[1][3] When he was still in high school, he was discovered by a talent agent while out shopping with friends.

His singing career started with the single "Seasons" in the summer of 2004.

[4] He was cast as Shinichi Chiaki in the drama Nodame Cantabile, which aired in Japan on Fuji TV on 16 October 2006.

[5] He starred in the revival of the Iron Chef Japanese cooking show on Fuji TV in October 2012, portraying the chairman of the Kitchen Stadium.

[6] He also lent his voice to dub Western productions; for example he voiced Owen Grady (played by Chris Pratt) in the Jurassic World film series and Alex the Lion (original voice: Ben Stiller) in the Madagascar animated film series.