Livestream Report: Yokoyama Expo

Dumpling Box tuned into the livestream of Yokoyama Expo from across the world. What follows may include spoilers, but more than anything, it’s an honest experience of enjoying Kansai’s warm chaos from the other side of the earth.

---

On September 11, 2025, Osaka’s EXPO arena “Matsuri” was supposed to host a celebration of Kansai’s warmth and SUPER EIGHT’s You Yokoyama’s enduring influence. What unfolded instead became something far more poignant: an evening where the absence of the leader himself revealed the resilience of those who carry his legacy.

Yokoyama Expo brought together the so-called “Team Yokoyama” – WEST.’s Akito Kiriyama, Takahiro Hamada, and Nozomu Kotaki; Naniwa Danshi’s Joichiro Fujiwara and Kazuya Ohashi; and Ae! group’s Ken Kojima and Masaya Sano. The unit, beloved by fans through casual YouTube videos of BBQ, chaotic werewolf tag, and drives together, was now stepping into the spotlight for a one-night-only special event. But fate had other plans.

That evening, torrential rains swept across Japan, forcing cancellations, delays, and chaos across the transport system. As the start time drew near, it became clear that Yokoyama–along with several WEST. members–was stranded in Tokyo. During a pre-show livestream, the younger members held the line, cracking jokes and reassuring fans with a professionalism beyond their years. Eventually, Kiriyama, Hamada, and Kotaki managed to slip into the venue. Yet, Yokoyama’s plane was hit with mechanical trouble. The man who managed to cross the finish line of 24-Hour TV’s charity marathon in time for the finale would not make it to his own celebration.

When the curtain finally rose, the members of Team Yokoyama appeared on stage in matching event T-shirts—playfully designed with the iconic Venti cup that has become synonymous with Yokoyama’s own meme-worthy reputation. Sano quipped, “The master isn’t here,” while Fujiwara exclaimed, “At Yokoyama Expo of all things!” Their banter, both tender and teasing, set the tone.

The audience laughed even through the pang of absence. And then, on the big screen, Yokoyama appeared via phone. His words—half apology, half comedic self-deprecation—hit hard: “I didn’t make it. Even I, who made it to the marathon finale, couldn’t get here in time. Please forgive me, everyone. Let me take revenge with another show!” The crowd responded with applause, laughter, and tears. Even in absence, Yokoyama was the sun around which this constellation revolved.

The night unfolded like a patchwork quilt of Kansai spirit. Performances were punctuated by games and laughter: a karaoke contest to crown the best singer in these Kansai groups, where Hamada’s rendition of SUPER EIGHT’s “Zou,” Ohashi’s tender version of Tegomasu’s “Kushami,” and Sano’s heartfelt rendition of WEST.’s “Kimi e no Melody” scored impressively.

In Ohashi’s segment, you could see the way he gripped the microphone with both hands, as if holding it tightly enough might hide the tremor in his fingers—he had mentioned earlier that he was actually so nervous he was shaking (and Fujiwara instantly prompted him to actually show it). 

Kojima, bounding across the stage with TOKIO’s “LOVE YOU ONLY,” landed last in points but won hearts and ignited the audience to the max. Yokoyama himself, watching remotely, declared it a perfect 100.

In the end, it was Sano — (self-)proclaimed “karaoke king” — who walked away with the highest score of the night, a resounding ~94 points. His talent as a vocalist comes as no surprise, but his performance showed it’s more than simply having a nice voice or being able to hit the right notes.

There’s a technique in his phrasing, a richness in his vocal color, and an innate musicality that draws you in the moment he starts to sing. He sheepishly commented about “ruining the atmosphere” by outscoring them, but the warmth in their voices as they responded betrayed pride more than rivalry.

In another corner of the show, Fujiwara revealed his “Most Coolest Team Yokoyama member” ranking, crowning none other than Yokoyama himself. Turning to the camera, he confessed, “I love you,” only to have Yokoyama reply without missing a beat, “I love you too.” It was a moment of pure Kansai family magic—earnest, silly, and unforgettable.

The bonds that bridge these members across groups and generations defy simple explanation, and can only be described in the truest sense as a family. And family is truly something that the Kansai groups represent—a legacy we’ve written about before, tracing back to the very roots of the Kansai Juniors.

Born in the 1990s expansion, when Yokoyama himself entered the agency, Kansai talents faced fewer opportunities and resources than their Tokyo counterparts. Yet through resilience and shared struggle, they formed a tight-knit family that has passed down its spirit from SUPER EIGHT to WEST., to Naniwa Danshi, Ae! group, and beyond. That legacy of supporting one another and lifting the next generation is what makes the Kansai STARTO Family so enduring—and echoes the spirit found across the wider STARTO groups, where bonds of mentorship and care continue to shape every generation.

This continuity has been seen before in large-scale collaborative Kansai events like the DREAM IsLAND 2020→2025 ~From Our Beloved City~ event, and last year’s KAMIGATA BOYZ DREAM IsLAND 2024 ~I Really Do Love This Town~, where seniors and juniors performed side by side, highlighting once more the unity that defines Kansai’s presence within STARTO.

And that was the paradox of the night: it should have been a disappointment. The leader absent, the storm raging, the plans rewritten by circumstance. Yet, it became instead a testament to bonds—between senior and junior, between Kansai artists and their audiences, between fans and the man they love. The “Expo” didn’t collapse under the weight of its missing centerpiece. It adapted, sparkled, and reminded everyone what it means to belong to this unruly, affectionate Kansai family.

The laughter, the songs, the teasing—all of it carried traces of Yokoyama. The night proved that even rain-soaked skies can reflect sunlight, and that Yokoyama’s presence is something that doesn’t vanish with a canceled flight. If anything, it burns brighter when reflected through those who carry his influence forward.

What might have been an evening of disappointment instead became a showcase of Kansai DNA—the inherited resilience to turn crisis into laughter and to prove, once more, the unshakable strength of Team Kansai on stage.

The “Yokoyama Expo” will surely return—louder, bigger, and more chaotic. And when it does, under clear skies, the good rainbow infused with Naniwa-spirit left behind by this imperfect, unforgettable night will still arch above it, infinitely.

For those who want to relive the experience themselves, the full archive of this event is available on FAMILY CLUB online from September 15 at 19:00 until September 22 at 23:59 (JST). Overseas viewers can also access it through the dedicated overseas page—don’t miss the chance to witness the warm Kansai chaos for yourself!  

More Kansai STARTO on Dumpling Box