Akira Kawashima of the comedy duo "Hannya." appeared on the ABEMA variety show "Nanani Underground ABEMA," which aired on May 17th.
The program aired a segment titled "Changing Jobs and Drastically Changing Your Life!? Annual Income High & Low." Kawashima, who has continued his career as a comedian while also succeeding as a sushi chef, confessed that he earned 5 million yen a month during his big break in 2009, and that his average annual income over his 21-year career was 8 million yen. Kawashima recalled his immense popularity at the time, saying, "At the time, it was said that if I had been with another agency, I probably would have earned 1 billion yen."
Amidst all this, Kawashima received advice from the head chef of a famous sushi restaurant, who told him, "You'll be interacting with customers one-on-one across the counter, so you're well-suited to being a comedian who can read the atmosphere and liven up the mood." This led Kawashima to pursue a career as a sushi chef.
He currently operates a high-end sushi restaurant in Ebisu, Tokyo, two days a week, offering a 25,000 yen course menu with a three-month waiting list for reservations. He revealed that his annual income has skyrocketed to 16 million yen, double what it was on average during his time as a comedian, and his remarkable career change drew surprised reactions from the studio audience.
