Spicy Garlic: Tomokatsu Katayama, John

●The pantomime act 'Zombie' hits

ZAIKO: It's the fifth year for Spicy Garlic, but three years ago, they already won the 'A Rabiki Dan' and 'NHK Newcomer Comedy Award'. Has it been smooth sailing since the duo formed?

Katayama: No, during the first year of forming the duo, we didn't get any results. We were eliminated in the first round of King of Conte. Both John and I had better results with our previous partners, but as soon as we became Spicy Garlic, we fell in the first round, and we got really anxious. We only did skits, but we hurriedly entered M-1 and did stand-up, and we lost in the first round there too.

John: That's right.

Katayama: I thought this wasn't good, so I started creating new material and presenting it live. By the second year, we somehow got a reaction from 'A Rabiki Dan'.

ZAIKO: The late-night program 'A Rabiki Dan' and the straight-laced 'NHK Newcomer Comedy Award' have contrasting images, but did you differentiate your material for each show?

Katayama: Actually, it's the same material.

John: It's a skit called 'Zombie' that uses pantomime for an escalator.

Katayama: 'Zombie' received good reviews at both venues, and I feel like we might have made an incredible invention.

ZAIKO: You're in charge of writing the material, Katayama. What are the characteristics of Spicy Garlic's material?

Katayama: There are three important things in writing material. The first is that John's facial expressions are a hit for me. So, the material where his facial expressions shine.

John: It might only appeal to one person in the world.

Katayama: There are times when the audience isn't laughing, but I just can't help but laugh at John's face. It's a funny face! The second is that the movement is large. The third is that the punchline and the response aren't clearly separated. We have a lot of that kind of material.

Spicy Garlic: John

●The friendly duo of “Investigator” Katayama and “Beloved” John

ZAIKO: I'd like to hear about each of your personalities.

Katayama: John has... nothing.

John: That's strange.

Katayama: John has no educational background, no hobbies, and no sports he's good at; he doesn't have anything that stands out. But his ability to be liked by others is outstanding. That's the kind of person he is. Honestly, I want you to tell me, while we're talking like this, that John seems like the 'nice guy', right?

ZAIKO: ...That's true.

Katayama: Even during program meetings, the staff look at John when they talk. Even though I'm the one leading the material creation and holding the reins in Spicy Garlic, nobody makes eye contact with me; they only talk to John. I think that's his talent.

John: It’s not that I’m liked... it’s just that Katayama isn’t liked at all.

Katayama: That's not true!

John: Katayama is a really nice person. It’s just that he’s a really unfortunate person when it comes to first impressions.

Katayama: Hey.

John: So, I thought if I didn't befriend him, he would end up alone, from the first time we met.

Katayama: Is that so? It's the first time I'm hearing that.

John: I want to convey to the world that Katayama is an okay person. It's not that I'm exceptionally liked, it’s just that his likability is too low.

ZAIKO: From your perspective, John, what kind of person is Katayama?

John: Katayama is a meticulous person. Like knowing which train car is closest to the exit.

Katayama: Well, that's true. But I’d rather you say, 'When making skits, he is a thorough researcher to avoid contradictions' instead. Otherwise, it just makes me sound like an overly impatient guy.

John: I only look at completed skits.

Katayama: You say that a lot, right? Like 'This sport has this rule, so let’s change this part of the skit' – you give off the vibe that you did have research.

John: Oh, I haven’t heard anything like that at all.

Katayama: It doesn't get across, I guess.

John: When changing trains, he’s the kind of amazing guy who says, 'This car isn’t good' or 'This door on car 4 is closest to the exit'. He’s smooth with it.

Katayama: You think being quick in transfers is cool, huh?

ZAIKO: So, how would you describe Spicy Garlic in one word?

Katayama: Friendly.

John: Yes, that's right!

Katayama: We’ve known each other as classmates at the training school (School JCA) for nearly 10 years now, and we still go out to eat together.

ZAIKO: Do you talk about your material and work while eating?

Katayama: We do talk about work, but we also talk about love.

John:

That’s embarrassing (laughs). When I consult Katayama, saying, 'I asked a girl I’m interested in out once, but when should I ask her again?' he gives advice like a love master, saying 'You really don’t get it at all.'

Katayama:

John has a narrow perspective, so I tell him 'Don’t be timid. Keep pushing forward; if it doesn’t work out, move on to the next.'

ZAIKO: So, Katayama has rich love experiences, huh?

Katayama: That's right (sternly).

John: I don't think that's true, though...

Purchase tickets for the solo live stream of Spicy Garlic, who are so close that they talk about love together!

●Surprise comments from the senior duo, The Mami

ZAIKO: Do you have any comedians you have a close relationship with?

