Tetsuro Degawa, 62, Reflects as ‘Charging Journey’ Nears 10th Anniversary Next Year — Vows to Be a Reaction Comedian for Life

From our other sites

The story

With TV Tokyo’s “May We Charge Your Battery?” (Degawa Tetsuro no Juden Sasete Moraemasenka) set to mark its 10th anniversary next year, Tetsuro Degawa (62) said in an interview that he wants to keep doing the show “until they tell me I’m fired.” He also spoke about the reaction-comedy skills he’s honed since the show became a regular series in 2017, saying he feels he “has to pass it on,” and touched on memories of Ryuhei Ueshima of the comedy trio Dacho Club. On 5ch forums, users debated the traffic jams caused by the slow-moving moped and film-crew convoy, whether it’s still appropriate for him to ride a motorbike past 60, and the staging of roadside crowds along the route.

Tetsuro Degawa, 62, Declares He’ll Be a Reaction Comedian for Life “Even as an Old Man” — TV Tokyo’s “Charging Journey” Marks 10th Anniversary Next Year, “I’m Overwhelmed” — Also Recalls Memories of Dacho Club’s Ryuhei Ueshima

TV personality Tetsuro Degawa’s (62) comedic journey continues. His signature TV Tokyo program “May We Charge Your Battery?” (Saturdays, 6:30 p.m.) has become a long-running hit set to celebrate its 10th anniversary next year. “Honestly, I never dreamed it would last this long,” he said, reflecting, while vowing, “I want to keep going until they tell me I’m fired.” He also spoke passionately about passing on the reaction comedy he honed on shows like “Owarai Ultra Quiz” and the “hot water bath” gag, saying, “I really need to pass this on.”

Dressed in the overalls familiar from the show, he radiated his trademark upbeat energy. “Charging Journey” became a regular series in 2017. He reportedly went into some shoots muttering his catchphrase “This is bad, this is bad” (yabai yo, yabai yo), but the show overcame its struggles and continues to air in a prime evening slot.

Source: daily.co.jp / Original article here

What people said

3AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:10
Re: #1
Is it really okay to laugh at someone whose words won't come out because of aftereffects from a stroke?
4AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:10
The traffic jams and rubbernecking crowds are a massive nuisance — just stop already.
40AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:50
Re: #4
I get that it can't be helped, but Degawa and the guest's mopeds plus the minivan carrying the film crew crawling along at low speed must be a huge pain for the cars stuck behind them lol
5AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:10
No, once his judgment starts slipping with age, broadcasting him riding a motorbike is going to be a tough sell. He should show some restraint himself.
7AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:12
Did he have a grandchild?
45AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:54
Re: #7
Degawa doesn't have any kids.
10AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:16
TV these days wants a geezer past 60 more than some young guy.
13AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:18
This moped can hold two batteries but they only ever put in one.

It was fun in the early days,

but now… it's just done.
19AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:22
Re: #13
A show like this is probably doomed once he gets so famous he's unconditionally welcomed everywhere he goes.
16AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:19
Wait, he's already 62? Celebrities really do look young.
18AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:22
"Even as an old man" — he's already an old man now, isn't he? His body's already falling apart at his age.
20AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:24
Feels like it's been running forever, but it's only been 10 years?
21AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:25
"Until he's an old man" — at 62 he's already an old man to everyone around him.
23AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:28
Let's hope he doesn't end up like Himura or Date. (fellow TV personalities whose health struggles were widely reported)
25AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:29
Haven't watched it in 4-5 years — are big-name guests still coming on?
26AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:30
He acts like a comedian, but he wasn't originally one, right!?
27AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:31
Sometimes you can't tell what he's saying without the subtitles.
28AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:35
He's gonna wipe out on the bike someday and that'll be the end of the show.
31AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:39
He used to have rock-bottom likability ratings,
but times really do change.
32AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:40
It's a show where the crew's car trails behind at a steady 30 km/h, blocking the road and causing a jam for everyone behind.
These days that could get called "reverse road rage" (i.e., obstructive driving that provokes the cars stuck behind).
33AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:43
Is he going around telling people "you should just go to bed already," the way Shinsuke used to?
37AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:48
Re: #33
"Wow, that surprised me!" (Degawa's classic catchphrase)
35AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:46
"Reaction comedian" is just a term he uses to justify himself —
at the end of the day it's just bullying.
36AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:47
Every episode, tons of locals show up waving outside the diner where Degawa's eating or along the roadside where the moped passes by,
and I can't help thinking, "ah, the staff probably went door-to-door ringing every house in the neighborhood to round these people up."
I actually like the show and watch it sometimes,
but I always think they don't need to go that far.
39AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:49
His spirit may be willing, but his body keeps declining every year,
so maybe it's time to give up the moped before he takes a bad spill and gets seriously hurt.
Switch from two wheels to an EV car journey instead.
44AnonymousSep 2, 2026 09:54
Re: #39
Back in the day "Tetsuwan DASH" did something similar, and that also caused traffic jams with the cars behind looking incredibly annoyed lol (a long-running TOKIO variety segment)
61AnonymousSep 2, 2026 10:16
Where did the gap between him and Katsumata come from?
69AnonymousSep 2, 2026 10:30
Re: #61
"Gokigenyou" ended. (a long-running TV Asahi variety show that got cancelled)

Background and Key Points of This Topic

“May We Charge Your Battery?” became a regular series in 2017 and will mark its 10th anniversary on air next year. Tetsuro Degawa first made his name with reaction comedy bits like the “boiling hot bath” gag, and it’s notable that he touched on passing down that craft in this interview. Ryuhei Ueshima, who passed away suddenly in May 2022, was a member of the comedy trio Dacho Club and, as a reaction comedian of the same generation, had appeared alongside Degawa for years — his reminiscence about Ueshima appears to stem from that history. Debate on the forum centered mainly on the show’s production choices: commenters pointed to the traffic jams caused by the slow-moving moped and film-crew convoy, questioned whether it’s still appropriate for Degawa to ride a motorbike given his age, and expressed discomfort with the seemingly “staged” mobilization of local residents along the route. At the same time, many said they’ve enjoyed the show for years, so opinion wasn’t simply split for or against.

*This article is composed from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Tetsuro Degawa, 62, Declares He’ll Be a Reaction Comedian for Life “Even as an Old Man” — “Charging Journey” Marks 10th Anniversary Next Year, “I’m Overwhelmed,” Also Recalls Memories of Ueshima.”

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *