The Elements of Manliness Vol. 2: Lyota’s Handsome Production ” “A Former Non-Motivated Man Teaches the Secrets of Coolness”

Otokomae” is the origin of our media name. Since the launch of OTOKOMAE, we have been providing information on how to become a manly man from various perspectives. In this project, we interviewed some good-looking men and extracted the essence of what it takes to raise the level of manliness, especially in terms of appearance, or in other words, the “essence of manliness.

Ryota’s Handsome Man Factory: Ryota

This time, our interviewee is a man who is trying to “make “cool” for Japanese men. He runs a Youtube channel called ‘ Ryota’s Ikemen Factory,’ which promotes the importance of improving one’s manhood under the theme of ‘Making a cool guy’ for Japanese men. When he showed up at the meeting place, he had the same “friendly personality” and “sweet mask” as I had seen in the video. His “manly arms” were visible through the lightly rolled-up sleeves of his T-shirt. He had a sex appeal that would make anyone look back at him as they passed him in passing.

The essence of manliness (1): “Dress in a monotone coordination that is both “sexually conscious” and “emphasizes the advantages of being a man.

Riding the popular e-bike “MATE,” Lyota appeared stylish and fresh. We immediately asked him about his outfit.

Ryota-san

I think it’s a basic thing, but I always keep in mind to “utilize my strengths” when creating a coordinated look. An easy way to understand this is to “coordinate with contrasting monotone colors that suit my personal color palette. Also, since he works out, he rolls up the sleeves of his T-shirts to show his upper arm muscles for a masculine look in his summer outfits.

ーー (Editor)Thank you very much. I see that your attention to detail is reflected in today’s coordination.

Ryota-san

Today’s look is based on a simple monotone coordinate, but I added some summery color with a printed T. I also wore high-waisted pants tucked into the waist. I also wore high-waisted pants tucked in and matching the same color to the feet to make the legs look longer. For accessories, I basically choose silver, which blends well with my skin. This is a personal preference, but when combining accessories, I am conscious of creating a sense of fullness by combining large and small accessories.

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A “rugged” bracelet is combined with a “delicate” Celine knot ring.

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The Apple Watch belt is custom metal. It gives a unified impression with silver accessories.

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This silver chain necklace looks great with a fresh Sublations print T.

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The feet are set in Nike’s Air Force One all black. The silver plate on the laces adds a nice accent.

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The key to a man’s sex appeal is “flirtatiousness”!

( Editorial Department ) I have looked at your Instagram page, and I can see that all of your outfits are moderately sexy. And I can see that you work out a lot.

Lyota-san

I’m always conscious of showing my masculine sex appeal on a regular basis. However, I believe that it is important to show a subtle “glimpse of sex appeal” because I think that if it is blatantly appealing, it is not elegant. For example, with an oversized T-shirt like today’s, you can roll up the sleeves, but if you roll up the sleeves on a tight T-shirt that shows the lines of the body, it looks TOO MUCH.

Lyota-san

I also try to choose T-shirt styles that are just barely thick enough to not show through my skin. By finding the perfect thickness of the fabric that is neither too thick nor too bulky, I can show off the lines of my body while maintaining a clean look.

The masculine element (2) “Medium-length 7:3 parted hair with Takashi Sorimachi in his 20s in mind.”

Lyota’s aesthetic for sex appeal was also reflected in his hairstyle.

Ryota-san

I also value “sex appeal” when it comes to hairstyles. I believe that a sexy look is created by adding nuance and movement, so I keep the back of my hair short and neat and leave the top long to make it easy to arrange. Recently, I’m in the mood for a two-block, 7:3 split-ear style.

( editorial department ) The medium-length hairstyle with movement at the ends of the hair reminds me of Takashi Sorimachi and Yutaka Takenouchi in their Beach Boys days.

Lyota-san

I often refer to them because I am just about the same age as they were back then. They have a different kind of sex appeal from today, which is very cool. I like my current hairstyle because it is well received by people around me, but my good friends sometimes tease me saying, “Isn’t one side of your hair too heavy, making your neck look crooked? I get a lot of teasing from my good friends who say that my neck is too heavy on one side.

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Adjust the hair to look like a diamond shape by playing with the ends and adding volume to the sides.

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The collar is trimmed short, creating a beautiful rounded silhouette when viewed from the side.

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Lyota

Since my face is long, I try to balance it out by adding volume to the sides when I do my hair. The key is to create a rhombus shape with a lot of volume. I think it is better to balance any hairstyle with a natural roundness.

Styling agent is a 1:1 mix of ” Loretta’s Hard Jelly” and “Retouch Grease.”

ーー（編集部）Do you have a favorite styling product you use?

Lyota

I am currently using ” Loretta’s Hard Jelly ” and ” Retouch Grease “. I like the setting power and the fact that the fragrance of both is moderate and doesn’t interfere with the scent of perfume. I use the hard jelly to create a styling axis and the grease to add a wet look. When applying, mix in a 1:1 ratio. I dry this with a hair dryer from towel dry to damp and rub it in so that it blends throughout.

Lyota

Also, my hair has been dry lately from perms and sun damage, so I mix a little water in my styling products to give it a wet look. It is also important to moisturize my hair with hair milk or hair oil. Other specific styling methods are explained on Youtube!

ーー (編集部) Which hair salon do you go to?

