[5] Higashiyama was known to train very hard, doing 1,000 sit-ups daily, running 100 kilometres (62 mi) and maintaining a body fat percentage of 9%.
Worried that Higashiyama would become a drunkard like his father and grandfather, his mother repeatedly advised him, "When you grow up, be careful that alcohol doesn't ruin your life."
They lived in poverty and sometimes struggled to find food, but a Korean family who ran a barbecue restaurant in the neighborhood would share their meals with them, helping them stave off hunger.
[note 1][10] In 1979, his mother, who worked at a barbershop for NHK employees in Shibuya, Tokyo, gave him tickets to watch a singing show.
[11] On their way home, while waiting at a traffic light at Shibuya Crossing, he caught the eye of Johnny Kitagawa, who was driving by and scouted him directly.
[18] At the time of their debut, all three members could perform backflips and back somersaults, and their advanced acrobatic skills, such as throwing and catching microphones, garnered significant attention.
In 1988, Shonentai became popular among young women, leading to the coining of the term "soy sauce face" (soft facial features) to describe a Japanese-looking, fair-skinned, cool-looking man like Higashiyama.
[22] After portraying Japanese historical figures such as Okita Sōji, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and Hikaru Genji,[23] he became the first Johnny's actor to star in an NHK Taiga drama in 1993 with Ryukyu no Kaze.
[27] On September 5, 2023, Higashiyama succeeded Julie Keiko Fujishima as president of Johnny & Associates, which was later renamed Smile-Up on October 17 of the same year.
Fujishima resigned following the sexual assault scandal involving the company's founder, Johnny Kitagawa, and the investigation report highlighted the "negative effects of family management.
Mary served as vice president of Johnny's for many years[34] and was reportedly in charge of management aspects, including the company's substantive operations.
[46] and the TBS Television documentary program Birth Day,[47] in which he had served as a host since the show's inception in 2005, also came to an end after the second episode in the same month.
Surrounded by excited voices, applause, and audience singing, Higashiyama performed a total of 24 songs, including selections from his time as a member of Shonentai.
[50][51] On December 31, 44 years after he entered show business in 1979, he retired from the public stage with a final message on his paid member blog, stating, "I would be grateful if someday people could understand that I chose this kind of life.