Japan Reacts

Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • Fukumura, Sato & Inaba’s Solo Tours Open a Slot in M-Spe — 5ch: “Is It Finally Karin-chan’s Turn?”

    Morning Musume.’s Fukumura Seika, Sato Masaki, and Inaba Mio are each set to hold solo tours, sparking buzz on 5ch’s Hello! Project board that this could open up a one-person slot in the Hello! Project performer unit “M-line Special.” The trigger is timing: M-line Special’s spring tour traditionally kicks off in early March, and this year’s schedule overlaps with the solo tours. Thread posters pointed to the past precedent of Kudo Haruka performing with M-line Special while also doing solo activities, and speculation flew over who might step in next — Kudo herself, Jokoryo Moe (currently returning from studying abroad), or Hasegawa Emi (who has a CD release coming up) — with no consensus reached.

    1AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:09
    Could this be it…?
    3AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:10
    M-Spe starts in early March, so Fukumura's probably in.
    What about Inaba and Sato though?
    6AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:11
    The solo tours are happening in the gap between M-Spe runs.
    7AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:12
    But no one's ever done both at the same time, right?
    10AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:14
    Re: #7
    Karin-chan did both in parallel for a while.
    9AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:14
    Finally, it's Karin-chan's turn.
    12AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:15
    If Jokoryo joins, it'll blow up again, won't it?
    15AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:16
    When's Rika Summer coming back?
    That Showa-kayo (retro Showa-era pop) direction is great.
    31AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:23
    Re: #15
    Touring Showa-kayo shows with Karin-chan?
    17AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:17
    Takeuchi doesn't do full-on tours.
    18AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:17
    Five including guests

    Miyamoto, Morito, Koseki, Asakura + ?
    21AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:18
    Maa-chan's solo tour wraps up in early March,
    and the radio show that started this month runs through the end of March too,
    so she's probably coming back for M-Spe's spring tour.
    27AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:22
    Re: #21
    Oh, the radio show was only for a limited run.
    22AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:18
    Fuku-chan's tour ends 2/1, so she's probably in.
    26AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:22
    Also, that story about Sato getting "fired" from M-Spe
    turned out to just be her manager — who couldn't really talk at the time —
    telling her "take today off" on the phone and hanging up,
    and people just ran with it as her getting kicked off lol
    29AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:23
    She was fully in it once, right?
    With Maa, Take, and Oze.
    33AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:24
    Re: #29
    That was back when it first became a touring thing.
    Koseki and Takeuchi were the fixed members, touring as a trio — Sato for the first half, Inaba for the second half.
    30AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:23
    Did "Raffle" sell that well or something?
    36AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:25
    Re: #30
    No idea, but the agency isn't even putting it on the official site — just ignoring it.
    34AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:24
    The radio show is sponsored just to get people buying raffle tickets hard for the 2027 solo tour too!
    38AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:26
    Wait, is Kamiko already back from abroad?
    40AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:27
    Sasaki seems like she still has an itch for the stage, so it'd be nice if she showed up at least once.
    43AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:30
    It's a pain because it's bundled with a CD release.
    44AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:30
    Isn't M-line Special just on break in February?
    It's Hello! Con season, so staff can be reassigned.
    46AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:31
    M-Spe is a tour that starts in early March.
    47AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:32
    Because M-line Special's spring tour always starts in March.
    50AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:35
    Why's everyone ignoring Oda?
    51AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:35
    There's also a chance Hasegawa Emi, who's got a CD release confirmed, shows up at M-Spe for promo purposes.
    52AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:35
    They're probably not bringing in anyone new since they're waiting on Asakura's debut.
    55AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:39
    Kiki-chan already has at least one song ready for a solo, doesn't she.
    56AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:40
    They're probably prepping it.
    Though it'll likely come after Fukumura and Sato, then Inaba, before hers comes out.
    57AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:41
    Asakura Kiki's debut song: "Idol Reinstatement Ondo" (ondo = a traditional festival dance-song style)
    59AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:42
    B-side: "I Can Tell It's Kinkaku-ji, You Know"
    61AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:44
    Wait, Koseki still hasn't put out her second photobook?
    She's got the longest OG (veteran-member) tenure in Juice=Juice (JP), too.
    63AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:45
    Re: #61
    She put one out as "Ozecchi" at the end of last year.
    62AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:44
    Married Yuka-nyan
    Barely shows up on stage at all, huh.
    64AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:47
    Oze's came out around March 2024, right?
    And Ozecchi's was around December 2025?
    65AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:47
    Does Kamiko even do M-Line in the first place?

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    M-line Special is a Hello! Project performer unit built mainly around senior, veteran-tier members of Morning Musume., and its spring tour traditionally kicks off in early March every year. The thread started from a timing overlap: with Fukumura, Sato, and Inaba each holding their own solo tours, posters speculated this could free up one slot in the unit’s lineup. There’s precedent for this — Kudo Haruka previously juggled solo activities alongside M-line Special — which is the basis for speculation that Kudo could be the one to step back in. Meanwhile, the once-circulated story that Sato had been “fired” from M-line Special turned out to be a misunderstanding: her manager, unable to talk properly on the phone at the time, simply told her to take the day off and hung up, and that got misread as a dismissal — a correction that gets shared within the thread itself. Where opinions diverged was over whether a new member might be added (with Hasegawa Emi or the soon-to-debut Asakura Kiki floated as possibilities) and how the senior members are being handled (whether Koseki Mai has released a second photobook, and Jokoryo Moe’s status now that she’s returning from studying abroad) — all without any confirmed information, leaving it mostly speculation.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Fukumura, Sato, and Inaba are holding solo tours, which opens up one slot in M-line Special.”

  • New Members Are All About How You Use Them — 5ch: ‘Hanama no Yuna’s Addition Is Going Well’

    On 5ch’s Hello! Project board, the addition of Hanama no Yuna to BEYOOOOONDS sparked a lively discussion about “the impact of adding new members.” The original poster lined up Morning Musume’s 18th generation, Juice=Juice’s Hayashi, and BEYOOOOONDS’ Hanama no Yuna, pointing out that the outcome depends on how a new member is brought in. Opinions clashed in the thread — some argued Juice=Juice’s success came not from the addition itself but from how well the group made use of the new member, while others pointed out that ANGERME has failed to properly welcome its newcomers — with differences in each group’s management style becoming the central point of debate.

