearing makeup
because of my insecurities.

So, it wasn't for self-expression, I just
wanted to "erase" my hang-ups.

I just wanted to turn an extreme negative into
something neutral. I just wanted to reset to zero.

- Are you at zero now?
- Yes, I am.

I'm still not totally reborn.

My transformation is a work in progress.

It's really hard to step from zero to one.
I want to work on that now.

I can say that "Face" finally means "Confidence."

I work as a radio host once a week.

It's a lot of fun.

It's also rewarding because I can come up with
some ideas and the crew lets me try them out.

Next up is, "Let's Stay Up Late With Yutaro."

There's news that from April 1st, the age of
adulthood will change from 20 to 18.

But I don't think age is what
makes someone an "adult."

I asked my followers,
"What does it mean to be grown-up?"

Most said, "When you have to
take responsibility for your life."

Yeah, and that's hard to do.

I'm still not sure whether I'm really taking
responsibility for myself or not, now.

In my opinion, I think that when you can consider
how your actions might affect other people, is when you have probably become an adult.

Another answer was, "Having opinions on
lots of subjects is being an adult."

That's true.

I think it's good to always have your own opinions
on things, whether about politics, media, or whatever.

I never thought about my opinion when I was young.

This is really inspiring.

You guys sent so many comments.
I'll go through all of them at home.

Yutaro puts his fans first.

Whether it's the topics we discuss or all the comments
he gets, he answers each one with so much care.

That's why he's so loved.

I use social media when I'm lonely,
and want some company.

My fans can relate to that, so it's a win-win for all.

We all share this connection to one another online.

Now let’s take some live calls!
I can’t wait!
Please call in, ok!

It's ringing. Hello?

What's your name?

My name is Minami.

Minami, the question is,
"What've you graduated from?"

I just graduated high school.

Congrats! The best sort of "graduation!"

May I ask, do you have a plan for what's next?

I'm still waiting for a response from the university.

- Wow, so you took an entrance exam?
- Yep.

- You must be nervous.
- Yep.

You sent me a message online, saying, "I'm graduating
from lame clothes, can you give me advice?"

Well, I don't think there's ever anything "lame" in
clothing because it's all about personal expression.

I feel like I'm at the point where the line
between being cool and lame is still fine.

You know, I like to push
it right up against the line.

For a while, I wasn't
challenging myself enough.

But usually I just try to wear what excites me.

It's a place to start.

You shouldn't have any lame fans,
so I'm gonna do my best.

That's awesome. I'm happy that
you can learn more about your style.

Well, good luck to both of us.

Text me if you passed the exam.
I look forward to it.

- Thank you.
- Alright, thank you so much.

- Have a nice one, bye-bye.
- Alright, thank you so much.

Tomorrow will be another good day, thanks to you.

You really saved me, Yutaro. Thank you so much.

I love following your journey, you make me so happy!

My followers are my plus ones, my allies.

When I created my social media account
and I saw the first liked reply of my outfit, I felt recognized for the first time ever.

They're so important to me.

Here's Yutaro, playing Wataya Minato.

Thank you for having me!

Although I loved working at a shop full time,
I also wanted to try out other things.

So, I started acting when I was 19 or 20.

Look, I gotta get going.

But you just showed up.

I can't live without your stories.

So, hang in there!

Through fashion and makeup, I would
imagine myself as different characters.

As an actor, I also get to experience being
different people and having different lives.

That's why I love acting.

More and more, I'm getting jobs that are neither
as a man nor as a woman. They're beyond gender.

I feel like I have a personal mission
to take on these types of roles.

I'm glad I've held strong to the things I love the most.

I want to show different facets of "Yutaro,"
and I want to discover more facets as well.

I feel that I am doing the right thing.

That's a wrap!

Thank you so much.

To me, "Future" means...

Endless possibilities.

Don't get distracted by
all the nonsense in this world.

As someone who has been through a lot,
but is having the time of his life, I hope you'll keep watching me and be inspired.