Ichiro Yamaguchi of the rock band Sakanaction opened up about smoking on the September 1 broadcast of “Sakanaction Ichiro Yamaguchi’s All Night Nippon.” Responding to a listener’s email arguing that “no matter how busy work gets, or even if you’re at Disneyland with your family, you still need a cigarette break,” Yamaguchi admitted feeling guilty toward non-smokers but agreed it “can’t be helped.” A self-declared e-cigarette user, he reportedly complained about how strong regular cigarette smoke smells, and how painful it is to be lumped together with pack-a-day smokers in the smoking area. On 5channel, opinion split down the middle over whether e-cigarettes or regular/heated tobacco smell worse, with many commenters also pointing out that he was mixing up the terminology.
Ichiro Yamaguchi of the rock band Sakanaction appeared on the September 1 broadcast of “Sakanaction Ichiro Yamaguchi’s All Night Nippon” (Nippon Broadcasting) and revealed something he finds tough about using smoking areas.
That day, a listener wrote in: “No matter how busy work gets, or even when you’re at Disneyland doing family stuff, you still need a cigarette break — that’s just how it is, right?”
Yamaguchi, a smoker himself, said, “I really do feel sorry toward all the non-smokers out there,” but agreed with the listener that “it can’t be helped.”
Might as well crack open a beer and watch Peace-kun, the world's most famous capybara from Omiya Zoo, on YouTube
3AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:30
Both of them stink!
Breath, belongings, body — all of it.
4AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:30
Just quit already.
I managed to.
Two years now.
6AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:30
Added 'Sasshi' to my NG (mute) list, and now throwing 'Peace' on there too (5ch users keep personal filter lists to mute recurring annoying words/topics in a thread)
8AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:32
He's a singer and he still smokes?
9AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:32
E-cigarettes stink too — he doesn't realize both kinds smell bad to non-smokers.
10AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:32
Quiiit it, quiiit it, quit smoking now~ (whoooo)♪
11AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:32
Some no-smoking places let you use e-cigarettes, but as a non-smoker I can tell you they still reek plenty.
12AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:33
Get a taste of what non-smokers have had to put up with all this time from cigarette stink.
13AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:33
Both stink.
Some of it smells like BO, doesn't it?
14AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:33
If it doesn't smell like cigarettes, what's even the point.
15AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:34
E-cigarettes are better than regular ones, but they still smell.
If the area isn't separated, just give up on it.
Also, public facilities should just ban smoking on the whole premises.
17AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:34
That's heated tobacco you're talking about — e-cigarettes are VAPE.
34AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:37
Re: #17
It's confusing too that VAPE, which doesn't even contain nicotine tar and is basically just flavoring, gets lumped into the same category.
18AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:34
The smell that clings to your clothes is actually worse with e-cigarettes.
20AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:35
Is there any other musician out there with such a plain, ordinary name?
21AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:35
E-cigarettes run on liquid — I wonder if he even gets that.
24AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:35
People who can't quit smoking have some kind of problem, don't they?
26AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:36
Whether it's e-cig or heated tobacco, it reeks all the same.
27AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:36
Am I not allowed to say they're equally guilty here?
28AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:36
People really go that far just to smoke…
Nicotine addiction is brutal.
Genuinely glad I quit about 10 years ago.
Back when I was quitting, I'd toss a whole carton in the trash and then dig it back out 30 minutes later.
But now, I wouldn't want a smoke even on my deathbed.
31AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:37
If we're going there, IQOS stinks too.
36AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:37
Cigarette smoke hits your nose hard enough to actually hurt. And I used to smoke two packs a day, easy.
37AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:38
Honestly, e-cigarettes smell worse than regular ones.
38AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:38
I smoke regular cigarettes myself, but
back when you could still smoke at your seat in pachinko parlors,
the guy next to me on IQOS smelled seriously awful.
40AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:38
No no, e-cigs stink too — just be grateful there's a smoking area at all.
41AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:39
As a non-smoker, e-cigarette smell is just as harsh.
If anything, its weird, distinct odor makes me feel sicker than regular cigarettes do.
42AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:39
The name 'e-cigarette' itself just feels off to me.
44AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:39
Same category, yet he talks like this — that's pretty rich.
45AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:39
E-cigarettes have that sickly-sweet smell like they're trying to cover something up and failing.
46AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:39
Both stink, but that sickly-sweet e-cigarette smell makes me want to throw up.
47AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:39
Just herd all the drinkers, regular smokers, and e-cig users into one designated pen already.
49AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:39
I was walking and someone passed me from behind at close range, then this awful smell hit me — turned out they were vaping.
51AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:40
E-cigarette users acting like they're in the clear — nah, it's no different from regular cigarettes.
53AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:40
I don't really get e-cigarettes.
Aren't they still bad for your health?
54AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:40
It's like complaining the guy in the next stall stinks — buddy, you're taking a dump too.
55AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:40
IQOS smelled terrible when it first came out.
These days e-cigarettes don't smell as bad, and you don't have to worry about nicotine stains either.
Background and Key Points of the Debate
In Japan, products commonly called “e-cigarettes” actually fall into two distinct categories: nicotine-containing heated tobacco products (like IQOS or glo, which heat real tobacco leaf) and nicotine-free VAPE devices that heat a liquid. The two differ in both regulation and chemical makeup, but they’re routinely conflated in everyday conversation. Commenters picked up on this distinction, and much of the thread’s confusion stemmed from the fact that it was never clear which type Yamaguchi actually meant by “e-cigarette.” The debate mainly split over which smell was worse: some argued regular cigarettes have a harsh, burnt odor, while others countered that the sickly-sweet smell of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco is even more nauseating — with many pointing out that, to non-smokers, both are equally unpleasant. It was also notable that Yamaguchi’s stance — apologizing to non-smokers while still shrugging it off as “unavoidable” — drew both sympathy and pushback in roughly equal measure.
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