    1AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:19
    Morning Musume. → 18th gen → ↗↑
    Juice=Juice → Hayashi → ↗↑
    BEYOOOOONDS → Hanama no Yuna → ↗↑
    3AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:26
    ANGERME and Tsubaki Factory ('Tsubaimo') had new members too, though?
    4AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:29
    Hayashi hasn't had any effect though.
    6AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:30
    Re: #4
    Wasn't she the No. 1 most-viewed on TikTok for a while?
    5AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:29
    They're not using Goto and Nagano well.
    Maybe loan them out to OCHA NORMA (another Hello! Project group) for some training.
    7AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:30
    Adding just one member at a time won't cut it.
    21AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:43
    Re: #7
    Goto Maki: "…" (the legendary original Morning Musume idol — a wry nod to the Goto mentioned above)
    10AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:32
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GuImhJRXYAAvtFv.jpg
    15AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:36
    Re: #10
    Sounds more like Yoshida Teruyoshi, doesn't it? (a Japanese radio host known for his reactions)
    16AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:38
    Juice=Juice already made it big, so any reason given now is just retroactive — not a useful comparison.
    18AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:40
    Juice=Juice's lineup changes were personnel moves made specifically to turn it into a group that could sell to the mainstream, but the other Hello! Project groups treat the personnel moves themselves as the goal — the means has become the end — so a breakout like Juice=Juice's just can't happen for them.
    22AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:46
    Do you have to bring in a big batch of members at once to completely change a group's image?
    Juice=Juice, which adds people little by little, hasn't managed to shake its image as 'Danbara and Inoue's group.'
    24AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:48
    Re: #22
    Kawashima and Hayashi joining was basically the final tuning needed to turn Juice=Juice into a group that could sell.
    Since nobody has left Juice=Juice except original members and people who came via Country Girls, it was easy to plan the personnel moves needed to build a successful group.
    30AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:58
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HDF-nCpaMAQUKcV.jpg
    32AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:00
    It's weird how well Hanama no Yuna's addition is going.
    Well, it's still early and who knows how it'll turn out, but the vibe has definitely gotten better.
    40AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:08
    Re: #32
    BEYOOOOONDS, who are a serious bunch, were starting to stagnate, and then a serious, hardworking newcomer joined — of course things got better.
    The seniors are doting on her like crazy too, so she's a huge hit with the fans.
    45AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:11
    Re: #32
    If they hadn't added anyone, BEYOOOOONDS would've been fine too, with everyone keeping that comfortable same-generation distance.
    But add someone, and it was easy to predict everyone would dote on her like crazy and the vibe would turn out great either way.
    36AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:05
    If you tried to put Kojima or Otsubo into ANGERME, the wolfpack ANGERME fans (notoriously territorial about the lineup) would reject it outright.
    And yet the members they did pick and choose to welcome in — Hirayama, Goto, Nagano — haven't been any use at all.
    ANGERME not selling is basically just a self-inflicted wound at this point, isn't it?
    39AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:07
    Re: #36
    Plain and simple, the ANGERME camp has zero eye for talent.
    They could have scouted most of the current Juice=Juice members too, if they'd wanted to.
    46AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:11
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HEBIrUNbkAAJU3b.jpg
    50AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:15
    Bringing in the 18th generation brightened up the vibe.
    53AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:18
    Re: #50
    A Morning Musume fan analyzed this before — apparently the 18th gen isn't special because of who was picked, it's just that they brought in a bunch of young kids all at once. So in a few years the 18th gen will just be an aging liability.
    But it seems Morning Musume fans basically think, of every member, 'once you've been active 5 years, it's about time to go' — so they're really just enjoying the endless turnover cycle itself.
    But when a group runs like that, it's only natural they'd get knocked off the flagship spot once a group like Juice=Juice comes along.
    55AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:18
    Even if ANGERME brings in new members, there's another graduation rush from the Ise generation coming soon after, so you can already see the chaos coming.
    59AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:21
    Re: #57
    Re: #55 seems to be expecting forced graduations by generation, not by seniority.
    57AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:20
    Re: #56
    BEYOOOOONDS has its foundation solidly in place.
    ANGERME is already shaky as it is, and with graduations plus a new member on top, it's just over.
    58AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:21
    Isn't it that BEYOOOOONDS' original chaotic energy lets them keep that exciting feel even with a new member added?
    Though among the new members themselves, aside from Kojima, they seem kind of invisible.
    68AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:26
    Re: #58
    Maybe more fans are getting into that whole 'raising Yuna' feeling? (the doting, almost parental kind of fan devotion)
    60AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:23
    ANGERME members basically quit by 25, so it is what it is.
    62AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:24
    Re: #60
    Precedents exist to be broken.
    Hello! Project broke plenty of precedents this year too, didn't it?
    65AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:25
    It's rough in its own way that Ise, Tamenaga, and Kawana are staying put in ANGERME too.
    If that lineup stays unchanged for 5 more years, that's seriously tough.
    69AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:26
    Re: #65
    The younger members aren't even at the level of Lito or Hinakin (standout young members from other Hello! Project groups), yet ANGERME still gets to pin all the blame on the seniors — that's such a privileged position to be in.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    In Hello! Project, every group has brought in new members whenever there’s a vacancy to fill, but how well those members settle in and go on to thrive afterward varies widely. Among the three groups compared in the thread, Juice=Juice is said to have turned its additions into a major breakout, while ANGERME has reportedly struggled to make good use of its newcomers — and the thread’s central takeaway is that even the same event, “adding a new member,” can produce very different results depending on the group’s structure and how existing members welcome them. The split in opinion comes down to one question: is the difference in outcomes a matter of “structure” — how many members are added and who is chosen — or a matter of “execution” — how well the group makes use of them afterward? Read in isolation, the comments can look like they’re just judging individual members’ personal qualities, but most of the thread is actually evaluating each group’s management and casting decisions, which should be read separately from any judgment of the new members themselves.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread ‘New member additions matter — just look at how Hanama no Yuna breathed new life into BEYOOOOONDS‘.

  • FamilyMart to Sell Soft Serve Next to the Register — 5ch: ‘Some Stores Had It Turn Green Inside’

    FamilyMart began a trial sale of soft-serve ice cream next to the checkout counter starting in October 2026. The rollout covers four stores in Tokyo, expanding to eight by the end of the year, with the trial continuing until around summer 2027. The soft serve comes in two sizes, regular and short, priced at around 298 yen and in the 250-yen range respectively. Following oden and steamed buns, it’s the newest addition to the counter-side lineup, and it became a hot topic on 5ch too — though the discussion focused less on taste or price than on hygiene worries, with comments like “who’s going to clean the machine?” and “won’t this get unsanitary?” standing out, along with plenty of concern about the added burden on staff.

    FamilyMart has started selling soft-serve ice cream next to the checkout counter. The company is beginning a trial at four stores in Tokyo, expanding to eight by the end of the year, to test in-store serving methods and consumer demand. The move is meant to expand the counter-side product lineup and boost the number of items purchased per customer and overall sales.

    The trial sale recently began at four stores in the Kanto region. The number of stores will expand to eight by the end of the year, with the trial continuing until around summer 2027. Two sizes, regular and short, will be offered, priced at 298 yen and 250…(continued in the paid edition, 361 characters remaining)

    Nikkei, October 11, 2026, 5:00 AM

    Source: nikkei.com / Original article here

    3AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:54
    Wonder if it can beat McDonald's soft serve.
    106AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:20
    Re: #3
    That's not soft serve.
    It's a soft twist.
    9AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:56
    Is this the self-serve kind where you set a cup of soft-serve mix into a dedicated machine yourself?
    I've seen those at an amusement expo.
    37AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:03
    Re: #9
    Ah, that's Sasakiya Kojiro Shoten (a company known for soft-serve machines at arcades), lol
    104AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:19
    Re: #9
    Yeah, that stuff… I was let down once by a popular shop at a tourist spot that used one.
    Still, cleaning a regular machine seems like a pain, so I guess it can't be helped.
    17AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:57
    Can I get a FamiChiki and a soft serve?
    A bag too, please.

