Is That a Chef in Your Bathroom? Tatsuya Kawagoe Trends Again Through a Bizarre Hand Soap Optical Illusion

Chef Tatsuya Kawagoe, a culinary figure who once took the internet by storm, is once again capturing the public's attention. The spark for this revival was a single image posted by a social media user claiming that "a bottle of hand soap looks like Chef Kawagoe."

At first glance, the posted image shows a completely ordinary bottle of hand soap. However, many users have reacted with surprise, saying things like, "If you look slightly away, Chef Kawagoe appears," or "If you blur your eyes, it looks exactly like him." This strange phenomenon—where the soap bottle returns to its normal form when stared at directly but reveals the chef's iconic smile when caught in one's peripheral vision—is spreading explosively as users call it the "Curse of Chef Kawagoe" or an "Aha! experience."

Chef Kawagoe's unique character and facial expressions became a massive internet meme about 12 to 13 years ago. In response to this latest stir, generations who remember the original boom have shared nostalgic comments, such as "This is so nostalgic," "I used to sing the songs made about him," and "It reminds me of the bots from back then." It has unintentionally become a source of nostalgia for many.

On the other hand, the internet is divided between the "I see it" group and the "I don't see it" group, turning the timeline into a form of entertainment centered on optical illusions. With comments like "Once you see it, you can't see anything else," the former star chef is once again stealing the spotlight in the most unexpected way.

The context

Tatsuya Kawagoe is a Japanese celebrity chef who gained immense popularity in the late 2000s and early 2010s, primarily known for his Italian cuisine and frequent TV appearances. During his peak, his "sparkling" smile and charismatic (sometimes perceived as smug) persona became a major meme on Japanese internet forums like 2channel and video sites like Nico Nico Douga. Users would frequently photoshop his face into various backgrounds or create remixed music videos featuring him. While he stepped back from the mainstream spotlight following some controversy regarding restaurant pricing, his face remains an iconic symbol of early 2010s Japanese internet culture.