Japan Reacts

Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • Munetaka Murakami screams “I’m Japanese!” and “One hundred!” as White Sox clinch playoff berth

    On the 24th (local time), the White Sox routed the Royals to clinch their first playoff berth in five years. During the postgame champagne celebration, Munetaka Murakami was pulled in front of a local broadcast camera and asked, “On a scale of one to ten, how do you feel?” He instantly fired back “One hundred!”, then screamed “I’m Japanese!”, sending his teammates into a frenzy. On 5channel, many posters welcomed the moment warmly, while others pointed to his underwhelming batting numbers this season and said his celebrating felt out of place — opinions were split.

    “Royals vs. White Sox” (24th, Kansas City)

    The White Sox routed their opponents to clinch their first playoff appearance in five years. A champagne celebration broke out in the postgame clubhouse, where infielder Munetaka Murakami was grabbed for an interview by the local broadcast crew. He screamed “I’m Japanese!”, drawing roars of delight from his teammates.

    The champagne fight kicked off with a speech from manager Venable. When the local broadcast interviewer asked him, “Celebrating here in the clubhouse — on a scale of one to ten, how do you feel right now?” he screamed back “One hundred!” Then, throwing in hand gestures for emphasis, he doubled down: “No ten — one hundred!”, letting his emotions explode.

    Source: daily.co.jp / Original article here

    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:05
    He's a second-generation "Munerin" (a nickname sharing the "Mune" reading with Tsuyoshi Nishioka, a flashy Japanese MLB import who had a mixed reception in the majors)
    15AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:05
    Re: #13
    Ugh, this is so depressing~~~~
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:06
    If he were a key contributor, fine, but he's not even hitting well right now — kind of embarrassing.
    The "hundred" part is one thing, but there's no need to shout "I'm Japanese." You can only say something like that if you're buying into the myth that Japanese players get special treatment.
    19AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:07
    White Sox got themselves a good bargain with him
    20AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:08
    Where did things diverge between Murakami and Tsutsugo?
    21AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:08
    Kind of like shouting "Hanshin Tigers, Number Oooone!" lol (a classic chant from Hanshin Tigers fans)
    23AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:09
    Don't pop champagne over just making the playoffs
    26AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:17
    And here I thought Ichiro, Matsui, and Ohtani were all the aloof, do-their-own-thing type…
    27AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:18
    Of course speaking good English helps, but I'd rather see someone wear their emotions on their sleeve, even if it looks a bit dumb, than play it cool and detached. Japanese people always get told their feelings don't show on their face, so nobody knows what they're thinking. That's a problem if you're a student or a businessman, but for a baseball player, being a little dumb is totally fine.
    74AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:41
    Re: #27
    I wish Ohtani could hear what you just said
    29AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:18
    A .200 batting average is just too bad. At least get it up to .240 or .250.
    40AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:29
    Re: #29
    Yeah, overseas fans have been pointing that out too. Hope he steps it up before fans lose patience with him.
    30AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:19
    Been seven years already since I was floored seeing Kiyoshi Hikawa (a veteran enka/pop singer) throw the ceremonial first pitch at Jingu Stadium…
    32AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:20
    Even I can understand "I'm Japanese," you idiot lol
    34AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:20
    Wasn't Murakami a consolation first-round pick? (a "hazure" pick — when a team loses the lottery for its top target and drafts a fallback player instead) Who are the recent first-rounders who actually turned into stars? Guess "turned into a star" means different things to different people though.
    46AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:38
    Re: #34
    Well, the headliner of that draft class was Kotaro Kiyomiya from Waseda Jitsugyo High School.

    Even so, he was rated highly enough that multiple teams fought over him as their "if we miss out on Kiyomiya" fallback pick.
    52AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:45
    Re: #46
    Wait, is Murakami seriously the only guy from that draft class who's thriving right now?
    77AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:43
    Re: #46
    Guess Yasuda was also fought over by three teams in the lottery.
    35AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:20
    Everybody loves a cheerful extrovert type hamming it up in broken English, right?
    39AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:28
    He's got something Ohtani's missing
    42AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:30
    His OPS is technically over .800, good for 10th in the AL. He's 5th in home runs too, though there's a big gap to 4th place. But he cooled off a lot in the second half, so his current image isn't great. Who knows what next year holds.
    45AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:37
    Re: #42
    Still impressive when only about 20 guys across both leagues hit 30+ homers. Though fading down the stretch might not sit well with contenders.
    43AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:31
    Being asked to rate it 1-to-10 and answering "100" — perfect comedic timing
    44AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:35
    Ichiro: "If .220 is good enough, I could hit 40 home runs too."
    48AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:41
    I don't get this part lol
    >Asked "What does it mean to celebrate with the team?", he screamed "I'm Japanese!" and the team erupted in cheers
    51AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:45
    Re: #34
    If we're talking lottery picks, that'd be Roki Sasaki, Teru Sato, and maybe Yanagi.
    53AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:46
    I've heard that line somewhere before… what was it again?
    58AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:56
    You do a champagne fight just for clinching a playoff spot? Is this time special since it's their first in five years?
    64AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:06
    I feel like I've heard the phrase "I'm Japanese" before… wasn't that Munenori Kawasaki?
    67AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:12
    Glad he's having fun. Making the playoffs in his very first year with the team — not bad at all.
    68AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:15
    Do his teammates even know the original reference?

    Background and discussion points

    It’s easy to misread this: the White Sox hadn’t actually won a title — the champagne fight came just from clinching a playoff spot. In MLB, it’s customary to pop champagne in the clubhouse not only for a league championship or World Series title, but also for winning a division or securing a wild card berth, and this marked the team’s first such moment in five years. The thread was split: some praised Murakami’s outburst, while others, pointing to his so-so batting numbers, questioned whether he’d “earned the right” to celebrate so loudly. Opinions were also divided on Japanese players showing emotion so openly in general — making this less a snapshot of one moment and more a window into differing attitudes toward how Japanese players are expected to behave.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[MLB] Munetaka Murakami’s hilarious champagne-fight interview: “I’m Japanese!” “One hundred!”“.

  • Ochiai Hiromitsu: “Guys like me would’ve been screwed” — his take on the pitch clock

    Former NPB star Hiromitsu Ochiai shared his views on MLB’s pitch clock in a recent video on his YouTube channel. He said that if the pitch clock had been in place during his playing days, “guys like me would’ve been absolutely finished,” and argued that shortening game times would be a “major blow” to ballpark food and drink sales. On 5ch, this drew pushback: commenters pointed out that in MLB, shorter games actually boosted attendance and revenue, and that NPB attendance is already at record highs. The discussion broadened into whether Japan and the US have different reasons for introducing a pitch clock in the first place.

    Hiromitsu Ochiai on the pitch clock: “Guys like me would’ve been absolutely finished” — “It’s a major blow for the ballparks”

    Hiromitsu Ochiai (72), a three-time Triple Crown winner as a player and a manager who led the Chunichi Dragons to four league titles, posted a new video on his YouTube channel “Ochiai Hiromitsu no Oreryu Channel” on the 25th.

    In it, he shared his thoughts on what it would have been like if the pitch clock had existed during his playing career.

    Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

    4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:55
    That's actually a countermeasure for the fact that those very customers are declining, you know
    52AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:18
    Re: #4
    It hasn't actually declined, though.
    Except for Hiroshima.
    12AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:59
    By the time today's Gen Z hits 60, things will be even more precarious than now
    35AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:08
    Re: #12
    Sounds like we'll be down to one league by then
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:59
    Ohtani calls time every single time he's in a jam, so the pitch clock's pretty pointless lol
    86AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:30
    Re: #13
    So there is a loophole after all, huh
    19AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:02
    In MLB, shortening the games actually brought in more fans, so revenue went up, you know
    22AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:03
    Re: #19
    Apparently there were some tweaks too, like extending alcohol sales from the old 7th-inning cutoff to the 8th inning
    31AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:07
    The Ochiai-era Dragons get low marks from Chunichi fans, don't they? The ones who rate it highly are more like Ochiai fans than Dragons fans
    40AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:10
    Re: #31
    I'm a Dragons fan and I think the Ochiai era was the best.
    The ones who rate Ochiai poorly are probably the Nagoya-native Dragons fans, I'd guess
    59AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:21
    Re: #31
    Attendance really started picking up in the Tatsunami era.
    This year it was even more popular.
    It's beyond the old Showa-era mindset's understanding, so they can't even weigh in anymore
    32AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:07
    Well, right now Japan doesn't really need to shorten games as much as America does
    38AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:09
    Re: #32
    Seems that way.

    It's less about national character and more that the goals are just different, I guess
    37AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:08
    International tournament rules just follow America's lead, after all
    51AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:17
    Re: #37
    As for the whole 'international rules' thing, what are the fans and NPB (the pro baseball teams) actually saying about it?
    48AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:14
    Does MLB even care about food and drink sales taking a hit from the pitch clock shortening games? lol
    50AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:16
    Re: #48
    Most Dodgers fans drive there, so alcohol probably doesn't sell much anyway
    49AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:15
    But shortening the games might actually bring in more fans, who knows
    56AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:19
    Re: #49
    How about a 3-inning tripleheader with a rotating audience system? lol
    57AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:19
    Who knows.

    Why not introduce it to sumo instead?

    If you'd say it's unnecessary for sumo, then by the same logic it's unnecessary for baseball too
    61AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:21
    Re: #57
    They actually did introduce 'no false starts' (a kind of time control), because of TV broadcasting
    64AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:22
    People there to eat and drink don't even care about the game anyway lol
    67AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:23
    Re: #64
    At Fujiidera Stadium they used to roast sweet potatoes out in the outfield lol
    66AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:23
    Pro baseball and sumo are both so drawn-out it's unbearably boring.
    Sumo probably can't do away with the pre-bout stare-downs, so baseball at least should hurry things along
    76AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:26
    Re: #66
    Sumo pretty much always wraps up by 6 PM anyway
    81AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:28
    Re: #66
    That's not really an issue for sumo — it runs on schedule regardless
    69AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:23
    It's entertainment, so that's beside the point.
    Pro baseball has become the kind of entertainment that even draws foreign tourists
    73AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:25
    Reposting.

    Re: #69
    For NPB (the pro baseball teams), making money is the number one 'job,' after all
    83AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:29
    But basically only bored middle-aged guys watch baseball anyway, so isn't the status quo fine?
    84AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:29
    Re: #83
    There are tons of women at the ballpark though
    87AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:31
    I don't watch NPB (pro baseball) — or anything else at all, honestly —

    but re Re: #83,

    that's what I'd think too
    85AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:29
    Are ballparks these days even crowded enough that drink sales would be a real worry?
    89AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:31
    Re: #85
    No, attendance is at an all-time record high.
    Seriously
    91AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:33
    Let's spare a thought for TV viewers too.
    They can already show the strike zone in real time, so just hurry up and implement it already
    98AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:36
    Re: #91
    Feels like NPB doesn't even consider TV viewers customers anymore.
    No sponsors bother with it either
    107AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:37
    MLB barely draws crowds anyway.
    NPB, with all its cheering and stadium production, sells out every game though.

    So who needs something like a pitch clock?
    108AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:38
    Re: #107
    Seems like it's been decided that international tournaments will all adopt it across the board
    111AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:40
    Re: #107
    If you're fine being Galapagos-syndrome isolated, then go ahead and keep dragging things out

    Background and key points of this discussion

    The pitch clock is a rule MLB introduced in 2023 to shorten the time between pitches, and it’s credited with boosting both attendance and revenue alongside shorter games. NPB hasn’t formally adopted it, but international tournaments like the WBC have been moving toward it, and opinion at home has remained split. What divided the thread was how time-shortening affects food and drink sales. Ochiai raised concerns that “if fans spend less time in the stands, drink sales will drop,” but replies pointed out that in MLB’s case, attendance and revenue actually grew, and that some parks made adjustments like extending alcohol sales hours. Commenters also noted that NPB attendance has actually been trending upward in recent years, suggesting Ochiai’s concerns may not match the current state of the league. One point worth clarifying for readers is that the pitch clock isn’t purely an “MLB-only” issue — because of its adoption in international tournament rules, it’s a system that could well spread to Japanese baseball too.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisoku Sokuhou+) thread “[Baseball] Hiromitsu Ochiai on the pitch clock: “Guys like me would’ve been absolutely finished” — “It’s a major blow for the ballparks. Drink sales will drop”.”

  • Morning Musume vs. Juice=Juice: 5ch Fans Debate the Huge Gap in Tour Set Lavishness

    On 5ch’s Hello! Project board, a discussion broke out over the stark difference in stage set lavishness shown on the Hello! Project TV program “Hello Sta,” comparing tour stages. The original poster asked why Morning Musume’s set — ahead of Oda Sakura’s graduation tour — looked more extravagant than Juice=Juice’s, even though Juice=Juice is said to be the agency’s top earner. The thread expanded from arguments over staircases and lighting design to comparisons of venue capacity for the fall 2026 tours, with points like “Morning Musume mainly plays big halls, Juice=Juice mainly plays small halls” and “Juice=Juice actually has a higher average capacity per show” complicating any simple ranking of which group is doing better.

    1AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:37
    Is it because it's some crappy agency obsessed with the pecking order?
    3AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:39
    That was pretty rough, honestly
    Did they think people would be satisfied just because there's a door? lol
    4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:41
    Don't go pulling a half-empty show (gara-con) with a set this fancy
    9AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:46
    Re: #4
    Whoa, those stairs even have a handrail
    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:42
    Well yeah, it's Oda Sakura's graduation tour
    6AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:43
    Juice=Juice's stage has way too many close-ups, hard to tell what's going on
    8AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:43
    People who actually went to a Juice=Juice show said it was lavish, but it really isn't
    10AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:46
    If we're going down that road, Tsubaki Factory tours with a live band
    12AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:51
    You'd think they'd turn a profit on Oda's tour, but merch sales and turnout are falling short of expectations — probably feels like a miscalculation to them
    Budget's getting cut starting next tour
    40AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:23
    Re: #12
    No worries, Juice=Juice's got us covered on the money side
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:56
    That set was built with the money Juice=Juice brought in
    19AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:04
    Re: #13
    Exactly this
    Give us our money back
    14AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:59
    Agency pecking order:
    Musume. = Angerme >>> Juice >>> everyone else
    20AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:05
    Re: #14
    You don't know how bare-bones Angerme's set is?
    23AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:06
    Re: #14
    Exactly
    What matters to the agency is Musume. and Angerme
    Juice can go whatever
    15AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:01
    It's barely going to make it onto this year's show, and you know how many more Kōhaku appearances (NHK's New Year's Eve song contest) it'd take to flip the pecking order?
    17AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:03
    Re: #15
    Why not just judge by current popularity?
    16AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:01
    Re: #9
    It's only got two staircases
    If anything that's on the plain side
    18AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:04
    "Can't book a big hall" ← fair enough
    "Set's cheap too" ← wait, what?
    25AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:08
    So Kōhaku has enough pull that appearing just once keeps your ranking safe for 20 years even as you decline? Impressive
    27AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:09
    Re: #25
    Aw, sounds like that stings lol
    33AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:12
    Re: #25
    I heard back in the day appearing on Kōhaku would spike your fee instantly
    Wonder if that's still true now
    28AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:10
    Juice=Juice tours small halls
    Morning Musume tours big halls