    (…what a hassle.)
    59AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:09
    Re: #17
    That extra tape they slap on the FamiChiki bag at the end is unnecessary, right? I always tell them not to bother with the tape.
    21AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:58
    Who cleans the machine — part-timers or an outside contractor?
    I'd hate it if it's left to part-timers.
    94AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:17
    Re: #21
    It has to be washed and sanitized at least once a day, so it's probably the former (part-timers).
    Skip it even one day and you're in real trouble.
    24AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:59
    I love okonomiyaki, so I wish they'd grill that next to the register instead.
    60AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:10
    Re: #24
    Think about how much extra work that'd pile on, you idiot!!
    26AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:01
    Cleaning these machines is more of a hassle than outsiders think, yet they're going ahead with it anyway.
    32AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:02
    Re: #26
    There's no way management is thinking about the burden on frontline staff.
    48AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:06
    If it's 98 yen, that's a bargain.
    191AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:41
    Re: #48
    Inflation, man lol

    >priced at 298 yen and 250…
    49AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:06
    Convenience store part-time jobs have way too many tasks now — that's why Japanese workers don't want them.
    92AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:17
    Re: #49
    Same with elder care.
    Pay never goes up, yet back in 2006 (Heisei 18) a law was quickly passed classifying things like restraint straps for dementia patients at risk of falling and fracturing bones when walking unsteadily on their own, and soundproof-room confinement for dementia patients who shout loudly day and night, as "abuse."
    Especially on night shifts, it's turned into a nightly panic — juggling nurse-call requests for simultaneous multi-person toilet assistance right in the middle of diaper changes, plus responding to sensor mats triggered by multiple dementia patients at once.
    53AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:08
    Won't this mess up operations?
    Sanitizing your hands and then serving soft-serve ice cream seems like it'd take longer than just heating up snacks.
    61AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:10
    Re: #53
    Isn't it just: set the cup in the machine, press the button, and it automatically dispenses from single-serving packs kept at the right temperature?
    58AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:09
    The timing for launching this is weird.
    What's the marketing team even doing?
    83AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:15
    Re: #58
    Popsicles like Gari-Gari-kun (a popular Japanese ice pop brand) sell well in the summer heat, but things like soft serve or Häagen-Dazs sell year-round regardless of season.
    64AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:10
    People are going to drop their soft serve and make a mess of the store.
    71AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:12
    Re: #64
    Someone slips, breaks a bone, sues — and the store loses.
    114AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:21
    Winter's coming, so sell a hot soft serve instead.
    122AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:22
    Re: #114
    A hot soft serve? That's actually pretty novel, lol
    145AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:27
    Re: #114
    If they could actually pull that off, I think it'd be a huge hit.
    Right now there's agar-based ice pops and Capricorn cones (a Glico ice cream cone brand), but the texture on those is pretty different.
    133AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:24
    You shouldn't buy soft serve from convenience stores.
    Those machines need daily cleaning, but it's barely ever done, so the inside gets disgustingly moldy.
    I used to work at a convenience store that sold soft serve, and I swore I'd never order convenience store soft serve again.
    The inside was green.
    139AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:26
    Re: #133
    If you're going to say that, you can't eat soft serve anywhere, can you?
    You can never really be sure.
    142AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:27
    Re: #139
    This kind of story is a classic, and not just for soft serve.
    143AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:27
    Re: #139
    Can't say for sure.
    But back in the day, convenience stores were definitely like that.
    141AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:27
    Can I get a FamiChiki, a steamed meat bun, some oden, and a soft serve? Also cigarette number ○, please. Oh, and I need to pay a utility bill. I'd like to ship a package too. Right, and I want to try the Ichiban Kuji (a prize lottery game) too. Oh, and if I buy three of these I get a free novelty item, right?
    150AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:28
    Re: #141
    Sorry, excuse me — the printer's broken! Also, can I use your restroom?
    147AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:27
    They're complaining about staff shortages while rolling out a service that's going to accelerate staff attrition even more?
    163AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:33
    Re: #147
    Staff are about to get even busier.
    They'll probably have to make soft serve with one hand while ringing up the register with the other.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    The counter-side soft serve is one more move in the same “increase items per purchase” strategy as oden and steamed buns, and FamilyMart is positioning this strictly as a trial, with verification set to continue through summer 2027. The point of sharpest disagreement on the thread was hygiene: worries about leaving the cleaning to part-time staff clashed with the view that regular daily cleaning should be enough to keep things sanitary. In practice, soft-serve machines do require daily cleaning and sterilization on food-safety grounds, so a certain amount of extra labor comes with the territory no matter which store adopts them. There was also criticism that “launching a new product in winter makes no sense,” but soft serve and ice cream are products with demand year-round regardless of season, so it’s premature to draw a direct line between the launch timing and seasonality.

    ※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (News Flash+) thread “[Convenience Stores] FamilyMart to Sell Soft Serve at the Register — Starting with 8 Stores by Year-End.”

  • Moriyasu’s Japan to Clash with Vietnam (FIFA #99) on Dec. 30! Panasonic Stadium Likely Venue for Asian Cup Send-Off Match

    The Japan national team’s planned friendly match on December 30 will be against Vietnam, ranked 99th in the FIFA rankings, Sports Nippon reported on October 11, 2026. Panasonic Stadium Suita in Osaka is the leading candidate for the venue, with the match serving as a send-off ahead of the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, which kicks off January 7 next year. Vietnam fields many naturalized players born in Brazil and Slovakia, and lost to Thailand and Malaysia at September’s ASEAN Cup amid a string of injuries to key players, but there’s reportedly a good chance those players will be back by late December. On 5ch, discussion centered on the point of scheduling a friendly against the 99th-ranked side, the difficulty of calling up Europe-based players outside an official FIFA match window, and the behind-the-scenes reality that few countries are willing to travel to Japan at year’s end.

    Sports Nippon [2026-10-11 05:00]

    It emerged on the 10th that Vietnam is the likely opponent for the friendly match the Japan national team is planning for December 30. Panasonic Stadium Suita in Osaka is the leading candidate for the venue. The Japan Football Association has been focusing its search on countries placed in a different Asian Cup group from Japan’s. According to multiple sources, negotiations are going smoothly and have already moved into the stage of hammering out details. If it goes ahead, the match would serve as a send-off for what is expected to be the capstone of manager Moriyasu’s tenure: the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, opening January 7 next year.

