Actor Yutaka Matsushige attended a press conference for his starring drama "Kodoku no Gourmet Season 11" (TV Tokyo, Fridays at 12:12 AM) held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo) on April 16th. He spoke about the "future" of the program.
Since its premiere in 2012, "Kodoku no Gourmet" has grown into a popular series, gaining support for its mouthwatering dishes and the bold eating style and unique narrative style of Goro Inogashira, played by Matsushige. It is also popular in East Asia, and when a foreign journalist praised it as "one of Japan's most fascinating programs," Matsushige smiled shyly and said, "Thank you."
At the press conference, Matsushige revealed that he has been "eating every last bit" of the food featured in the drama since the show began. He also mentioned that he takes care to maintain his physique and spoke about the difficulties of filming.
When asked, "Have you ever thought about quitting?", he replied, "There are times when I want to throw it all away and run away (laughs)," but added, "Right now, this is practically the only work I have left, so I'm desperately thinking about how to continue it as a sustainable work for the future."
He is currently 63 years old, but said, "At my age, I don't know how much longer I'll be able to make a living, so I have to pave the way for the next person. I think it's a demanding job. I'm thinking about sharing with the staff ways to continue without putting too much burden on the actors, and about who I can entrust the role to next."
"Kodoku no Gourmet" is a live-action adaptation of the manga of the same name by Masayuki Kusumi (story) and Jiro Taniguchi (art), depicting the blissful time that Goro Inogashira, an import goods dealer, spends "eating freely" at restaurants he finds during his business trips. The new season, "Season 11," is currently airing, approximately three and a half years after "Season 10" which aired in October 2022. Last year, " Kodoku no Gourmet: The Movie," directed, written, and starring Matsushige himself, was released and became a hit, grossing over 1 billion yen at the box office.