    That's the difference right there
    32AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:11
    Re: #28
    A packed small hall versus a half-empty big hall —
    which one's actually worth more?
    Small halls are cheaper to rent too, so Juice=Juice's cleaning up
    30AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:10
    The set for top earner Juice=Juice


    The set for Hello! Project flagship Morning Musume
    34AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:13
    Re: #30
    Juice doesn't even get a raised platform?
    Aren't they supposed to be the best-selling group in Hello! Project?
    47AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:30
    By the way, I haven't heard complaints about Juice=Juice's set being cheap on this tour
    but I have heard complaints that the lighting overall is too dark
    49AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:32
    Re: #47
    Sounds like they're prioritizing mood over anything else
    It starts so dark you can't even see the members, then they show up on the monitors later, and it all lights up at once for the finale
    48AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:32
    Juice=Juice's tour scale is smaller, so they're not actually earning that much
    55AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:36
    Re: #48
    Capacity-wise there's not much of a gap with Musume. anymore

    Morning Musume '26
    Fall 2026 tour (Oda's graduation, 29 shows) *halls only
    Total capacity: 57,541 seats (down 8,795 from last year)
    Average capacity per show: 1,984 seats (down 26 from last year)

    Angerme
    Fall 2026 tour (no graduations, 25 shows) *halls only
    Total capacity: 40,637 seats (up 18,773 from last year)
    Average capacity per show: 1,625 seats (up 1,018 from last year)

    Juice=Juice
    Fall 2026 tour (no graduations, 24 shows) *halls + Nippon Budokan
    Total capacity: 50,074 seats (up 30,048 from last year)
    Average capacity per show: 2,086 seats (up 1,176 from last year)
    56AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:36
    Re: #48
    Go look up how much they're making on cheap weekday hall rentals
    60AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:40
    Re: #48
    That final four-show run at Kanadevia Hall has gotta have a really good profit margin
    No other group could pull that off
    59AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:39
    Re: #58
    That's not even counting Musume.'s Yokohama Arena date, or Juice=Juice's Pia Arena and Taiwan shows
    Roughly speaking Juice=Juice's total capacity is a little over 80% of Musume.'s
    61AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:42
    Re: #59
    So far they're selling 100% of seats
    64AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:44
    Sounds like a lot
    Sounds like it's selling well
    Hard to really tell
    66AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:45
    Re: #64
    Can't help that, nobody has the exact numbers
    No day-of tickets left
    Merch sold out
    those are the facts, and this is just speculation based on those facts
    67AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:46
    Re: #64
    It really is selling well

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Hello! Project’s agency doesn’t officially disclose how much each group earns, so the thread’s view that “Juice=Juice is the top earner” is based on fan impressions rather than confirmed figures. Venue counts and capacities, on the other hand, are public information that can be tallied up — and according to the fall 2026 tour numbers posted in the thread, while Morning Musume’s total capacity is larger overall, Juice=Juice actually has a higher average capacity per show. Morning Musume’s current tour is also tied to the milestone of Oda Sakura’s graduation, meaning the production budget may reflect the significance of that particular tour more than the group’s overall popularity. Several posters in the thread argued that judging agency pecking order or earning power purely from how fancy a stage set looks is premature, since lighting and staging choices may simply differ by group’s creative direction.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Watched today’s Hello Sta and man, why does Morning Musume’s set look fancier than Juice=Juice’s?“

  • Chiba flooding damage refuses to recede — 5ch reacts: “This might be a lost cause”

    Photos and on-the-ground reports of the flooding across Chiba Prefecture have been pouring into 5ch’s “Nandemo Jikkyo G” (general live-news) board. Around Lake Inba the water still hasn’t receded — one report says a fish farm was completely submerged with an estimated 1 billion yen in damage, and some expect it could take about three months before the Uchibo rail Line resumes service. Congestion on Route 16 has worsened, compounded by landslides on detour roads, leaving traffic gridlocked. In the thread, some suggested the cause may not be river overflow but groundwater welling up from the ground itself, while others voiced concern about further rain and an approaching typhoon.

    2AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:13


    3AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:14


    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:15
    Going forward




    7AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:16
    Re: #5
    There's still more coming~!
    6AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:15
    This might be a lost cause (riffing on a famous Attack on Titan meme line)
    11AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:17
    Saw it on YouTube — apparently it's not water flowing in from the marsh, it's groundwater welling up, and it doesn't look like it's going down
    132AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:15
    Re: #11
    Chiba had groundwater welling up out of the ground during the 3/11 earthquake too, so the ground there was probably always prone to this. They've neglected infrastructure maintenance, and now one typhoon or heavy rain and this happens.
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:17
    Why would anyone even live in Chiba?
    25AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:19
    Re: #13
    Because I want to go cheer on the Lotte Marines
    22AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:19
    Three months to restore the Uchibo Line is brutal. I mean the Kominato and Isumi Railways are basically dead too, but their ridership numbers are nowhere close.
    26AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:20
    A victim from the Edo era
    27AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:20
    Re: #22
    South of Chiba City there's no rail line to run replacement service on, so anyone without a car is basically forced to change jobs
    35AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:24
    Re: #27

    Meanwhile, the roads:
    47AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:30
    Re: #35
    Is this a bullet-hell shooter or something?
    42AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:26
    A fish farm near Lake Inba that was raising koi got completely submerged
    and I was shocked to hear the damage estimate is roughly 1 billion yen
    Koi are seriously expensive, huh
    46AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:27
    Re: #42
    At the world's top-tier individual level, koi go for tens of millions to over 100 million yen
    48AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:30
    During the Noto Peninsula earthquake, poor accessibility was blamed for the slow recovery, but who'd have thought this would happen in Chiba, where it's practically one train ride to the capital
    52AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:34
    They need to fill in the breach, but
    that's not really possible until the water recedes, right?
    62AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:39
    Re: #52
    They'll probably stack flexible container bags as makeshift sandbags just to stop the water from flowing out
    Looks like rain will continue for a while and a typhoon might be coming too, so they need at least emergency measures in place
    53AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:35
    Sounds like another typhoon's coming too — heavy rain in Kanto tomorrow or so?
    60AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:38
    Re: #53
    There's no way to recover at this rate…😱
    58AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:38
    I live out in the boonies on Chiba-kun's lower half (the mascot shaped like the prefecture), but thanks to being on high ground this recent rain streak hasn't affected me at all
    Though in exchange, distribution seems to have been cut off upstream, since fresh food has vanished from AEON
    67AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:40
    Re: #58
    That's quietly rough, honestly
    139AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:20
    Re: #58
    Somewhere around Kisarazu?
    143AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:21
    Re: #58
    These days, having distribution grind to a halt really hurts
    The Kumamoto earthquake also cut off distribution between northern Kyushu (Fukuoka, Saga) and southern Kyushu (Miyazaki, Kagoshima)
    70AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:41
    Wasn't Lake Inba the one featured on that "Drain the Pond" TV show? Even after they drained it, sounds like invasive species have mixed back in
    80AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:46
    Re: #70
    Come to think of it, Lake Inba is apparently a massive breeding ground with something like 10,000 snapping turtles living in it
    There's no way I'd ever step into a puddle that overflowed from there
    83AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:47
    Re: #80
    I hear they're pretty tasty, apparently
    85AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:48
    Re: #80
    Yikes… that's a seriously dangerous lake, isn't it…
    If those things end up scattered everywhere, that's genuinely bad news, right?
    73AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:43
    92AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:51
    Apparently traffic on Route 16 is insane
    It's already congested as it is, but side roads are blocked here and there by landslides
    and all the trucks on Route 464 (toward Lake Inba/Inzai) are getting rerouted that way too, so it's basically hopeless
    95AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:54
    Re: #92
    It's the usual story, but the Yobizuka intersection is even more finished than usual
    97AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:56
    Re: #92
    Chiba's nothing but bad traffic spots anyway