    Vietnam, ranked 99th by FIFA, is Southeast Asia’s number two behind Thailand at 93rd. They missed out on the 2026 World Cup in North/Central America after being eliminated in the AFC’s second qualifying round, but they’re no pushover thanks to a large contingent of naturalized players originally from countries like Brazil and Slovakia. At the ASEAN Cup held September 24 to October 5, a wave of injuries contributed to losses against Thailand and Malaysia and a fourth-place finish, but there’s a good chance the three Brazilian-born naturalized players currently out with injuries will be fit again by late December.

    Source: sponichi.co.jp / Original article here

    3AnonymousOct 11, 2026 07:58
    Think we can catch up to South Korea?
    6AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:02
    Re: #3
    This board bans posting from fans of any country ranked 30th or better in the FIFA rankings
    12AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:04
    What's even the point of only playing weak teams?
    13AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:04
    What's the point of playing a Southeast Asian team at all?
    103AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:42
    Re: #13
    It's the final tune-up during the Asian Cup training camp.
    Last time they played Thailand.
    20AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:07
    If it's Vietnam, just add a Southeast Asia slot to the E-1 Championship (the East Asian tournament nicknamed the 'punishment game' since top players usually skip it) — you could play them as often as you like.
    Save the actual friendlies for opponents outside Asia that we don't normally face.
    28AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:10
    Re: #20
    Matches against teams outside Asia come with high appearance fees, so we can't do that often — it has to pay for itself through ticket sales and broadcast rights.
    22AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:08
    Putting together such a lame matchup…
    Seriously, the JFA's garbage management needs to be swapped out already.
    26AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:09
    Re: #22
    Honestly, Thailand and Vietnam are about the only ones willing to fly over if you invite them around the New Year's holidays.
    25AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:09
    Re: #23
    No source, huh?
    29AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:10
    Re: #25
    There were reports before too about the Japan Football Association dodging this even in the off-season. Because it's directly tied to firing the manager 🤭
    61AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:22
    Re: #29
    No source, lol
    30AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:10
    At least go with Indonesia and their naturalized-player squad.
    32AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:11
    Re: #30
    Even if you invite them hoping for that, it's pointless — their Europe-based players won't fly back for a friendly at year's end.
    31AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:11
    Asia's most popular sports

    1. Soccer
    2. Badminton
    3. Swimming
    4. Basketball
    5. Cycling
    6. Volleyball
    7. Cricket
    8. Table tennis
    9. Tennis
    10. Boxing
    http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/samuraigoal/imgs/a/c/ac7ab344.png


    Soccer's #1 in Vietnam too.
    34AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:13
    Re: #31
    Countries where soccer isn't the most popular sport are rare enough to count on two hands worldwide.
    33AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:12
    Nobody in Europe plays soccer around Christmas time.
    South America just finished a full round of matches.
    That leaves Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam — not sure if there's much point to it or not.
    37AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:13
    Re: #33
    Well, it does have a point since it's right before the Asian Cup kicks off on 1/7.
    42AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:15
    Ideally it'd be against one of the 30 European countries Japan hasn't played yet — something like Norway or Finland.
    The Christmas timing is what kills it.
    51AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:18
    Re: #42
    Are you dumb?
    There's no way we can play a decent European team when it's not even a FIFA match week.
    45AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:16
    Re: #34
    Japan, the US, China, and India — big economies, but soccer's not popular there and the teams are weak.
    54AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:19
    Re: #45
    That's exactly why the 'king of sports' title for soccer doesn't feel like the true pinnacle of athletics.
    89AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:33
    Re: #45
    In China basketball's #1, soccer's popular too but the team is weak — kind of similar to Japan.
    In Japan baseball's #1 and soccer's the weak one.
    49AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:17
    Playing South Korea would honestly be the best bang for the buck.
    53AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:18
    Soccer, you took my Mai-tan away from me (an affectionate nickname for a TV personality bumped off air by soccer coverage).
    I will never forgive you.
    I'm never watching again.
    57AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:20
    Re: #53
    That sounds like something only creepy otaku would be fans of.
    59AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:21
    Re: #53
    You should see it for real — Kubo's dribble that got past Haruka Fukuhara's (a Japanese actress) stubborn defense is the genuine article.
    58AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:21
    Obviously the opponent can only be a team competing at the Asian Cup.
    I wonder what lineup they'll use.
    Will they call up domestic-league players, or players from leagues whose seasons break early?
    76AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:29
    Re: #58
    Yeah, it's wild how many replies say 'play someone outside Asia' without getting that.
    75AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:28
    It's not a FIFA match day, so they can't call up players from overseas.
    This is just a cash-grab exhibition.
    93AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:34
    Re: #75
    Most leagues are in their winter break at that point, so they can call players up — just not the Premier League guys.
    87AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:31
    Re: #34
    US, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia,
    the Philippines, Canada, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
    Finland, New Zealand, Dominican Republic,
    Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Lithuania, Cuba, Sri Lanka
    96AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:36
    Re: #87
    Soccer's the most popular sport in China and South Korea though.
    The rest sounds about right.
    90AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:33
    Go find a halfway decent opponent already, you money-grubbing federation.
    91AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:33
    With nothing else sports-wise going on December 30, more people might actually tune in than you'd think.
    Does the Premier League even play that day?
    98AnonymousOct 11, 2026 08:36
    Re: #91
    High school soccer's on that day, you know.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Choosing a friendly opponent is heavily constrained by the fact that late December falls outside the official FIFA match-day calendar. Some European leagues are in their winter break, but players from leagues without a break can’t be called up, which narrows the field to countries actually willing to accept the burden of long-distance travel to Japan. The thread saw calls for an opponent from outside Southeast Asia, but it’s worth keeping in mind — background the original article doesn’t get into — that organizers need the match to turn a profit as a commercial event, and that it’s customary to pick a tune-up opponent from outside Japan’s own Asian Cup group. It’s also worth remembering that a friendly’s purpose is squad adjustment and building cohesion ahead of the main tournament, not a contest measured by the opponent’s FIFA ranking. The back-and-forth between posters who question the match’s value based on the ranking gap and those who accept it as a tune-up never quite meets in the middle — a familiar pattern in these send-off-match threads.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Express+) thread “[Soccer] Moriyasu’s Japan to Clash with Vietnam (FIFA #99) on 12/30! Panasonic Stadium Likely Venue for Asian Cup Send-Off Match.”

  • Miki Fujimoto’s claim that she ‘asks mom friends about their husbands’ jobs’ sparks mixed reactions

    On the October 7 episode of TV Asahi’s talk show “After My Husband Falls Asleep,” Miki Fujimoto shared her personal approach to making “mom friends”: asking about their husbands’ jobs. When the remark was picked up by online news outlets, a thread on 5ch’s Entertainment & Sports News+ board split right down the middle, with some calling it “rude, basically the same as asking someone’s annual income,” and others saying “it’s just small talk, I don’t see the problem.” Male users chimed in with their own confession — “I’m the type who wouldn’t want to be asked about my job” — turning the thread into a broader debate about the gap between tatemae (social niceties) and honne (true feelings) in mom-friend relationships.

