For many, Kazuto Kasahara was the breakout heartthrob of Netflix Japan’s hit reality show The Boyfriend. With his boy-next-door good looks, disarmingly sweet smile and culinary skills — highly useful in a show where much of the conversation took place over home-cooked meals — Kasahara quickly captured the hearts of several of his fellow housemates and, subsequently, millions of Netflix viewers.
Appearing on the show, Japan’s first-ever same-sex dating program, catapulted the cast members into a whirlwind of global attention. Emerging from that chaos, Kasahara has spent the past two years balancing his new TV-star identity with the pursuit of a much more grounded aspiration: feeding people with dishes that reflect the taste of his hometown in Niigata.
In October 2025, Kasahara turned that ambition into Kazuto Inakano Utsuwa, his own restaurant in Shinjuku. It’s a deeply personal expression of where he comes from, and where he’s headed next.
Wrenches to Aprons
Kasahara’s relationship with food began in the lush countryside of Minami Uonuma in Niigata Prefecture — a region known across Japan for the high quality of its rice. Growing up in a family of rice farmers, high-quality, home-grown ingredients were simply a way of life for Kasahara, though a career in the kitchen wasn’t his initial plan.
After graduating from high school, an 18-year-old Kasahara initially moved to Tokyo to enroll in an automobile repair academy. “I originally thought I would take over my family’s estate,” he says with a laugh. “I heard it costs millions of yen every year just to repair old vehicles, so I thought, ‘Well, maybe it would be nice if I could just fix them myself.'”
While balancing his mechanical studies, Kasahara picked up a part-time job at a local restaurant to make ends meet. He found himself captivated by the energy of the dining room — not just preparing the dishes, but seeing the guests’ faces light up while eating. It was during this period that his mother said something that would change the trajectory of his life. “She remarked, ‘Wouldn’t it be interesting if someone opened a restaurant in Tokyo using our family’s rice, local sake and ingredients from home?'” That comment made him realize that he wanted to be the person to open that restaurant. He eventually pivoted entirely into gastronomy and started managing Kurumiya, a respected seafood establishment in Yotsuya.
It was also during those early years in Tokyo that Kasahara began to quietly reckon with his identity. Growing up in rural Niigata, he says, he hadn’t fully come to terms with his sexuality, but living in the capital brought his romantic feelings for men into sharper focus. Still, he found it difficult to reconcile those feelings with the traditional expectations he had grown up with.
“I couldn’t tell anyone that I was gay,” he says. “It was hard to be in conversations with friends or colleagues, who asked me if I had a girlfriend, and I just couldn’t be honest.”
A Leap of Faith
By his mid-20s, the weight of living in hiding began to wear on Kasahara. When the casting call for The Boyfriend came along, he saw a chance to shed the burden once and for all. “When I was around 26 years old, I started asking myself why I had to live like this,” he recalls. “To be honest, I didn’t have the courage to just sit my parents down and come out. So when I was offered the show, I thought: This is my opportunity.”
Appearing on a reality show is always a bit of a risky proposition; appearing on your country’s first-ever gay dating program is extra nerve-wracking. “There were so many people who jumped into it with such determination and bravery,” Kasahara says. “I was mostly just excited to meet such energetic, confident people.”
The Boyfriend follows the same soothing formula as many Japanese dating shows: a group of strangers coexists in a lovely home, getting to know each other and maybe finding love. What Kasahara didn’t anticipate was that he would instantly become the romantic center of gravity in the house. His calm demeanor, classic good looks and adept cooking made him extraordinarily popular, drawing romantic attention from four castmates.
The attention was flattering, though dealing with multiple suitors under the gaze of rolling cameras was undeniably overwhelming. Reflecting on the intense social dynamic with a shy chuckle, he says, “We were living together, and also trying to see if we could fit romantically. I learned a lot about how difficult and how important good communication is.”
One of the season’s most memorable conflicts revolved around a “chicken smoothie,” consumed daily by housemate Usak to preserve his impeccable physique, composed of blended chicken breast and water. When asked what he thought of the concoction as a professional chef, Kasahara laughs. “At first, I thought it was unfathomable. But … it was surprisingly not bad. It just tastes like the raw, natural ingredient.”
A Wave of Warmth
The Boyfriend effectively announced Kasahara’s sexuality to his family, his childhood town and everyone with a Netflix account all at once. Though he was anxious preceding the release, the aftermath was nothing short of life-changing for him.
“The response was so much warmer than I ever expected,” he says. Messages poured in from viewers around the globe who saw their own quiet struggles reflected in his story. Many said that watching Kasahara’s gentle authenticity gave them the strength to accept themselves or come out to their own loved ones.
Some of the most moving responses, however, came from back home. “My friends from my hometown in Niigata sent texts on Line,” Kasahara shares. “They just said, ‘You’re you, no matter what. We’re just sorry we didn’t notice sooner.’ My life has gotten so much lighter since I went on the show.”
Plating the Taste of Home
The experience gave Kasahara something he hadn’t expected: the freedom to be seen as himself. Now, he is determined to make sure that his newfound visibility doesn’t define him. Opening Kazuto Inakano Utsuwa (which translates to “Kazuto’s Countryside Tableware”) was a labor of love; with it, he hopes to build a culinary legacy that stands on its own merits. “So many people know me because of the show, and I’m deeply grateful that fans travel from all over the world to eat here,” he says. “But I don’t want to just be ‘a restaurant run by someone who was on TV.’ I feel a huge responsibility to make this a space that people respect purely for the hospitality, the atmosphere and the food.”
The space was deliberately designed to maintain an intimate, “at-home” feel. Kasahara sought to avoid the slick, cold minimalism that one often encounters at modern fine-dining establishments, opting instead for organic textures, rustic earth tones and details from home, including a wooden sign at the entrance that was carved by his own grandfather.
The culinary concept hits the sweet spot between elevated, refined technique and deeply comforting, soul-warming flavors. The multicourse experience highlights seasonal produce shipped directly from his family’s farm in Niigata — such as a vibrant, colorful summer vegetable dish featuring sea bream and shellfish in a delicate, cooling dashi — and culminates in the absolute star of the meal: fresh, perfectly steamed rice grown by his own family.
“I didn’t want to create a high-class, intimidating restaurant,” Kasahara explains. “I want to serve dishes that make people feel nostalgic and warm, like they’ve just come back to their hometown. What I value most isn’t just the food, but the time and the memories that remain in a guest’s heart.”
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Follow Kasahara on Instagram at @kaz._.too and Kazuto Inakano Utsuwa at @kazuto_inakano_utsuwa.