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    The area around Lake Inba was originally reclaimed low-lying wetland, and it’s said to be land that also suffered groundwater flooding during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Opinions in the thread were split over whether this flooding is a temporary result of rivers overflowing, or whether water is continuously welling up from the ground itself. If it’s the latter, the water level won’t drop quickly even once the rain stops, which would mean a longer recovery. Worth noting is that the impact on transportation and daily infrastructure — the Uchibo Line’s expected suspension, congestion on Route 16, and a shortage of fresh food from halted distribution — was reported alongside concrete figures. At the same time, many posts were seen unilaterally blaming residents of the affected area with comments like “it’s their own fault for living there,” but those have been excluded from this article. Care should be taken not to conflate glib remarks about place names and terrain with actual reports of the damage.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Photos] Chiba’s current situation, “living hell”: water levels not receding.”

  • Asian Games Men’s 100m: Thailand’s Rising Star Boonsong Wins Gold in 9.90

    The Asian Games men’s 100m final was held on September 25 at Paloma Mizuho Stadium, where Thailand’s Boonsong (20) took the win in 9.90 seconds. Having just set a new Games record of 9.91 in the previous day’s semifinal, he pulled off the feat of breaking both his personal best and the Games record for the second straight day, electrifying the crowd. His start was reportedly nothing special, but what stood out was how he pulled away with a surge in the middle of the race. On 5ch, threads buzzed with surprise (“since when did Thai sprinters get this fast?”) alongside comparisons of how many sub-10-second runners each Asian country has, and debate over what’s behind the improved times.

    “Asian Games – Athletics” (25th, Paloma Mizuho Stadium)

    In the men’s 100m final, Boonsong (20) of Thailand — who had already set a Games record of 9.91 in the semifinal — broke his own record again, clocking 9.90 to take the gold medal.

    His start was about even with the field, but he tore through to the finish with a burst of speed in the middle of the race, once again improving on his own mark. The stadium was abuzz at the birth of a new hero who set a time that raises hopes for success on the world stage.

    Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

    8AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:35
    ⊂二二二( ^ω^)二⊃ VROOOM (a "whoosh" AA meme — also a pun on "Boonsong," which starts with a sound like "vroom")
    69AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:58
    Re: #8
    That's the one, lol
    97AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:08
    Re: #8
    ((((((((((っﾟ∀ﾟ)っ AHYAAAN~ (a gleeful, over-the-top shriek)
    11AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:36
    Since when did Thai people get this fast?
    27AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:42
    Re: #11
    They're a naturally super athletic people to begin with.
    But instead of chasing the top in track and field from a young age, they go into Muay Thai.
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:36
    Some mysterious young Thai guy ran three sub-10 100m times and just walked off with the gold.
    94AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:06
    Re: #13
    Actually, the old Asian record of 10.00 from way back was also set by a Thai runner.
    117AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:18
    Re: #94
    Wasn't Ratanapol from Singapore?
    Though that 10.0 was hand-timed.
    123AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:20
    Re: #94
    No wait, sorry — Ratanapol was Thai too.
    His electronic-timing record was 10.39.
    15AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:37
    9.90 even with a slow start
    https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2103475919700529152/vid/avc1/1284×712/u9-CCRP7ldrQW254.mp4
    35AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:45
    Re: #15
    If he trains somewhere with proper facilities, he'll probably get even faster.
    51AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:50
    Re: #15
    Blew everyone away, lol.
    Is he Naomi Osaka's brother or something, lol (a joke playing on mixed-heritage looks, referencing the tennis star)
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:38
    100m sub-10 sprinters in Asia

    4 — Japan
    2 — China, Qatar
    1 — Thailand, Oman
    39AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:47
    Re: #17
    What about the Republic of Korea, Asia's top physical powerhouse?
    65AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:55
    Re: #17
    It's proportional to national strength to some extent.
    "Talent (genetics/aptitude)" × "national strength (development systems, scientific support, economic resources)"

    Jamaica, South Africa, Nigeria, Botswana, and Kenya are strong, but so are the US, France, the UK, Japan, China, Canada, and Italy.
    23AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:40
    Always figured Thai people were shorter than Japanese, but the younger generation's average height has now overtaken Japan's.
    31AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:43
    Re: #23
    This genuinely puzzles me — in an age of abundant food, raised in a normal environment with no abuse, why do some guys still not even clear 175cm? I really want to know.
    42AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:48
    Re: #31
    Because one of their parents is short.
    37AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:46
    In Japan's case, mothers started prioritizing safety and comfort in childbirth and began having smaller babies, which is why the average height dropped too.
    45AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:48
    Re: #37
    That's a common claim, but really it's because Japan's non-macho culture doesn't select short guys out — women are more accepting of short guys too.
    38AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:47
    Black sprinters' reaction times off the blocks are just monstrous.
    41AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:47
    Re: #38
    There's no racial difference in reaction time.
    72AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:59
    Thai people are mainly Tai-Kadai (the linguistic/core roots of Tai peoples who migrated south from southern China), but the next largest group is Austroasiatic (Mon-Khmer and other indigenous peoples of mainland Southeast Asia). It's this Austroasiatic group that has the high athletic ability.
    75AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:59
    Re: #72
    What's that claim even based on?
    80AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:01
    Bolt's record is already 17 years old now.
    Guess sprint shoes just aren't evolving anymore?
    89AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:05
    Re: #80
    These days robots are running sub-9.

    Background and Talking Points

    The event was the Asian Games men’s 100m final, held on September 25 at Paloma Mizuho Stadium. Thailand’s Boonsong (20) set a new Games record of 9.91 in the previous day’s semifinal, then shaved it down further to 9.90 in the final, winning gold with back-to-back Games records. In the thread, the breakdown of Asia’s sub-10 sprinters by country (4 from Japan, 2 each from China and Qatar, 1 each from Thailand and Oman) became a talking point, with opinions split over whether the improved times come down to individual talent or to national development systems and resources. A post also claimed “Thailand’s Asian record is 10.00,” but a later reply corrected it to “actually 10.39, set by Ratanapol” — a reminder that numbers passed around secondhand aren’t always accurate. Boonsong is known for a slow start followed by a sudden burst of speed in the middle of the race, and many commenters expressed hope he’ll go even faster on the world stage.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Asian Games] Athletics: Shocking new star in men’s 100m — Thailand’s 20-year-old Boonsong wins gold in 9.90, stadium abuzz after back-to-back Games records following the semifinal.”