    10/10 (Sat) 17:00

    A remark Miki Fujimoto made on the October 7 episode of TV Asahi’s talk show “After My Husband Falls Asleep” is making big waves online.

    The Mikity-style theory came out during a conversation about “making mom friends” with guest Rosa Kato. The moment it was picked up as online news, the comments section split cleanly down the middle, with users who appear to be women launching into a debate so heated it practically screamed “Objection! Objection! Objection!” (a nod to a famous catchphrase from a classic Japanese TV debate segment).

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

    3AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:08
    Just ask 'are you free on weekends?'
    Wanting to research all the way down to their job is just you satisfying yourself.
    7AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:10
    At that point you can't even have a conversation anymore.
    8AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:10
    I think she can only ask this because the other person already knows her and her husband's jobs too.
    I don't know which kindergarten Mikity's kid went to, but if it's a decent one, there are probably people who are just dying to tell you their husband's job!
    People who click should just be friends and get along.
    9AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:11
    So asking about someone's job counts as 'income harassment' now?
    Never would've thought of it that way.
    Though I guess I don't go out of my way to ask either — it's personal information after all.
    10AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:12
    There are people who ask and people who don't,
    but the ones who don't ask are more likely to be safe to be friends with.
    11AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:13
    Women are creatures who use their husband's job to flex on each other.
    13AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:15
    People who ask about your job are only looking at the present.
    People who ask what you want to do in the future are the ones looking ahead.
    14AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:16
    Job and education are a must-know.
    You've got to screen your friends.
    17AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:18
    Honestly, who cares about jobs.
    I'd never ask first.
    Though some people just volunteer it on their own.
    18AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:19
    I mean, I don't care if people know my job, but her excuse of 'they already know my job' feels off, doesn't it?
    You're in a business where being recognized IS the job…
    19AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:20
    I've asked out of casual curiosity, like 'what kind of work do you do?'
    But if I get a vague answer, I don't push any further.
    20AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:21
    She probably asks her kid's friends about their parents' jobs too.
    21AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:21
    Then just 'are you free on weekends?' would do, right?
    22AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:22
    Wild that asking someone's job apparently tells you their salary.
    23AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:23
    Even in the same job, income ranges all over the place lol
    24AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:24
    At private schools, the school itself screens applicants, so there aren't weird families mixed in.
    Public schools genuinely have some seriously sketchy families mixed in, which is why I wouldn't send my kid there.
    25AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:25
    Hiding it — do you have something to be ashamed of?
    26AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:27
    For housewives, a husband's job is the single most sensitive topic there is.
    27AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:32
    I mean, I don't think there's anything wrong with just asking about someone's job.
    28AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:34
    Is the part about profiling someone's days off based on their job type really necessary?
    Setting income aside, I don't think it's true that nobody's even a little curious what someone does for a living.
    29AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:38
    Huh, that's a very 'foreigner' way of thinking about it. (implying such directness feels un-Japanese)
    30AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:38
    What's with people at the hair salon who grill you about every little detail?
    Even if they ask all about the specifics of your job, they wouldn't understand it anyway.
    38AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:53
    Re: #30
    I think that's just someone bad at small talk — they're not good at shallow, broad conversation.
    But they're obsessed with somehow keeping the conversation going lol
    46AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:14
    Something about this show just feels off.
    53AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:29
    Re: #46
    I don't like how they put Mikity up on a pedestal.
    Wish they'd stop treating her like some 'representative of moms.'
    70AnonymousOct 11, 2026 04:00
    Re: #46
    I don't watch shows with Mikity or Chisako Takashima in them.
    52AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:29
    Most of the guys here are probably exactly the type who don't want to be asked about their jobs, right?
    Factory worker, plumber, convenience store part-timer…
    64AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:53
    Re: #52
    You're not actually implying those are embarrassing jobs, are you?
    72AnonymousOct 11, 2026 04:25
    A part-time coworker of mine got married a while back,
    and when she said 'my husband works at FamilyMart,'
    I was like 'oh… okay…'
    but it turned out he worked at headquarters and was a highly educated elite.
    Made me realize the same employer can give wildly different impressions depending on how you hear it.
    78AnonymousOct 11, 2026 05:03
    Re: #72
    This exactly.
    I joined FamilyMart straight out of college too.
    Back then the headquarters building was right in front of Sunshine City in Ikebukuro, and I remember going there for my final interview.
    When I told a friend I'd decided to work at FamilyMart, they said 'huh? That place down the street? Like, part-time?'
    107AnonymousOct 11, 2026 06:38
    Re: #72
    Yeah, there are women out there who hear 'Obayashi Corporation' (a major general contractor) and still call it a bottom-tier job.
    90AnonymousOct 11, 2026 06:05
    Honestly, plenty of people would find this flat-out rude, so she should probably stop.
    She's just getting a pass because her mom-friend circle is made up of fairly high-status people to begin with.
    93AnonymousOct 11, 2026 06:16
    Re: #90
    Now that you mention it, my job also involves sales-style small talk with wives and the like, and I never go out of my way to ask about their husband's job — and that's exactly why. Personally I don't care either way, and I figured opinions would be split, but I just don't want to step on a landmine myself.

    Background and key points of this debate

    This kind of “mom-friend distance” controversy is a perennial 5ch topic, and opinions tend to split less over the act of asking about someone’s job itself than over how people choose to read the asker’s true intent. Within the thread, plenty of comments jumped straight to “asking about a job = just wanting to know their income,” but it’s worth noting that Fujimoto herself never said she was after income — nothing beyond what she actually said on the show is actually known. The thread also pulled in a lot of posts linking jobs to social class, from debates over public vs. private schools to personal anecdotes about how the same employer can land very differently depending on how it’s described — but these reflect each poster’s own experience of “mom friend” culture in general more than anything Fujimoto actually said. What looks on the surface like a simple yes/no question — “should you ask about someone’s job or not” — has effectively turned into a question of trust: how suspicious should you be of someone’s motive for asking? That’s a big part of why the discussion never quite lines up.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment & Sports News+) thread “Miki Fujimoto’s take on ‘asking mom friends about their husbands’ jobs’ splits the internet: ‘It’s basically as rude as asking their income’ vs. ‘What’s wrong with it?’.”

  • Kuro-chan Reveals He’s Got ¥130 Million Saved — Co-Stars Stunned

    Yasuda Dai Circus’s Kuro-chan appeared on an ABEMA program airing on the 9th and casually revealed that his savings amount to “¥130 million,” stunning his co-stars, who said “Why would you just say that so easily?” On the 5ch entertainment/sports news thread, opinions split between those saying the amount is modest given his decades of TV exposure and name recognition, and those praising him for saving without being a spendthrift. Some also pointed out that “savings” likely refers only to his bank account balance and may not include assets like stocks or mutual funds, while others worried that publicly naming a specific figure could make him a target for crime.