Katayama:

I’ve become close with The Mami, who are a year ahead at the same agency (Jinrikisha Production). We often work together at live performances and events, and in private, John is a member of the Sakai group.

John:

The largest force in the entertainment world, Sakai group.

Katayama:

The leader is Takashi Sakai from The Mami, right? Who are the other members?

John:

First of all, I'm John from 'Spicy Garlic.' Then, Shimizu Pasokon from 'Asobi,' Fujio Sakamoto from 'Machonese,' and Tenkomori from 'Oshidori Daimyo.'

Katayama:

Who are all these people?

Spicy Garlic

John: We go on trips together every year, and Sakai-san is the closest senior to me. Sakai-san got married two years ago, but I stay over at his place five times a week, so I'm quite disliked by his wife.

Katayama: I'm friends with Hirohisa Hayashida who plays catch with me.

ZAIKO: What does catchball friend mean?

Katayama:

We gather at the park at 9 a.m. to play catch with Hayashida. Hayashida has never played baseball, but he has a naturally strong shoulder. At 32 years old, he wants to increase his throwing speed and is practicing catch with me, who has experience in baseball, from morning.

ZAIKO: Actually, today, we have a special comment from the two of The Mummy.

Katayama & John: Huh? Really!?

-----《Comment from The Mummy》-----

I have a good impression of Katayama, who is such a weirdo that he is in debt because he loves sushi too much! I hope he does well! John has a dog-like name.

----------

Katayama: ...Hey, hey, hey.

John: That’s really random.

Spicy Garlic

Katayama: I was expecting a bit though. Hayashida is quite the joker when he talks to me. He doesn't usually speak honestly, so I thought he would show more passion in a situation like this, but what is this...?

ZAIKO: So, Katayama likes sushi so much he got into debt?

Katayama: Let's not get into that.

John: It’s true.

Katayama: ...This was quite a while ago.

John: Katayama loves sushi, but he doesn't have money, so he ends up playing pachinko. One day, a Sushiro opened above the pachinko parlor, and since there was also an ATM in the same building, Katayama couldn't get out of that building. He’d withdraw money from the ATM in the morning, play pachinko, eat breakfast at Sushiro, play pachinko again, have sushi for lunch, play pachinko again, and have sushi for dinner. He created a perpetual motion machine. Then, he started losing money...

Katayama: I ended up with a debt of 2 million yen in less than ten months.

John: He’s a weirdo. It’s strange.

Katayama: But I thought that was too crazy, so I sought legal advice. This was before I teamed up with John, and I've paid off that debt! Now, I'm just a person dedicated to writing skits!

Here’s the ticket link for the solo live stream of Spicy Garlic, who loves sushi!

●The moment of forming the duo, a feeling of becoming King of Conte champions!?

ZAIKO: Could you tell me the reasons both of you wanted to become comedians and the background of your duo formation?

John: I’ve always loved making people laugh. My real name is Muraki, and when I was a second-year high school student, I was given the title 'Legend Muraki' because I was too funny. This means that if I didn’t become a comedian, it would be a loss for society. A vanished genius. I thought it was a waste to let such a treasure go to waste, so I decided to become a comedian.

Katayama: Since I was a child, I’ve been the type to joke around in school. I loved Ken Shimura’s 'Baka Tonosama' and somehow started thinking 'the funniest man is the coolest'. But when I told my family 'I want to be a comedian' during my senior year of college when I was looking for a job, my mother opposed it.

ZAIKO: She wanted you to have a stable job?

Katayama: Since I was receiving financial aid from relatives for my college tuition, she thought it would be irresponsible to become a comedian right after graduating. But she also said, 'If you still want to do it after working for three years, go ahead,' so I started working in the highly unstable position of real estate sales with the intention of quitting after three years.

ZAIKO: I hear you had very good sales performance.

Katayama: Yes (seriously) In my first year of joining, I was 3rd in contract numbers among 300 salespeople nationwide.

Spicy Garlic: Katayama

John: So you weren’t 1st.

Katayama: I was 3rd among very capable salespeople. Then I got transferred to the Bangkok branch, where I achieved the highest sales for that store. Upon accomplishing that, my parents were satisfied, and I was finally able to aspire to be a comedian.

ZAIKO: After that, you both enrolled in School JCA. Did you get to know each other and form a duo right away?

Katayama:

No, not right away. There were about 50 people in a class, and JCA has a lot of gloomy folks...

John:

This is true. It’s a gathering of people who are so quiet that you start to wonder if they really want to be comedians.

Katayama:

Among them, John stood out to me. Now he has stylish curls, but back then, he had a brown afro.

John:

I thought, 'This will definitely make an impact.'

Katayama:

On the first day, I thought 'That person has a funny face,' but since I’ve never asked someone to form a duo, I couldn’t approach him right away. However, John was invited by someone else that same day and teamed up into a trio.