  • New ‘Ocarina of Time’ Remake Footage Called ‘Weak by PS5 Standards’ — But Gaming Forum Praises It Anyway

    A thread appeared on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry board (Gehan) about footage of Nintendo’s newly announced full remake of Ocarina of Time. The original poster argued that the “shadow work,” “texture quality,” and “lighting” fall short by PS5 standards, going so far as to claim the game looks stuck with 20-year-old technology. This drew a wave of replies posting actual comparison images in rebuttal, and the prevailing view became that the results are more than impressive given the Switch 2’s hardware. The discussion eventually drifted off-topic into the Switch 2’s battery life and lack of waterproofing.

    1AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:30
    Come on, Nintendo…
    2026 and this is the remake quality we're getting? Playing on PS5,
    the "shadow work," "texture quality," and "lighting" all look like they're stuck 20 years in the past. And there's this whole vibe of "well it's an old classic so it's forgiven,"
    3AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:31
    Sony fanboys apparently go blind if it's not above 30fps, rough life
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:36
    Re: #3
    That's just what a few people were saying
    14AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:37
    The Switch 2 barely has any portability to begin with,
    and honestly the specs are just too weak, it's done for.
    Only 3 hours of battery life, it's heavy, and it's not even fanless — there's seriously nothing about it that says "portable."
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:40
    Re: #14
    Do you really play that long while out and about anyway?
    If it's a business trip or a hotel while traveling, you can just play while charging
    24AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:48
    Re: #14
    If you've played for 3 hours straight don't you feel satisfied and take a break?
    Wait, are you actually playing this outside?
    89AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:48
    Re: #14
    Nintendo has a history of trying to compete head-on in the home console space and getting crushed out of it, remember.
    They've learned they can't fight PlayStation head-on.
    That's exactly why they're throwing money around to force third-party flagship titles onto multiplatform releases to chip away at PS sales — not that it's selling at all lol
    23AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:46
    Re: #18
    If your smartphone only lasted 3 hours on a charge you'd replace it or send it in for repair, right…
    And this is a handheld game console doing that, brand new 😂
    26AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:48
    Re: #23
    Wait, gaming on a trip?!
    So you hole up in your room even at the hotel, not just at home?
    47AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:03
    Re: #23
    Ah, I see…
    I always thought something was off about you, so that's it lol
    28AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:49
    Wait, the Switch 2 came out in 2025 and it's not even waterproof? lol
    In an era where it's hard to even find a smartphone that ISN'T waterproof? lol
    31AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:50
    Looks better than Sony's new Wolverine game though
    33AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:51
    Re: #31
    Sad that Wolverine is the only thing you can even compare it to
    34AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:52
    Re: #32
    No waterproofing is rough when it's kids playing it
    36AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:53
    Re: #34
    Uh, what kind of household did you grow up in?
    37AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:54
    Back in the DS and 3DS days there was recipe/menu-planning software
    you could use in the kitchen while cooking,
    but water droplets and humidity are the Switch 2's worst enemy now.
    That's a downgrade if anything
    41AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:57
    Re: #37
    And… you actually use your Switch in the kitchen?
    39AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:56
    Is the PS Portal or the PSP3 (tentative name) fine even if submerged in water?
    43AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:59
    Re: #39
    No, it's not fine.
    Why would you even be submerging it in the first place?
    45AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:02
    Re: #1
    It's a game you'll never get to play on PS5, so all you can do is trash-talk it, huh 🥺
    57AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:10
    Re: #45
    Leave him alone lmaooooo
    49AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:04
    There's no way you get visuals like this without a PS5

    https://gzo.ai/i/V6Ategc.jpg
    50AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:06
    The gameplay hasn't changed one bit in 30 years!
    They even went out of their way to sell a separate physical gadget just for the flavor element of tooting away on the ocarina — a part that has nothing to do with actual gameplay!
    53AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:09
    Re: #50
    Can you really say that in front of Wolverine — a game you win by mashing buttons, that drives itself for you even when you do nothing, that guides you with farts, and that put all its effort into arm-hair detail?
    60AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:11
    Re: #1
    Wolverine

    Genshin Impact


    OoT (Ocarina of Time)
    63AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:13
    Re: #60
    This kind of "shadow work," "texture quality," and "lighting" is only possible on PS5
    66AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:15
    Re: #60
    Precisely because the Switch 2 is objectively weaker in raw specs, Nintendo's technical chops here are honestly impressive
    78AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:34
    Re: #60
    OoT looks amazing
    65AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:15
    You'd normally expect a clear gap between a handheld and a home console, but the fact that the Switch 2 is unexpectedly close — does that mean the Switch 2 side is really pulling its weight, or that the PS5 just isn't that powerful?
    67AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:16
    Re: #65
    Visual quality just comes down directly to the developer's skill.
    At their core, ray tracing and path tracing are shortcut technologies that save developer effort, not technologies that inherently make graphics look better
    70AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:22
    When I watched the Nintendo Direct, I didn't feel much of anything looking at OoT — probably because I'd been playing Ghost of Yotei on PS5 Pro around that time — but Nintendo fans were saying "amazing, amazing," so I figured if this level impresses them, they'd be blown away by Yotei (not trying to troll, genuinely just a thought)
    74AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:27
    Re: #70
    Yotei's graphics aren't even that good lol
    Have you actually played it, or are you just talking out of your ass? (エアプ, "air-play" — slang for pretending you've played a game you haven't)
    76AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:28
    Re: #70
    Lately I'm starting to feel nothing even watching PS5 footage.
    But when I see PC version footage, I'm like "whoa, this is insane!" just from looking at it
    79AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:35
    I want a new Zelda with the same level of freedom as Tears of the Kingdom
    81AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:42
    Re: #79
    Go dig up some MMO from the country they ripped the concept off from.
    Though that'll be rough for someone like you who's lived a cozy life on Japanese console games.
    Competing amid inequality is what those games over there are all about.
    Though it's rough for me too lol
    85AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:44
    Re: #79
    I think they're working on one.
    But release is probably still a long way off…
    93AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:06
    Nintendo fans are losing it lol
    Full of people who've never even played Yotei talking like they have, lmao
    99AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:09
    Re: #93
    What's Yotei?

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    The Switch 2’s design prioritizes handheld-friendly thinness and battery efficiency, so a straightforward comparison with the home-console-only PS5 will naturally tend to show a gap in achievable graphical output. The debate over this Ocarina of Time remake split largely along whether posters accounted for that premise. Critics measured the footage against a PS5-standard visual experience and judged it “inferior,” while defenders praised how much the game achieves within the constraints of a handheld device — the fact that the two sides were arguing from different baselines was itself a source of the disagreement. Notably, in the latter half of the thread the discussion drifted away from graphics entirely into other perceived weaknesses of the Switch 2, such as its short battery life and lack of waterproofing — what began as a debate purely about visual quality ended up evolving into a broader assessment of the hardware itself.

    *This article is compiled as excerpts and a summary from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry board, Gehan) thread “[Good News] Ocarina of Time Remake Turns Out to Be “Shabby Across the Board” by PS5 Standards.”

