Yu Yokoyama

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Yokoyama Yu
横山裕
Birth name Yokoyama Kimitaka
Also known as You, Yuu
Born May 9, 1981 (1981-05-09) (age 27)
Origin Flag of Japan Habikino , Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Genre(s) J-pop
Occupation(s) Singer, actor, model
Label(s) Johnny & Associates
Associated acts Kanjani8

You Yokoyama (横山裕 Yokoyama Yū?, born May 9, 1981 in Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese idol and part of the eccentric Johnny's Entertainment group, Kanjani8. He is also a TV actor and regular cast of several TV shows, a radio-show host and a lyricist for Kanjani8 sub-group SanKyoudai. He is recognised as the spokesman for Kanjani8 along with fellow member Shingo Murakami. Their skills in speaking and story-telling, and humorous banter that reportedly put many comedians to shame are getting increasingly well-known.


Contents

[edit] Biography

Yokoyama joined Johnny's Entertainment on December 25, 1996 after his mother sent in his application. One of his classmates was in Johnny's, and she felt that her Kimitaka could do better. He auditioned at the same time as Shingo Murakami and successfully entered the agency at the same time.

Johnny gave Yokoyama his stage name - Yu because Kimitaka seemed difficult to remember. Yokoyama found out what it was through watching the ending credits of a show he appeared in. Although Johnny named him 'Yu', Yokoyama says that Johnny calls him 'Yoko' instead of 'Yu'.

During the early years while he was in Johnny's, Yokoyama also worked part time at a construction site. He has two brothers that are 6 and 8 years younger. He helps take care of them, including paying for their education.

He used to say that his favorite fruit was melon, but in 2005 during an MC, he admitted that it was actually peach.

Yokoyama's favorite sport is basketball. He played it in junior high and still plays for fun. His skills are evident in the several basketball episodes of Kanjani8's old TV show, Honjani.

Yokoyama is a member of Sankyoudai, a subunit of Kanjani8. The group first appeared at the 2003 Christmas Party at the Osaka Shochikuza Theater. The other two members are Subaru Shibutani and Shota Yasuda. They are known for their shirts (with their names and messages written on them) as well as their gakuran (school uniform worn by boys in Japan). Yokoyama's jacket is the long version. Yokoyama writes all of the lyrics for the songs : Purin, Ame-chan, Mikan, Onigishi. They are often touching or funny, but frequently both.

[edit] Trivia

  • Yokoyama is the Black Ranger Kanjani8's Eight Ranger skits. He is also mainly responsible for coming up with the story and script for the skits.
  • Yokoyama has two younger brothers.
  • Yokoyama has a dog named Luck.
  • In private. he is reportedly very shy and quiet, the opposite of his loud and gregarious public persona. When working solo, he frequently feels shy and intimidated, so he usually keeps to himself or sticks to people he knows if they are present. Even with Kanjani8, during down-time on set or in the dressing room, he is usually quiet and quite often absorbed in a video game.
  • His close friend outside Kanjani8 is Masaki Aiba of Arashi dating back to their Jr days.
  • Loves eating. His favorite food is eggplants. He hates cucumbers. He is known as the member that gains weight easily, but has a hard time losing it.
  • Frequently puts down and creates scenarios to make fun of his own singing.
  • Dubbed "the Peter Pan of Kanjani∞".
  • Yokoyama is known to be forgetful. He frequently loses things, especially his keitai (cell phone) and wallet. He has mentioned losing his cellphone in January 2006 and February 2007. He has had to replace his drivers license three times, as show on Hanamaru Cafe in April 2007. In 2007 alone, as of April, he has already lost two cellphones as he stated during the radio show Recomen, which he co-hosts with Murakami Shingo.
  • In June 2007, Yokoyama went with his mother and two brothers to Hokkaido for a vacation. As they were in the onsen, Yokoyama saw a white fox and he chased after it, naked.
  • Other names Johnny came up with for Yokoyama were "Yokoyama Henry" and "Yokoyama Joe".
  • He has stated in numerous interviews that what annoys him the most is when someone eats food that he leaves in the fridge or food that he looks forward to eating.

[edit] Discography

For releases as a member of Kanjani∞, please see Kanjani∞.

[edit] Television and stage

[edit] TV dramas

[edit] Stage plays

  • Another's ANOTHER (Osaka Shochikuza Theater) (2006)
  • Takizawa Enbujou (Shinbashi Enbujou) (2006)
  • DREAM BOYS (Teikoku Theater) (2006)
  • Magical Summer (Osaka Shochikuza Theater) (2005)
  • Hey! Say! Dream Boy (Umeda Geijutsu Theater) (2005)
  • Summer Storm (Osaka Shochikuza Theater)　 (2004)
  • DREAM BOY (Umeda Geijutsu Theater) (2004)
  • DREAM BOY (Teikoku Theater) (2004)
  • DOUTON BOYS (Osaka Shochikuza Theater) (2003)
  • ANOTHER (Osaka Shochikuza Theater) (2002)
  • Touahiren (2002)
  • Aoki-san chi no okusan (2002)
  • Touahiren (2001)
  • KYO TO KYO (Kyoto Theater 1200) (1998)
  • MASK (Osaka Shochikuza Theater)(December, 1997)
  • KYO TO KYO (Kyoto Theater 1200) (August-December, 1997)

[edit] Concerts

For concerts as a member of Kanjani∞, please see Kanjani∞.
  • Yokoyama YOU ga Yacchaimasu Concert (Osaka Shochikuza Theater) (December 2007)
  • Yokoyama YOU ga Yacchaimasu 2 Concert (Nagoya and Tokyo) (March 2008)

[edit] Movies

  • Shinjuku Shonen Tanteidan (Shinjuku Boy Detectives) (1998)

[edit] Radio

[edit] CM

  • Sugao 3 Selling (2001)
  • Video Johnny's Jr. Tokkyu toukyu Concert (2000)
  • Video Sugao 2 Selling (1999)
  • CM Tamagochi (1998)

[edit] External links

[edit] Fan sites