    Yasuda Dai Circus’s Kuro-chan casually reveals his savings — co-stars stunned: “Why would you just say that so easily?”

    Kuro-chan of the comedy trio Yasuda Dai Circus appeared live as MC on ABEMA’s “Tokimeki Fanfare SECOND” (Fridays 7pm) on the 9th, and revealed his current savings amount.

    During the show, ABEMA announcer and host Kanna Fujita said, “At the end of every episode, we decide the MVP — whoever among today’s ‘Crew-chan’ (the newcomer talent cast) did the best. It’s decided by viewer votes.”

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

    3AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:44
    Watching Showa-era retro exploration videos on YouTube is way more fun than watching Peace-kun the elephant at Omiya Park (a famous elderly zoo elephant).
    5AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:46
    Re: #2
    I'm pretty sure Yasuda Dai Circus splits everything three ways.
    10AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:50
    Re: #5
    Wait, really?
    Kurokawa's actually a genuinely great guy then.
    15AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:05
    It's just "savings," so government bonds, mutual funds, and stocks aren't counted in that.
    He's not lying.
    17AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:09
    If he's been a big spender, maybe that's surprisingly all that's left.
    19AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:13
    This is that thing where the audience of broke nobodies freaks out over this amount while every entertainer who actually has way more quietly basks in feeling superior. Can we drop this bit already.
    20AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:13
    That's not his total assets.
    It's just ¥130 million sitting in an account, that's all.
    21AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:15
    Isn't he missing out on TV commercials — the main income source for talent in Japan?
    24AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:28
    Re: #10
    Even after he made it big he was still getting an allowance from his parents.
    Which is wild since he was genuinely popular.
    25AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:41
    These days 3% of all households in Japan have ¥100 million.
    If Kuro-chan barely scrapes together ¥100 million, that's less impressive than it sounds.
    26AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:43
    Saw something similar before too — sure, maybe he spends freely, but if this is really all Kuro-chan has, that's kind of deflating.
    Even accounting for spending, he should be close to ¥300 million.
    He's not the type to headline his own show, but he's super popular and super recognizable.
    27AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:52
    He's probably blown a ton of cash and STILL saved over ¥100 million — that's actually impressive.
    28AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:56
    Haven't seen Danchou Yasuda (the circus leader) around lately — wonder how his savings are doing.
    67AnonymousOct 11, 2026 04:20
    Re: #28
    I see him all the time on the Keiokaku Keirin (bicycle racing) YouTube channel lol
    29AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:59
    Surely there's nobody in here with fewer assets than Kuro-chan, right?
    33AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:06
    Re: #29
    So that means you've got more than that, huh.
    46AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:35
    Re: #29
    Nah, I've got ¥27 million less than Kuro-chan.
    Still, an honor to be in his ballpark.
    31AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:01
    So Kuro-chan's a Japan Post Bank guy.
    Either way, I'd rather celebrities just blow their money flashily instead of investing it.
    36AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:11
    Re: #31
    Japan Post Bank only lets you deposit up to ¥26 million total between savings and other financial assets, apparently.
    I heard they're petitioning the government to scrap that cap though.
    34AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:08
    The moment people find out you've got money, shady underworld types swarm in and drain it — better not to announce it.
    35AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:09
    He's just flexing his savings
    because all he wants is a young wife in her early twenties. That's all this guy is about.
    37AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:13
    Re: #36
    Deposit insurance only covers up to ¥10 million if something goes wrong — what's the point of parking more than that in there?
    38AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:15
    Hayasuko was talking about her savings recently too, but doesn't running that whatchamacallit diner of hers eat into it?
    41AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:26
    I always figured celebrities invested, but just savings?
    Well, with a fixed deposit these days that'd be about ¥2.2 million a year in interest.
    42AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:28
    Even if I had like ¥300 million, I wouldn't want to live his life, so in a way this is impressive.
    43AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:29
    Why are you guys losing it over this?
    Your lives are way happier than his anyway, right?
    45AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:31
    This is "savings" (meaning the balance in his Japan Post Bank account), remember?
    It doesn't include other deposits or financial assets.

    No idea how he's got ¥130 million parked at Japan Post Bank given the deposit cap, though.
    49AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:47
    Re: #45
    Maybe whatever's not at Japan Post Bank is just stuffed in a piggy bank at home.
    47AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:38
    He's going to get pitched some investment he can't say no to and lose it all.
    52AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:54
    Being on TV that much and only having a bit over ¥100 million to show for it — kind of a letdown.
    53AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:55
    Someone's going to pick a fight with him and saddle him with debt bigger than his entire net worth.
    54AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:56
    Kuro-chan probably doesn't have one, but if he had a pet, it'd probably end up eaten (a running joke about his reputation as a glutton on TV).
    57AnonymousOct 11, 2026 04:01
    Grinding that hard for that long and that's all he's got…
    kind of sad.

    Background and key points of this discussion

    The word “savings” (chokin) doesn’t necessarily mean someone’s total assets — it often just refers to the balance in a deposit account. Japan Post Bank (Yucho Ginko) caps combined ordinary and time deposits at ¥26 million, and this system became a talking point in the thread as well. Since stocks, mutual funds, real estate, and similar holdings aren’t counted as “savings,” the announced ¥130 million doesn’t necessarily reflect Kuro-chan’s full net worth. Opinions diverged on how to judge the figure given his long career and name recognition — some called it substantial, while others felt it was modest for such a highly visible entertainer of his generation. Notably, many worried that stating a specific figure publicly could make him a target for people with bad intentions, though reporting doesn’t clarify whether he or his agency have taken any precautions.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisoku Hayabusa+) thread “[Entertainment] Kuro-chan casually reveals his savings, “¥130 million” — co-stars stunned: “Why would you just say that so easily?”.”

  • VIVANT Crossover Hijacks TBS Thanksgiving Special for a Surprise ‘Detective Tsuda’ Takeover — Net Reaction Split Between Praise and Confusion

    During the live broadcast of TBS’s “All-Star Thanksgiving Festival ’26 Autumn,” gunshots suddenly rang out in the studio, kicking off a surprise segment: the popular “Detective Tsuda” corner from Wednesday Downtown. As host Kouji Imada called for someone to solve the case, a call came in from “Drum,” a character from the drama VIVANT, and a monitor lit up showing Masato Sakai as “Nogi” — who then nominated Tsuda, creating a two-layer crossover stunt. On 5ch’s Geinou/Sports News+ board, reactions split roughly down the middle between “I want to see this as its own standalone show” and confusion along the lines of “the in-jokes went so far I couldn’t tell what show I was watching.” The thread also veered into discussing the historical standings of the festival’s famous quiz championship.

    10/10 (Sat) 23:25

    TBS’s “All-Star Thanksgiving Festival ’26 Autumn: 70th Broadcast Anniversary Special” aired on the 10th. During the show, “Detective Tsuda,” the popular recurring segment from Wednesday Downtown, kicked off.

