The actress Ryoko Hirosue has been accused of adultery with a famous chef.
In a scoop published by Bunshun this week, photos show the 42-year-old going to a luxury hotel where the 45-year-old chef Shusaku Toba, who runs a restaurant called sio that has a Michelin star, was also staying. The two are already known for being close.
There’s an aphorism, often muttered by jaded guys on bar stools between swigs of beer, that it doesn’t matter what you look like or even about your personality, hot women will inevitably go to bed with you as long as you’re funny, tall, rich, or a successful athlete.
This seems to hold true in Japan, whose professional baseball stars make an annoying habit of marrying fashion models, and comedians like Sanma Akashiya and Akihiro Tabuchi have proved that porn stars love sleeping with a guy who makes them laugh.
But should a new one be added to the list? Chefs.
It’s not surprising, given Japan’s utter obsession with food. Gastronomy dominates pop culture and daily conversation. Every TV show seems to morph into a cooking show at some point during the broadcast, with closeups of dishes accompanied by cheesy gasps of wonder by the assembled studio guests.
Considering how Shusaku Toba looks (let’s be honest, he’s no Ken Watanabe), this scandal might well be cited in future as an example of the rule that good chefs can always seduce ladies ordinarily above their league.
Some might go further and call this a case of beauty and the beast.
We should note that both sides have officially denied the accusations of adultery.
Ryoko Hirosue, who has been married twice and has three children, last year won a “best mother” award given out to celebrity parents. Toba is also married with a child (and is apparently very popular among gay men).
In 2014, there were rumors that Hirosue was cheating on her second husband with the much-younger actor Takeru Sato.
Personally, we have never been a fan of Hirosue, neither really rating her acting abilities nor her looks. Sure, she’s pretty but we have always wondered why she’s so famous and successful as a beauty icon, appearing in magazine cover shoots and advertising campaigns for cosmetics. We see hotter women every day just outside on the streets of Tokyo.
Hirosue has played it safe in her recent career but she appeared in a lesbian nude sex scene early on when in her twenties (apologies for the grainy quality, it was all we could find).