  • Lady Gaga Stars in New FamilyMart Ad, Confesses: ‘I Love Soba Too’

    FamilyMart’s new TV commercial featuring American singer Lady Gaga, titled “Want to Work at FamilyMart?,” began airing on September 25. The convenience store chain, which marked its 45th anniversary this September, said it tapped Gaga as campaign ambassador to symbolize its effort to build a workplace where everyone can be themselves. In the ad, Gaga names sushi as well as traditional “soba” noodles among her favorite Japanese foods. On 5ch, reactions ranged from debates over how to properly eat soba to comparisons with the company’s earlier commercial featuring Shohei Ohtani, with opinions on the ad itself split between approval and a sense of unease.

    9/25 (Fri) 13:05

    FamilyMart Co.’s new TV commercial featuring American singer Lady Gaga, titled “Want to Work at FamilyMart?,” will begin airing on the 25th.

    FamilyMart marked its 45th anniversary this September and is rolling out a new staff-recruitment campaign. It tapped Lady Gaga as the campaign’s ambassador to symbolize its push to respect each individual’s personality and build a workplace where everyone can be themselves.

    Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

    3AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:28
    Well then, want to try this old man's inari sushi too? (a classic 5ch "creepy uncle" joke, playing on the fried-tofu sushi pouch's suggestive shape)
    6AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:28
    What level of singer is Lady Gaga, in Japanese terms?
    Maybe someone like Aimyon?
    60AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:45
    Re: #6
    As a solo act, maybe like Aimyon + Ado + Hikaru Utada all rolled into one
    Just a rough guess though
    71AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:05
    Re: #6
    More like Namie Amuro if she went all-out with outrageous fashion — she can dance too
    11AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:33
    Loving soba? Now that's someone who gets it
    12AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:34
    I wonder if soba has its own localized twist overseas, kind of like the California roll
    14AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:36
    Gaga: "Soba's great, but the dipping sauce, though…"
    16AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:37
    Same as the Ohtani rice ball ad
    Put that appearance money back into consumers' pockets
    82AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:34
    Re: #16
    They did give discounts whenever Ohtani hit a homer or got the win

    Then again, his stats lately…
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:38
    If they're targeting overseas markets, maybe they'll come up with a vegan soba that skips the bonito dashi
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:40
    Watched the video, hard to rate it
    The look is cool though
    20AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:43
    Is this some kind of strategy to win over Japanese fans…
    Apparently she has a Shiba Inu
    21AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:44
    It'd be a red flag if she started saying to eat soba with just salt or water
    23AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:45
    "So cool!"… then "Wanna work at FamilyMart?" — total whiplash
    25AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:47
    Back in her "Poker Face" days I thought she was gorgeous
    26AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:50
    100%-buckwheat soba is gluten-free, after all
    Seems like it'd land well with the health-conscious crowd
    31AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:56
    💪👴🏻 Went and watched Gaga's commercial
    32AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:58
    Unlike the old days, in today's rundown Japan, I can't help but wonder if it's actually Lady Gaga who's past her prime
    38AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:08
    What if it were korokke soba (soba topped with a fried potato croquette) instead?
    45AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:14
    Re: #38
    Depends on whether you let the croquette soak up the broth or serve it on a separate plate
    41AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:11
    Isn't Ohtani's hairstyle kind of off only in the FamilyMart commercial?
    62AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:45
    Re: #41
    It's weird because he hasn't had his hair that short in years
    48AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:28
    Isn't she the one who loves the station soba stand at Shinagawa Station?
    I recall that caused a big stir a few years back.
    Kind of like when Michael Jackson visited Bic Camera
    72AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:12
    Re: #48
    The soba stand on the Keikyu platform was really good… you could even choose Kansai-style broth (´・ω・｀)
    53AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:33
    America: Gaga
    UK: Amy Winehouse

    Japan: ?
    61AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:45
    Re: #53
    Replying to myself, but maybe someone like Onitsuka Chihiro?
    68AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:01
    Between this and Ohtani, this company just keeps blowing money on ads
    Are they picking these based on the CEO's or execs' personal taste?
    90AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:46
    Re: #68
    Apparently the casting decisions are made by the execs at parent company Itochu Corporation

    Background and Talking Points

    FamilyMart marked its 45th anniversary this September and brought in Gaga aiming to promote a workplace where diverse people can be themselves. The chain has previously run ads featuring Shohei Ohtani, and the thread saw comparisons to that past campaign — including comments like “it flopped with Ohtani too” — alongside criticism that the money companies spend on celebrity endorsements never comes back to consumers. One post claimed the casting decisions were “made by executives at parent company Itochu Corporation,” though the article could not confirm whether this is true. Unverified rumors about overseas celebrities also tend to spread easily, and since this thread included claims without clear sourcing, those were excluded here. Opinions on the ad itself were split between those calling it “cool” and those expressing discomfort with things like the soba-eating scene or the “work at FamilyMart” premise — a mixed reception suggesting that ads featuring foreign celebrities don’t land the same way with everyone.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Lady Gaga Stars in FamilyMart’s New TV Commercial, Reveals Favorite Japanese Food: “I Love Sushi, But I Really Love Traditional Soba Too”.”

  • Papaya Suzuki Skips Live Show Due to Illness — Iwamoto Sho, Mizutani Yutaka Also Reported Unwell This Month

    Choreographer and TV personality Papaya Suzuki (60) has announced he will skip his scheduled live appearance at Kanda Myojin Hall in Tokyo on September 27 due to poor health. He has reportedly been recuperating since mid-September, and doctors have determined he needs a bit more time to recover. On the same day, September 25, it was also announced that Unagi Kazuhiro of comedy duo Ginjishari would be unable to perform in his solo live show on the 26th due to illness, so the event will instead go ahead as a solo talk show by his partner, Hashimoto Nao. This month has also seen reports of health issues affecting Snow Man’s Iwamoto Sho, Dennis Ueno, and Yutaka Mizutani, among others, sparking discussion on 5channel split between those pointing to industry factors like aging performers and the spread of event-cancellation insurance, and those linking the cause to vaccines.

    Choreographer and TV personality Papaya Suzuki (60) has announced he will not appear at “Funky Diamond 18: Wack Wack TV Live Special,” scheduled for the 27th at Kanda Myojin Hall in Tokyo, due to poor health. The event’s official account made the announcement on the 25th. Reports of health issues among entertainers have been piling up this month.

    According to the announcement, Papaya Suzuki’s health declined starting in mid-September, and he is currently recuperating. Staff have been in careful, ongoing discussions with him while monitoring his condition, and under a doctor’s diagnosis it was determined that “a bit more time will be needed before recovery.” He reportedly strongly wished to perform, saying he wanted to “stand on stage as much as possible,” but out of caution has decided to sit this one out.

    That same day, comedy duo Ginjishari announced via their official X account that member Unagi Kazuhiro would be unable to appear in the solo live show scheduled for the 26th due to poor health. As a result, the show will proceed as planned but will instead be a solo talk performance by his partner, Hashimoto Nao.

    Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

    4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:06
    Isn't Papaya Suzuki in the latest Super Sentai series?
    Wonder what they'll do.
    Will they bring in a stand-in?
    40AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:17
    Re: #4
    Yeah, he's been out and about — even did a Suzuki (car maker) commercial
    11AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:07
    Can't really blame Mizutani Yutaka, though
    12AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:07
    Dennis Ueno might actually be pretty serious — his wife seemed fairly shaken up about it
    69AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:26
    Re: #12
    Hope it's nothing serious
    I've always enjoyed watching him, he's funny
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:08
    I caught a fever too, been in bed for a week~
    14AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:08
    Is COVID going around again?
    101AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:34
    Re: #14
    Yeah it is
    High fever, and fatigue that drags on for days
    16AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:08
    Guess society has finally reached a point where people are allowed to rest, when in the old days they wouldn't have been
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:08
    Once you hit 50, something's bound to go wrong somewhere.
    You could drop dead tomorrow and it wouldn't be strange.
    Better to be brave and take the time off.
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:08
    Seriously, there's a lot of "medicine" going around these days
    22AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:10
    Glad to see Natsume Kokona from Daily Sports back and doing well
    23AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:11
    Well, they're old.
    People used to say life expectancy was 50.
    Now everyone's living past 70.
    24AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:11
    People's health crashes right when the brutal summer heat finally lets up
    25AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:12
    Guess the COVID vaccine effects are kicking in now (sarcasm)
    26AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:12
    Well, aging comes with rough patches sometimes
    29AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:12
    Before COVID they just gritted their teeth and showed up anyway
    Even regular people went to work while sick
    30AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:13
    Papaya's way too thin
    Even more than back when he talked about dieting, he looks gaunt and worn out now
    32AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:13
    Papaya Suzuki looks like his blood vessels and cholesterol are in bad shape
    34AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:14
    It's just gotten easier to take time off compared to the old days
    35AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:15
    There are thousands of celebrities out there
    There's no way none of them ever get sick or die
    36AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:15
    Back in the day, working through a 38°C fever was called being "a pro"!
    Now even a slight fever gets you side-eyed — catching a cold is basically treated like a crime
    37AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:16
    There are probably people undergoing chemotherapy who just haven't made it public
    38AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:16
    Iwamoto apparently kept doing the stage show afterward, with kisses every day intense enough to leave a string of saliva (i.e., deep, passionate kissing)
    39AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:16
    Re: #1
    Between the disaster typhoons hitting Kanto and all these celebrities falling ill…
    could this be the curse of Taira no Masakado? (a historical figure whose grave is said to bring misfortune)
    41AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:17
    They can't wear masks on shows or at events, so it's basically a virus paradise — they're just breathing it all in freely.

    The flu going around isn't a coincidence either.
    42AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:17
    Canceling a musical after the curtain time has already passed is just outrageous
    Some people arranged time off work, paid real money for travel and hotels to be there
    45AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:18
    I get that there are people whose personality just naturally fits the so-called "vaccine believer" mindset. But if you ever start thinking "uh oh, this might be bad," I wish you'd quietly refuse the vaccine anyway — even if you keep saying things like "I believe in vaccines, but my family forced me to…"
    46AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:18
    Who cares, lol
    Stuff like that happens in every industry
    47AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:18
    Ever since performance-cancellation insurance became common during COVID, canceling shows doesn't cost them money anymore, so they cancel more casually now.
    And if tickets aren't selling well, canceling is actually less of a loss than pushing through with a weak show
    49AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:19
    These days it's actually a good era — catch even a slight cold and you're told to just stay home
    51AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:19
    I mean, maybe they've wanted to say this all along but just couldn't before
    52AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:19
    Hope Iwamoto gets to rest easy until this year's SASUKE filming wraps up
    56AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:20
    I wonder what they all have in common. Maybe they've all been taking some specific thing?

    Background and Talking Points

    The health issues reported together this time involve celebrities of different generations and different affiliations — Papaya Suzuki (60), Snow Man’s Iwamoto Sho, Dennis Ueno, and Yutaka Mizutani — and no shared diagnosis or cause has been made public for any of them. It is true that since the COVID-19 pandemic, “event-cancellation insurance” has become more widespread, reducing the financial loss from canceling a show and making it easier for performers to simply rest rather than push through illness. It’s also worth noting that many veteran entertainers are in their 50s to 70s, an age bracket where health issues naturally tend to cluster. That said, the thread was full of posts blaming “vaccine side effects” — this is speculation without any medical evidence, and unrelated to the actual cause of each individual’s condition. The easy misunderstanding for readers is assuming that because several people’s health issues were reported around the same time, there must be one shared cause — but at this point it’s more likely that each case is an unrelated coincidence.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Geinou Sports Express+) thread “Wave of Health Issues Hits Entertainment World This Month — Papaya Suzuki, Snow Man’s Iwamoto Sho, Dennis Ueno, Yutaka Mizutani, and Others.”

  • Inaba Manaka’s “9 Faces I Like” Post Sparks Debate — 5ch: “This Ain’t Okay”

    Inaba Manaka jumped on the “#9 Favorite Faces Among Japanese Female Idols” hashtag trend on her X (formerly Twitter) account, naming nine idols whose looks she’s drawn to. The list included names like Hiromoto, Ogawa Nanako, and Ebamifu — but notably left out Ruru-chan (Suzuka) and any members of Tsubaki Factory. On 5ch’s Hello! Project board, replies split over both the pattern behind her picks and what Inaba might have been going for.

    Inaba Manaka

    @inabamanaka_

    #9FavoriteFacesAmongJapaneseFemaleIdols

    Source: x.com / original post here

    3AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:41
    This ain't okay…
    11AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:42
    This is——
    Re: #3
    Yeah, this is bad on more than one level
    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:41
    There's gotta be something else here worth calling out
    7AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:41
    Don't throw Hiromoto in there just to camouflage the real picks
    9AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:42
    If you didn't like Marin's face to begin with, there's no way you'd have stayed a fan of her
    10AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:42
    Women pick girls less cute than themselves — that's just how it is, not Manakan's fault, it's DNA doing its thing
    12AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:42
    Because she can't pick Chii-chan or Rito Kame (a nickname) either
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:42
    She even threw in Ogawa Nanako, who's a dead ringer for Hiromoto, so she must genuinely be into that Hiromoto-type face
    14AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:42
    After all that "Marin, Marin" talk, and yet…
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:43
    The way she just casually slips Ebamifu in like it's a given, though
    20AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:44
    I thought Manaka knew where the line was…
    Farewell…
    21AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:44
    She's dead serious about this
    Stuff like this needs to feel more like a joke
    22AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:44
    Who on earth is center pick Ogawa Nanako
    26AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:44
    Doing something like this just makes her look extra shady, lol
    27AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:44
    Everyone's going "cute, cute" over this
    Where's Ruru-chan though?
    32AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:45
    Re: #27
    Fukuda and Danbara's appeal isn't about their faces…
    36AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:45
    Re: #27
    If she did this for real, she'd get cut instantly
    28AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:45
    The top-left one's off
    That photo's actually Ishii
    29AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:45
    Disappointing that she'd hop on such a creepy trend
    This is more off-putting than the Hello Project face-sort thing
    33AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:45
    Now that Yagi Marin isn't usable anymore, she's just moved on to the trending Ebamifu
    35AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:45
    For some reason O-Cha (Ocha Norma) made the cut but Tsubaki Factory wasn't even an option, apparently
    37AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:46
    She's been really active on Twitter lately
    Wonder what's going on
    38AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:46
    So she left Tsubaki out because nobody knows them??
    Disappointed in Manakan
    39AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:46
    I mean, nobody wants Ruru-chan's face, do they
    43AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:47
    So she's slipping Ebamifu in right now, just like that
    Was that really the deal?
    50AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:47
    She's never once mentioned Ebamifu's name before this
    67AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:50
    Re: #50
    Inaba Manaka: "With Ebamifu, I've got this feeling bubbling up inside me — like she might bring back a bit of that Yagi Marin vibe again."
    https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1781386261/
    59AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:48
    Doing this in the first place is a bad move
    Especially for a public figure
    69AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:50
    Re: #59
    Yeah, this just isn't okay
    You'd think she'd realize that
    75AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:52
    Danbara's graduation is coming up soon and everyone knows her popularity's about to tank, so people have stopped sucking up to her
    83AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:54
    Re: #75
    So by the time Danbara graduates, Kawanishi, Fukuda, and Yokaze will have graduated too?
    80AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:53
    If you're picking 9 people, pick one from each of Hello Project's 7 groups
    Leaving out Morning Musume and Angerme? Better be ready to get frozen out of Hello Village
    85AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:55
    Re: #80
    Can't help it if their faces just aren't her type
    84AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:55
    Manaka's a civilian now, so it can't be helped
    87AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:55
    Re: #84
    Maybe that's just how she thinks these days
    She wouldn't have posted something like this back when she was active
    105AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:59
    @
    Ruru-chan… isn't there…?!
    111AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:00
    Re: #105
    No way she'd be included
    Read the room