    Near the end of the broadcast, gunshots suddenly rang out in the studio and one of the festival’s assistants collapsed. As MC Kouji Imada called out to the cast, “Hold on, everyone! We’ve got to solve this! Is there anyone here who can solve this case?”, a call came in from “Drum” of VIVANT, and a monitor lit up showing Masato Sakai as “Nogi.” After hearing Drum out, Nogi said, “That sounds serious. Normally I’d rush over myself, but… is there anyone there who might be able to solve it?” before declaring, “Let’s leave it to Mr. Tsuda! Everyone, please back him up!”

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

    4AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:57
    The way they cleaned up the body was hilarious
    55AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:07
    Re: #4
    He was really committed to the role, that was funny.
    Getting dragged around like that must've hurt though.
    5AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:58
    Lately whenever I hear 'Drum,' all I want is some KFC.
    Good evening, this is Hikaru Ijuin. (riffing on radio DJ Hikaru Ijuin's famous nightly greeting)
    6AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:58
    The 'nobody has any right to complain about a secret guest' theory going around was itself foreshadowing for Tsuda, huh.
    10AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:00
    Re: #6
    Maybe that's also why they called in the actual assistant (probably the 'victim') for the Thanksgiving quiz segment over on Lovit!
    8AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:59
    📺 All-Star Thanksgiving Festival
    🏆 Overall Championship Recap

    Autumn 2026: Ano (2nd–5th: Fukura P, Nakama, Kawashima, Soshina)
    Spring 2026: Junta Nakama (2nd: Takushi Izawa)
    Autumn 2025: Takushi Izawa (2nd: Soshina)
    Spring 2025: Takushi Izawa (2nd: Kirin's Kawashima)
    Autumn 2024: Takushi Izawa (3rd: Kirin's Kawashima)
    Spring 2024: Soshina (5th: Takushi Izawa)
    Autumn 2023: Soshina (2nd: Takushi Izawa)
    Spring 2023: Kirin's Kawashima (Izawa and Soshina did not compete)
    Autumn 2022: New York's Yashiki (5th: Kirin's Kawashima)
    Spring 2022: Soshina (11th: Kirin's Kawashima)
    28AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:23
    Re: #8
    Soshina and Kawashima are impressive too, always battling the Quiz King for the win — but Ano-chan taking the title as a woman is impressive as well.
    50AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:55
    Re: #8
    Ano-chan:
    Wins at quizzes
    Athletic as hell
    Way too stacked
    11AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:03
    Honestly, squeezing in one of Tsuda's skits just made me feel like the Thanksgiving Festival has gone downhill.
    12AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:03
    I wonder if Minamikawa even checked his schedule for tomorrow.
    80AnonymousOct 11, 2026 04:07
    Re: #12
    Minamikawa was actually supposed to go to Taiwan for a different show, but Tsuda showed up at the after-party, turned the Taiwan trip into a quiz, and dragged him off anyway.
    15AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:05
    This is starting to feel like Gaki no Tsukai's 'No Laughing Allowed' specials. (the New Year's batsu-game show infamous for ballooning in scale until it got stale) The bigger the stakes get, the less fun it becomes.
    16AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:06
    At this point, 'Detective Tsuda' might as well just eat Wednesday Downtown whole.
    17AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:08
    I don't get what's supposed to be funny about watching Tsuda do a bit everyone already knows is staged.
    18AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:08
    It's live TV, so Tsuda probably had to be careful and couldn't act too reluctant about it.
    19AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:08
    Detective Tsuda

    I want this as its own show already — two seasons a year.
    22AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:14
    Don't need Drum.
    Do need Minamikawa.
    24AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:16
    Drum's gonna wreck the pacing — let him bail out somewhere along the way.
    42AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:43
    Re: #24
    Seriously, same.
    It's grating, just swap in Minamikawa already.
    25AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:18
    Odd that it was Tsuda sitting next to Kawashima instead of Oidayasu Oda — guess this is why.
    27AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:21
    Ugh, what a garbage segment.
    Glad I skipped it.
    29AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:24
    Re: #23
    It's the clear #1 on TVer though. If anything's 'gone downhill,' it's the entire Japanese public.
    31AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:25
    Re: #29
    You, maybe.
    I haven't gone downhill though.
    60AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:29
    Re: #29
    That skit I can't figure out the appeal of is apparently that popular…
    Makes me realize my sense of humor is just out of sync with everyone else's (´･ω･`)
    30AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:24
    Since it's live, Imada was clearly signaling 'read the room and just decide already.'
    32AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:26
    Hadn't watched in ages, but the insider jokes were so heavy it made no sense most of the time. Guess it's been a while since I watched TV at all, period.
    35AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:29
    It's supposedly a murder case, but they just left the body lying there — some 'solving,' huh.
    36AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:31
    So is Minamikawa getting dragged off starting from the after-party?
    37AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:34
    Going head-to-head with Kohaku on New Year's Eve — even Producer Fujii probably doesn't want to do that, right?
    45AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:47
    Re: #37
    Even 'The Wall' wouldn't want to go up against Kohaku either.
    Ariyoshi hosted Kohaku for three years — having him come back the next year to counter-program it would be a betrayal.
    38AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:34
    Isn't this not even a real Wednesday Downtown segment, just a plain skit? I only watch the show for actual Wednesday Downtown content, so cut it out.
    39AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:35
    Guess the after-party segment itself was getting stale, so this was their way of spicing it up?
    40AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:36
    The fact that nobody's watching TV anymore so it's not even generating buzz feels real lol
    41AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:40
    Watched for the first time in years — barely anyone was there, and for something called 'All-Star' the lineup was so low-key I wondered what show I was even watching.
    44AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:46
    The Thanksgiving Festival has gotten kind of lame. I used to love it when the 'Kyube' thing Yasumura talked about would actually show up time after time, and watching the celebrities during the breaks was fun too.
    46AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:48
    Unlike Imada, Wakako Shimazaki hadn't been briefed, and on top of that she'd apparently never even seen 'Detective Tsuda' before — so her reactions were completely off the mark.
    72AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:52
    All-Star Thanksgiving Festival '26 Autumn
    #TVer
    https://tver.jp/episodes/epseq61inc
    73AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:52
    Re: #72
    They only streamed that part.

    Background and Key Points of the Discussion

    “Detective Tsuda” is a popular segment from Wednesday Downtown in which celebrities try to solve a staged mystery — a format familiar to viewers. This time, the bit was folded into the live variety special “All-Star Thanksgiving Festival,” with an added twist: a character from the separate drama VIVANT calls in over a monitor to Masato Sakai’s character “Nogi,” who in turn nominates Tsuda — a double-layered crossover that’s the real novelty here. The thread split between viewers who praised the segment as “entertaining enough to overshadow Wednesday Downtown itself” and those who criticized it as “so dependent on inside references that it’s meaningless if you don’t know the source material,” with both sides’ opinions hinging on how familiar they were with the original shows. Separately, though not covered in the article itself, the Thanksgiving Festival’s quiz competition has in recent years been dominated by regulars like Takushi Izawa and Soshina, so the fact that Ano-chan won this time was part of what fueled the discussion.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “‘All-Star Thanksgiving Festival’ Live Broadcast Shocker! ‘Detective Tsuda’ Kicks Off! VIVANT’s Masato Sakai Makes the Call — Drum Steps In as Partner.”