John:

We were active as a trio called 'Amakara Hiyashi' for four years.

Katayama:

Meanwhile, I went through several duos and debuted with a duo called 'Nejimaki Theater,' but after about a year, we disbanded, and my next duo 'Pippo' didn’t go well either.

John:

In 2020, 'Amakara Hiyashi' was set to disband, but at that time, we entered the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of that, I thought about quitting being a comedian. During that time, we had a Zoom drinking party with four peers from the training school, including Katayama.

Katayama:

When I heard John say, 'I’m thinking of quitting being a comedian,' I got really mad.

John:

I got yelled at (laughs)

Katayama: John said that quitting comedy to work as a company employee would allow him to earn easily, so I was like, don't underestimate society. But deep down, I thought, 'If he quits, that would be bad.' I had to somehow persuade him, so I got a little imposing...

Spicy Garlic

John: It didn’t resonate much with me (laughs), but I thought, 'Okay.' After that, I decided to play around with Jinrikisha seniors a lot after COVID-19 ended and make memories before quitting. Then Katayama disbanded his duo at that time.

Katayama: I broke up with my duo because I wanted to team up with this guy. I thought it was the only chance left. Then on October 7, 2020, Spicy Garlic was formed.

John: On that day, I was working a cleaning part-time job at Lumine the Yoshimoto in Shinjuku. During a break from my night shift, I suddenly received a call from Katayama saying, 'Let’s team up.'

Katayama: That’s right.

John: I still remember when he called me to suggest it; there was exactly a poster of the King of Conte champions right in front of me, and I thought, 'This... might be possible to get.'

●The solo live show is 'I’ll move so much, I might jump out of the screen!'

ZAIKO: Can you tell us about the second solo live show to be held on July 21? What does the title 'Seido' mean?

Katayama: 'Seido' means 'lively movement'. In the previous solo live show, we just packed in what we thought was interesting, which didn't have a coherent feel. But this time, we will focus on material characterized by lively movements that Spicy Garlic excels at. We will showcase seven new skits, using the entire stage to move around vigorously.

John: It’s a live show that you can laugh at without thinking anything.

Katayama: I’ll move so much, I might jump out of the screen!

John: I don't know if the camera can keep up with us!

Katayama: It’s something everyone can enjoy, whether it's your first comedy live or you're a child or an elderly person, so I hope people will come easily.

John: There are also online tickets available on ZAIKO. For those watching the stream in places where you can’t make noise, you can laugh even without sound.

Katayama: There are still plenty of tickets left!

Purchase tickets for 'Spicy Garlic's 2nd Solo Live 'Seido' on 7/21 (Mon, Public Holiday) here!

ZAIKO: For those who want to see the live show from now on, it’s not too late. Lastly, please share your enthusiasm for the solo live show.

Katayama: When the performance ends, I’m going to be suffocating!

John: ...Do you mean us?

Katayama: Yes, I’m going to prepare oxygen spray for excess movement. I’m planning to move around to that extent. My goal is to move until we both suffocate!

John: The day I sweat the most in my life will be that day! I’m going to turn my sweat into an ocean on Ocean Day! It’s a sweat day~~~ (leans closer to the camera)

Spicy Garlic: John

Katayama: You know, this will be published as text.

John: Yes.

Katayama: I want to gain momentum with this solo live show, win King of Conte, and go on plenty of overseas shoots together!

John: I want to go on a survival shoot in a dangerous jungle!!

ーー

Here’s the archive viewing ticket for 'Spicy Garlic's 2nd Solo Performance 'Seido' on July 21 (Mon, Public Holiday)
👇

https://jinrikisha.zaiko.io/item/373199

Details on venue tickets and events👇

https://www.p-jinriki.com/news/2025/07/006802.php

Check out the latest comedy events👇

https://zaiko.io/events/category/comedy

Spicy Garlic

Spicy Garlic

Tomokatsu Katayama (left in the photo) and John (right in the photo) duo. 25th class of School JCA. Formed in October 2020. In 2022, they won the ‘A Rabiki Dan 2-Night Strength Performer Championship’ (TBS) and reached the semifinals of the 'King of Conte 2022', winning the ‘NHK Newcomer Comedy Award for Reiwa Year 4’. In January 2023, Muraki changed his stage name to John. In 2024, they will appear in 'Gurunai Year-end Funny Mansion! Please let someone get popular SP' (Nippon TV) and in 2025 in 'Wednesday Downtown 'Next Generation Reaction King Discovery Tournament' (TBS), attracting attention.

About ZAIKO

“ZAIKO” has been developing a platform with the concept of allowing artists and fans to connect directly through electronic tickets, offering a service prioritizing artists and event organizers. Since March 2020, it has quickly adopted electronic ticket services with live streaming, contributing to over 40,000 events held, including venue events.