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Roland, King of the Hosts, has his own museum exhibition now, shows off hostdom and catchphrases

Dale Roll Feb 21, 2019
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Fans of Roland will not want to miss this.

It takes a combination of good looks, charisma, and the ability to coax your clients into spending lots of money on you to earn the title of “King of the Hosts”, but for Roland, it’s easy. He started off last year relatively unknown to the general public, but with his good looks and flirty charms, he still earned millions of yen (or tens of thousands of U.S. dollars) in just a single night. But now that he’s had regular, in-depth television appearances, he’s also earned celebrity status, as well as legions of dedicated fans who call themselves Rolanders.

Roland is just as famous for his charming slogans as he is for his legendary hosting, and if you’re a Rolander, or even just mildly curious, you’ll probably want to check out the recently opened Roland exhibition at Ikebukuro’s Parco Museum in Tokyo. The theme of the exhibition is “Roland: Me, and Everyone Else”, and highlights 100 of his wittiest sayings, also known as “the proclamations of the King”, so that visitors can experience the entirety of Roland’s existence with their “whole body and mind”.

We were lucky enough to be invited to an opening event on 14 February, in which the King Himself told us all about what we can expect from the exhibition, and why he chose to open one. The exhibit will feature a “Roland Photo Studio”, a “Slogan Gallery”, and a “shower room” where you can “bathe in the aura” of Roland’s majesty. There you can experience Roland’s most invigorating slogans with all five senses. “I want guests to cheer up when they come to the shower room,” he says.

▼ There will even be a highly expensive type of champagne on display as a tribute to Roland’s success as a host, which is said to cost 40 million yen (US$361,000).

There will also be photo spots all around the exhibition where you can take selfies, but the highlight of the event is the fact that you can be waited upon in a special VIP Host Club by the King himself. It’s virtual reality, but you get to experience what it’s like to be Roland’s guest, and even to experience a typical champagne call at Roland’s host club. All that for only 1,000 yen (US$9) extra!

Thanks to the VR, anyone, including minors, can experience the wonder of a host club. Roland says the purpose is to encourage “little Rolands” to see what it’s like, without being concerned about their age or gender. But if virtual reality is not enough for you, real hosts will be in attendance at the exhibit on weekends, and the King Himself is scheduled to appear on the final day. Why not go and say hello to some of the best hosts in town?

What Roland really wanted visitors to get out of his exhibit was the fact that he is working very hard to improve the world of hosting, and the world in general. History, he says, is not something to be studied, but rather something to be created, and that’s what Roland is striving to do: to create a new history for host clubs.

Just hours before the exhibit was scheduled to open, and before Ikebukuro was going to be filled with Rolanders, in the spirit of the theme, we asked Roland what his favorite slogan is:

“I like ‘There are two types of men: me, and everyone else’ because it’s versatile and I can say it when I’m in a pinch. Especially when guests say, ‘Say one of your slogans!’

“It’s like being asked all of a sudden, ‘Please make it rain!’ Well, I say something anyway (laughs). Because I think of it as, after it rains, there will be a rainbow.

“But because of that, I keep a stock of sayings I hear and happen to like. My favorite is “Me, and everyone else’, but I want to use words that echo in people’s hearts all around the world.”

The exhibit opened on February 15 and will stay open until March 10. If you pre-order Roland’s upcoming book, Me, and Everyone Else, at the exhibit, you might also get a ticket to an autograph and photograph event with the King Himself. It’s first-come-first-served, however, and they might have even run out already, but if you want to meet the King of the Hosts, go and get your pre-order in as soon as possible!

But don’t despair, there are also plenty of goods to buy if you don’t make it in time, like T-shirts, sweatshirts, notebooks, and even a slogan calendar! Who knows, there might even be some of his quality dating advice in there, so even if you aren’t a Rolander, you could benefit from buying his goods!

Exhibit Information:
Ro Land ~~Me, and Everyone else~~ / Ro Land〜俺か、俺以外か〜
Venue: PARCO MUSEUM (Ikebukuro Parco 7F)
Address: Tokyo-to Toshima-ku Minami Ikebukuro 1-28-2
東京都豊島区南池袋1−28−2
Open: February 15, 2019 (Fri) to March 10, 2019 (Sun) (closed on February 20)
10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (last entry 30 minutes before closing time; will close at 6 p.m. on March 10)
Admission: 1,500 yen for VIP; 500 yen for general admission; 400 yen for students; Free for children in elementary school or younger