Yoshihiro Watanabe / Ringmaster Yoshi

Yoshihiro Watanabe is an actor, singer, dancer, street performer, comedian and adventurer. Born in Nagasaki City, Japan, he moved to northern California when he was 18, majored in Theater Arts, focused on filmmaking, and minored in Dance at Humboldt State University. He currently resides in New York City.

In 2006, Watanabe started his own street performance comedy group Tokyo Circus. He thought that putting his heart into something uncool and making people smile would lead to World Peace. Thus, Watanabe came up with a new style of street performance, shaking his hips while holding a sign that says, "Your smile is beautiful." Regardless of skin color, sex, nationality, religion, and academic background, he wants this world to be where everyone is connected with smiles. For example, a society where disabled people are treated as regular people with character. A society where there are no winners or losers and socio-economic class doesn’t define a wealth of happiness. A society where there is no bullying, suicide, or murder in school, at work, or at home−a place where everyone can have confidence, respect each other, and feel happy to be alive. 

In 2007, under the theme of “Smile to the World,” he took 6 months and traveled solo to all 50 states in America, performing on street corners across the country. As Ringmaster Yoshi, he performs in clubs, festivals, and different arts events in Tokyo and New York. 

After being part of the Edinburgh International Festival in the cast of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle in 2011, he continued spreading his “Smile to the World” throughout ten countries in Europe. He also performed in different charity events for northern Japan’s tsunami and earthquake relief. Recently, he visited Miyagi prefecture and Iwate prefecture to bring smiles and play with the children in the shelter.

In 2013, he walked across the entire United States of America from New York to California to honor his mentor's life and attend her memorial service. He named this "The Circle of Life Project," visiting and interviewing her friends and family members, connecting people to honor her life. 

In 2015, he visited Nepal right after the earthquake to bring food and relief supplies.

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Recently he finished his long journey of "Circle of Life Project" to honor Rebecca Floyd, his mentor and American mother. He had walked across the continent of America from New York to California, 3730 miles, and then from Hokkaido to Nagasaki, walking through all 47 prefectures in Japan, 4971 miles, the entire journey carrying some of her ashes to keep his promise to show her Japan. 

This is going to be a book and a documentary film.