Ryota-san

I currently go to Parcut in Nakameguro, where I get my hair cut by Mr. Uehara. I also take videos of my hair when it is towel-dried so that I can reproduce the styled hairstyle at home. By watching the video again, I can improve the accuracy of my haircuts. I hope you will give it a try.

The Elements of Manliness (3) “The reason why I became unattractive was because of “skin care to improve rough skin.

Lyota is particular about his “sex appeal,” both in his clothes and hairstyle. He says that it was skin care that led him to be so particular about his appearance.

Lyota-san

Actually, it wasn’t until I started working that I became very particular about my appearance. The company I joined was more demanding than I had imagined, and the stress caused my skin to become rough all at once. It was so bad that I had pimples all over my face, and I thought, “This can’t go on like this! I started paying attention to skin care, and that’s when I started improving myself as a man. When I was a student, I was so absorbed in playing soccer that I didn’t even think about applying lotion or sunscreen. It’s unthinkable now…

Lyota provided us with precious photos from her past school days and working days when she had rough skin.

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Lyota as a student

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Lyota as a student

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Lyota in his working years

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– ( editorial department ) So, Ryota’s manliness started from skin care. It is hard to believe that you used to have a rough skin now.

Lyota

Since I got into skincare, I’ve really tried a lot of different things. Thanks to my attention to face wash and lotion, my rough skin gradually got better. However, in order to fundamentally improve the rough skin, I had to get out of the stressful environment. To be honest, I think this was the most important thing. If you are suffering from rough skin caused by stress as I did, I recommend you to get out of that environment first. By the way, my skin condition improved drastically after I quit the company I was working for, lol.

Lyota-san

After I quit my job, I was anxious about the future and experienced times like living in a 1K room with 3 guys to do Youtube, but I was able to live a healthier life than when I was working for a company. If you can live in an environment that is not overly stressful and create a regular lifestyle, you can minimize your skin care.

Lyota-san

By the way, my skin looks good now partly because I use La Roche Posay. I recommend this product because it is the only sunscreen that can be used to even out the complexion. There was a time when I used BB cream, concealer, etc., but these days I’m satisfied with just this.

Click here for more details about La Roche Posay

If you want to be a manly man, you must first experience success in making a positive change in your appearance

( Editor ) I believe that the results of skin care and muscle training do not come overnight. What do you do to keep your motivation for manliness high?

Mr. Lyota

First of all, I think it is important to make a positive change in appearance, even if it is small. You can change your appearance anywhere, but the first thing I recommend is to go to an ” eyebrow salon.”

ーー (編集部) Why?

Lyota-san

Because it’s the quickest, most obvious and effective, and it lasts the longest. “Just by doing my eyebrows, I look cool!” I naturally feel motivated to make other parts of my hair cool as well. The key to motivating yourself to improve your manliness is to keep doing things that will have an immediate effect, such as getting your hair cut by a top-notch hairdresser.

Starting with skin care, Lyota says he has focused on improving his manliness and his solidity by taking steps such as eyebrows, makeup, whitening, hair removal, and muscle training. The beauty and physical beauty that Ryota has today are the result of the accumulation of small successes. He also said emphatically, “I want Japanese men to have the same experience of success.

The essence of manliness (4) “A man who is popular with women radiates sex appeal through his sense of smell! Accelerate your dandy masculinity with a “sweet perfume.

Finally, Lyota also talked about “scent,” which is highly related to sex appeal.

Lyota-san

It is said that humans receive various information from the smell of others through our sense of smell. I believe that even if a person looks sexy, if he or she smells unpleasant, it will be ruined at once, so I always make sure to wear perfume. I have tried dozens of perfumes over the years.

ーー（編集部）What kind of perfume are you using now?

Lyota-san

Lately I’ve been into sweet scents. I like nightly sexy sweetness, like Margiela’s Jazz Club, which is a famous one.

Click here for details and purchase

Lyota

I also use an American perfume brand called Le Labo. The fragrance “Tenoire ” has something in common with the scent of my favorite hotel, the Edition Hotel in Toranomon. It has a pleasant sweetness to it that I have never smelled before, so please check it out.

ーー（編集部） I’m really curious about Le Labo’s Tenoire fragrance. Do you have any criteria for selecting perfumes or points for wearing them?

Lyota

Perfumes vary in duration depending on the name. In my case, I often choose ” Eau de Parfum,” which is the second strongest scent concentration. It depends on the fragrance, but it usually lasts for about 5 hours. Of course, the longer it lasts, the stronger the fragrance is. Therefore, it is important to adjust the amount so as not to apply too much, and to limit the application to “only faintly scented areas” such as the ankles and backs of knees.

Eau de Parfum is good for everyday use. Finally, can you tell us how to enjoy perfume and what techniques you use?

Lyota

This is the ultimate technique that I’ve also shared in my videos, but I put perfume on my fingertips and when I hold hands with the opposite sex, I leave the scent on the other person’s body. I don’t do this very often ( laughs ).

Lyota-san

The other thing to do, after all, is to use multiple perfumes once you get used to it. For example, you can thrill your partner by wearing different fragrances during the day and night. It is even better if you wear different clothes and hair styles. The only thing to keep in mind is that the daytime fragrance should be soft so that it does not linger into the night. A good scent by itself makes you feel good and relaxes you. Even when I am alone in my room, my daily routine is to put on my favorite perfume and enjoy the scent.