In our ongoing series, Model in the Spotlight,
we get up close and personal with the world's leading male models.
Satoshi Toda is what some might call a modern-day ninja. An avid hip-hop and break dancer, the Tokyo native has the moves, and he certainly has the fortitude: He once did a swimwear shoot on the beach in the dead of winter).
Age: 24
Height: 6'2"
Hometown: Tokyo, Japan
Agency: New York Model Management
How were you discovered? I was working at sushi restaurant in California.
Career highlight: I got to shoot 16 pages for
And Men with Richard Pier Petit. They were really strong images that were in my book for a long time.
The craziest thing you've ever been asked to model: Wearing surf gear with a surfboard in the dead of winter. The water was freezing. The crew was at hand with coats, socks, and hot chocolate to get me warm again, but every time I kept coming out I had to rush back into the ice cold water to finish the shoot. As you can imagine it took a lot longer than we had planned or I had hoped.
How did you get involved in break dancing? I was 14 or 15 when I bought my first CD. It was Run DMC. I told my mom I wanted to take hip-hop and break dance classes.
How do you balance modeling and dancing? The dancing keeps me focused and disciplined and is also great cardio. And dancing itself helps me to pose in front of the camera.
Do you have a grooming routine? I like to take baths, and afterwards will use Venus Aqua 24 Moisturizing Cream to take care of my skin.
Your best quality: My lips and freckles.
Your worst quality: I'm very skinny, it's a little too easy for me to lose weight.
If you could change one thing about your body, it would be: Eye color. I want dark-green eyes.
If you weren't a model, what would you be doing? I would be a holistic health practitioner, doing acupuncture and herbal medicine.
Best piece of advice you've ever been given: My mother told me: "Never give up until you make it.
