
When I woke up this morning, there were a few things I had expected for my day: a few gallons of coffee, a couple hundred photos of cute cats on the Internet, and a dozen more replays of Urbangarde’s music videos. What I had not expected to see was an origin story for none other than Sailor Suit Old Man.
And in case you’re wondering, no, he’s a not a grand wizard from an alternate dimension. But that might not be too far off!
By now, you should be familiar with some of the school-girl-outfit-wearing residents of Tokyo. Of course, there’s Ladybeard–the man who is not a lady but who does have a beard–and then there’s the legendary Sailor Suit Old Man, who is…well, an old man wearing a school girl outfit. Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover, we suppose.
But you’d be wrong to do so in this case, because while Sailor Suit Old Man may look like a slightly crazy wizard of immense power obsessed with being the cutest thing this side of Hello Kitty, it turns out that he’s actually something of a genius. This really shouldn’t surprise anyone who has seen him conversing with Ladybeard in nearly flawless English–the man obviously has a sharp mind.
▼And a distinct appreciation for French cuisine.
But it turns his mind isn’t just sharp–it’s razor sharp. Hideaki Kobayashi, the real name of Sail Suit Old Man, was born in 1962 and earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees in mathematics from the Waseda University’s engineering program. In case you’re not familiar with Japanese universities, Waseda is one of the most highly ranked private universities in the country, which is to say that he’s not just intelligent–the man must have been an incredibly dedicated student.
▼And cute. Damn cute.
セーラー服おじさんクソコラ pic.twitter.com/WoYjUy3UMs
— まこまこP (@zakusan_yuuutu) May 22, 2014
GrowHair, the name Sailor Suit Old Man uses for his artistic pursuits such as photographing dolls (caution: photos are not safe for you sanity) and cosplay, is actually currently employed at a printing company. He just happens to enjoy wearing school girl clothes because, as he said in an interview, “I thought the sailor suit had a cute image. So, I was interested in seeing if I too would become cut if I put on a sailor suit.” Well, the answer, good sir, is a solid, unquestionable YES!
But in addition to his day job and his plethora of hobbies, it looks like Sailor Suit Old Man is also developing a side career as a guest lecturer!
What you see directly above is a close up of the press release from Waseda Juku, a prep school for middle and high school students getting ready for college entrance exams, announcing the lecture. As the press release explains, they’ve asked Sailor Suit Old Man, who also happens to be an international patent holder, to give a special lecture about “A Rich & Happy Life” and the importance of studying hard. As someone with a grin that infectious, he certainly seems like the right person for the job!
Unfortunately, it looks like the lecture is meant for middle and high school students. Maybe if we all put on our best school girl outfits, they won’t be able to tell the difference. Someone get Mr. Sato some high socks and a skirt!
Sources: Waseda Juku, ITMedia, Naver Matome, GrowHair
Images: Twitter (@GrowHair),



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