Sandwichman’s Mikio Date, Resting After Stroke, Shares New Photo: “This Guy Was Doing Great”

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The story

While Sandwichman’s Mikio Date remains on hiatus after suffering a stroke, fellow Grape Company comedian Junichi Davidson visited him at the talent agency’s office and posted a recent photo to Instagram on the 13th. Davidson wrote, “This guy was doing great, haha!” — but on the forum, commenters pored over the corner of his mouth and cheek movement in the photo for signs of paralysis, while others shared their own or family members’ experiences with stroke. Many also drew comparisons to senior entertainers like Shigeo Nagashima and Beat Takeshi who made comebacks after illness or accidents.

September 13, 2026

A recent photo of Mikio Date, one half of the comedy duo Sandwichman, who has been on hiatus due to a stroke (cerebral infarction), has been shared.

Comedian Junichi Davidson updated his Instagram on the 13th, reporting: “This guy was doing great, haha! Went to see Date-san at the Grape Company office.”

Source: news.livedoor.com / Read the original article here

What people said

3AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:17
The right corner of his mouth…
42AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:29
Re: #3
The road ahead is the long part.
My grandpa was doing fine when he got discharged too, but a year later he developed dementia.
57AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:36
Re: #42
Isn't that just an age-related change?
96AnonymousSep 13, 2026 18:00
Re: #42
You recover fast for the first six months after onset.
After that, further recovery gets hard to come by.
10AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:19
Good to see he looks a lot healthier than Hitoshi Matsumoto, at least.
13AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:20
He's lost weight.
The right side of his face looks off.
17AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:21
"Talking is our job, after all."

So does that mean the after-effects are still affecting his speech?
18AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:21
Discharged in two weeks means no lasting after-effects.
Just has to watch out for a recurrence.
25AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:23
Re: #18
They'll have him on blood thinners, so he should be fine.
19AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:22
Wonder if he'll do manzai with one hand tucked in his pocket, like Nagashima.
60AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:37
Re: #19
A rehab specialist apparently said that in that condition, normally even standing up would be difficult.
But leave it to Mr. Nagashima — keeping that hand in his pocket helps him hold his balance, which is how he's able to walk.
21AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:22
Oh, he's already been discharged — a comeback must be close.
23AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:22
Guess it's a strict zero-calorie diet from here on out.
26AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:23
Sorry, I don't quite catch what you're saying (a callback to a famous comedy bit).
29AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:24
He needs to start taking care of himself, for his daughter's sake.
Better late than never.
33AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:26
Takeshi was amazing — he did a whole press conference with that face like it was nothing.
38AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:28
Somebody feed him some korokke (croquettes) or he'll waste away.
39AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:28
He really has lost some weight.
Hope there's no lasting after-effects.
43AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:30
Gotta mash up some croquettes and eat them with rice.
45AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:32
When I was hospitalized with a brainstem infarction, I looked like the healthiest guy in my 6-person ward too —
but according to the doctors, I was actually the most severe case and needed strict bed rest. Half my face was crooked lol
48AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:32
His right cheek isn't quite lifting.
Strokes are scary…
50AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:33
Looks like there's some paralysis.
Sounds like they just watched and waited a long time after symptoms showed up, so it might be a tough road.
59AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:36
So he's been discharged and is already showing up at the office?
61AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:37
Good thing he got to the hospital right away. Corporate drones can't take time off work — "maybe it'll heal if I rest a bit?" … "okay, healed, back to work" — never go to the hospital, and next thing you know it's too late.
63AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:39
Guess he's not in the hospital the whole time, then.
65AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:41
Nah, he's clearly lost weight.
71AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:44
Re: #65
It's hospital food, of course he'd lose weight.
66AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:41
Doesn't look like the Takayuki Suzui case — this isn't a mild one.
88AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:54
Beat Takeshi bounced back from his motorcycle accident too, so Date will probably be fine.
90AnonymousSep 13, 2026 17:56
Re: #88
Illness and injury aren't the same thing.
98AnonymousSep 13, 2026 18:01
Re: #88
Apparently even the doctors said his survival was basically a miracle.
Supposedly he even had an out-of-body experience.

Background and Talking Points on This Story

The article itself centers on the release of a recent photo, but opinion on the forum split into an “he’s doing fine” camp and a “can’t let your guard down” camp. The former took the speed of his discharge and the fact that he showed up at the office as proof of recovery, while the latter pointed to the asymmetry in the corner of his mouth and cheeks visible in the photo as a sign that some paralysis remains. Recovery after a stroke is said to follow a curve that depends heavily on how much time has passed since onset, and this was echoed in comments noting that “recovery is rapid for roughly the first six months after onset, but progress slows considerably after that.” Comparisons to Shigeo Nagashima and Beat Takeshi came up as well, though it’s worth noting that the location of their paralysis and the circumstances of their injuries differ, so their degree of recovery can’t simply be equated with Date’s.

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Sandwichman’s Mikio Date, resting after a stroke, shows healthy latest look — “I’m doing just fine,” Junichi Davidson reveals.”

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