    Background and Points of Debate

    The “◯ Faces I Like” format is a familiar Twitter trend where people list out figures whose looks match their taste. The hashtag gets used broadly by celebrities and everyday users alike, so the act itself isn’t unusual. Inaba Manaka is a former member of Morning Musume。’17 and currently holds OG status within Hello! Project. What split opinion in the thread wasn’t the trend itself, but the pattern in who got picked. Comments zeroed in on small inconsistencies — the list leaning toward certain groups, or members she’d praised by name before being left off this time — reflecting the Hello Project board’s particular fan culture, which is highly attuned to individual popularity and the balance between groups. At the same time, some replies expressed unease at an OG publicly ranking the faces of active members at all, showing that reactions went beyond simple takes on the trend itself. Note that “likes” and “not chosen” in this piece reflect Inaba’s personal preference alone and don’t imply any ranking or evaluation.

    ※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “[Sad News] Inaba Manaka apparently isn’t a fan of Rito Kame’s “face”…“.

  • Is 157cm the Ideal Height for Female Idols? Hello! Project’s Average Height Data Sparks Debate

    A thread kicked off with the post “I think around 157cm is the best height for a female idol,” and 5ch users dove into a debate over their preferred heights. The discussion soon moved from opinions to hard numbers, with posters naming specific members and even posting average height data for each Hello! Project subgroup. Juice=Juice, at 162.05cm the tallest group on average, was pointed out to also be one of the most popular — a fact that shook the very premise that “shorter is better.” Opinions split between those rooting for a height “you just want to protect” and those who felt that, for a professional performer, such heights are simply too short.

    1AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:00
    Not too tall, not too short — that's the sweet spot in the end
    2AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:01
    That's short.
    For a celebrity, 160cm should be the bare minimum.
    3AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:01
    Re: #1
    Says the short old dude who's only 160cm himself lmaooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
    9AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:05
    Nonaka's fudging her numbers, she's not even 157.
    It's probably more like Yasuda, Gotou, Irie, Kasai, or Yonemura level
    12AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:06
    Re: #9
    Kasai's probably more like 152cm
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:09
    Guys really do go for the size that makes them think 'I want to protect her.'
    The female fans demanding tall idols are just way too loud about it.
    26AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:12
    Re: #18
    What are you, Kurochan? (a Japanese comedian frequently the butt of looks-based jokes)
    36AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:18
    Re: #28
    There are no short guys at KISS OF LIFE or HI-KEY shows
    43AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:21
    Re: #36
    K-pop fandoms are mostly female fans to begin with — guys are already a minority there.
    So that just proves it's the women who want tall idols.
    37AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:18
    In reality, most idols fall between 155-160cm, with the top-tier ones around 155cm or even shorter.
    39AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:20
    Re: #37
    But Dambara, the most popular member in Hello! Project right now, is 164.5cm
    45AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:23
    Re: #43
    Being short gets you passed over — both as an idol and as a biological matter.
    51AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:23
    Re: #45
    There it is, moving the goalposts.
    I win.
    53AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:25
    Loses at online arguments too, this short old dude lol
    55AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:25
    Re: #53
    Come on, leave him alone lmaooooo
    63AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:31
    Hello! Project average heights
    Juice=Juice 162.05cm
    BEYOOOOONDS 160.76cm
    OCHA NORMA 159.81cm
    Morning Musume。'26 158.85cm
    ANGERME 157.12cm
    Tsubaki Factory 156.32cm
    Rosy Chronicle 153.06cm
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HLvzfSZawAA_5MR.jpg
    66AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:32
    Re: #63
    Rosy Chronicle's short lol
    75AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:37
    Re: #63
    So in reality, the group that's actually selling — Juice=Juice — has the highest average height.
    65AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:32
    Re: #28
    Scientifically, low-income, short men tend to prefer short women or the petite 'loli' type.
    Conversely, high-income, tall men tend to prefer women with a great figure.
    73AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:36
    Re: #65
    I honestly think that's true.
    69AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:35
    Apparently the reason Dutch people are so tall is that Dutch women historically preferred tall men.
    76AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:38
    Re: #69
    That place is on another level.
    There was a foreign YouTuber who's 193cm and he was still below average there lol
    There were women who were 195cm lol
    77AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:38
    I think Hong Kong's ideal height was about that too.
    Go above or below that range and it's genuinely a minus there.
    79AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:39
    Re: #77
    Same old story — you're short and so is Hong Kong, apparently.
    Though maybe you actually are from Hong Kong.
    80AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:39
    https://images.keizai.biz/hirosaki_keizai/headline/1593347184_photo.jpg
    88AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:42
    Re: #80
    Ringo Musume are huge lol (a local idol group from Hirosaki known for its apple-themed image)
    82AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:41
    Juice=Juice's gotten so ridiculously tall they're barely idols anymore
    85AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:41
    Re: #82
    Where exactly are they big?
    Unless you're an unusually tall guy yourself, you wouldn't think Juice is tall.
    100AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:48
    Eba's still growing taller, right?
    107AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:50
    Re: #100
    I think she's around 159cm now.
    I recall she narrowly lost to Mifu-chan in height lol
    114AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:51
    Re: #107
    That's because Mifu was lying about her height
    106AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:50
    Itou Momoka's 157cm


    Yeah, I get it
    108AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:50
    Yuuchami's 174cm
    113AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:51
    Re: #108
    Pretty sure Yuuchami's actually 176cm

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    The average heights cited in the thread for each Hello! Project subgroup largely reflect the groups’ official profile figures, with Juice=Juice’s 162.05cm the tallest and Rosy Chronicle’s 153.06cm the shortest. That gap is the foundation of the split between the ‘shorter is more protectable’ camp and those who see being too short as a disadvantage for a professional performer. One thing worth flagging: the thread’s claims that ‘female fans prefer taller idols’ and ‘male fans prefer petite ones’ aren’t backed by any actual survey of fan demographics — they’re purely anecdotal impressions. Likewise, the theory about Dutch mate-selection driving height and the references to overseas rating charts aren’t supported by any verifiable source; they’re presented here simply as talking points that came up in the thread.

    *This article was compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “I think around 157cm is the best height for a female idol.”