  • 3.395 Million Japanese Earn Over ¥10 Million a Year — Just 6.6% of Workers, Tax Agency Finds

    According to the National Tax Agency’s survey on private-sector salary conditions for fiscal 2025, 3.395 million people earn more than ¥10 million a year — 6.6% of all salaried workers. The gender gap is striking too: 2.999 million men compared to just 398,000 women. On 5ch’s Newsplus (Breaking News+) board, reactions ranged from comments on the cost of city living — “In Tokyo, 1 in 3 people clear that mark,” “Feels about the same as a ¥6 million salary 30 years ago” — to debates over whether income or assets are the better measure, and complaints that even clearing ¥10 million doesn’t actually buy a comfortable life.

    (Omitted)

    ● [Number of People and Income Tax by Salary Bracket]

    In the National Tax Agency’s fiscal 2025 survey on private-sector salary conditions, breaking down the 51.631 million salaried workers employed throughout the year by salary bracket, 3.395 million people earned more than ¥10 million a year. That’s 6.6% of the total.

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

    14AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:32
    Apparently 1 in 10 people clear ¥10 million, but narrow it down to Tokyo and I'd bet it's more like 1 in 3.

    ¥10 million a year these days is basically like ¥6 million 30 years ago.
    101AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:41
    Re: #14
    Ah, true that. I'm in Tokyo too, so it's really not that big a deal.
    104AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:43
    Re: #14
    Isn't that just because taxes and insurance premiums have gone up compared to 30 years ago?
    111AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:47
    Re: #14
    ¥10 million in Tokyo and ¥6 million in Nagoya buy you about the same standard of living.
    17AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:36
    The tax rate on a ¥10 million salary is 43%.
    The tax rate on investment income is 20%.
    The property tax rate is 1.7%.

    Assets matter more than income.
    25AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:43
    Re: #17
    The progressive tax system is clearly broken, don't you think? Given the cost of social security, it should really work like this: lower income tax rates as income rises, not the other way around. For example, on a ¥10 million income:
    – 50% on the portion up to ¥3 million,
    – 40% on the portion from ¥3-6 million,
    – 30% on the portion from ¥6-9 million,
    – 10% on the portion from ¥9-10 million.
    Something along those lines.
    176AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:49
    Re: #17
    You don't even know the difference between revenue and taxable income?
    19AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:40
    Living in Tokyo on a ¥10 million salary, you really don't get that much breathing room.
    143AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:10
    Re: #19
    Depends on whether you've got a wife and kids. If you're a 'single aristocrat' (Japanese slang for singles living it up with no dependents) or a DINK couple, you're living easy. Wife plus one kid, it's decent. Two kids, you're cutting it close.
    27AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:44
    At my workplace, 3 people in my department alone clear ¥10 million in salary — but if you count side income, I'd guess half the department is over ¥10 million. Side jobs are officially banned, though.
    29AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:44
    If you're 40 or 50 and have saved less than ¥1 million, that's on you. People like that shouldn't get welfare either. I'm from the same 'Ice Age generation' (Japan's lost generation that graduated into a brutal job market), worked at a 'black' company (slang for an abusive, exploitative employer), scrimped nonstop with retirement in mind, and managed to save up ¥3,000.
    34AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:48
    Re: #29
    Right, take that ¥30 million, dump it into the investments the government's been pushing, go for FIRE! …and still end up needing welfare. It's all about the outcome, isn't it.
    35AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:50
    Re: #29
    Try a little harder.
    31AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:45
    I know plenty of 'one-man contractors' (independent operators, common in construction) who clear ¥10 million no problem. As usual, these numbers are probably bogus.
    42AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:54
    Re: #31
    A one-man contractor's ¥10 million isn't the same as a salaried employee's ¥10 million.
    38AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:52
    It's wild how the '6.6% elite' show up in droves on every 5ch income thread.
    47AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:57
    Re: #38
    People have been saying that since the old 2ch days when I was young, so there's something moving about realizing I actually made it to 'that side' — but my take-home pay really hasn't gone up. It's not going down either, I guess.
    49AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:59
    Newsplus (the '+' board) regulars are all self-proclaimed ¥10-million earners. And self-proclaimed elite-educated and tall, too.
    70AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:13
    Re: #49
    Nope — the self-proclaimed story is ¥15 million a year, a licensed professional who graduated from Tokyo Tech, wife earning ¥9 million, ¥70 million in savings, and two kids in private school.
    103AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:42
    Re: #49
    Funny how nobody ever self-proclaims being good-looking too, lol.
    50AnonymousOct 10, 2026 23:59
    Re: #42
    That's true for gross revenue, but when people talk about a sole proprietor's 'annual income,' they usually mean total taxable income, not gross revenue — so it shouldn't diverge that much. Not having an employer's share of social insurance premiums lowers taxable income a bit, and there's no future retirement payout, but that's not a difference of several million yen.
    55AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:04
    Re: #50
    What are you even basing that generalization about sole proprietors on?
    53AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:01
    My salary's only ¥5.1 million, but my passive side income is ¥4.1 million, so my total annual income comes to ¥9.2 million.
    62AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:08
    Re: #53
    That's just you calling your own passive income a 'side job.' That's not standard usage. If it's passive, you could argue you're not actually 'doing' any business at all. From a tax standpoint, what you call it depends on what kind of income it actually is.
    59AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:06
    Having a high income, honestly… it's not that great. Work just keeps me too busy. Today the neighbors were setting up a BBQ with their kids. Meanwhile I've got work through this entire three-day weekend. About all I get to do is buy whatever food I like and eat it.
    63AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:08
    Re: #59
    Not necessarily. Depends on the person.
    71AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:14
    That's more than I expected.
    75AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:17
    Re: #71
    Prices have gone up about 30% over the last 10 years, yet only 6% of the population clears ¥10 million. By rights, wages should have risen 30% too — something's off.
    91AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:25
    Re: #81
    As long as you're earning through labor, you can't become rich — labor is bound by time, and you can't work more than 24 hours a day.

    The people who get rich around the world aren't the ones earning through labor. What separates people in life is whether they build a 'system' that brings in money outside of labor. Some people have caught onto that rule; others haven't.
    92AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:27
    Re: #91
    You mean like being paid hourly?
    107AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:44
    Re: #92
    That's not what I meant. Not just in Japan — people who get rich worldwide don't make a living by selling off their own time piece by piece. They might earn their first seed money through labor, but at some point they switch to letting money work for them (investing), or hiring other people to work and taking the company's profits (executive pay, stock dividends, etc.) — building a system that brings in money without spending their own time. They set it up so the cash just keeps rolling in, even while relaxing at a resort or sound asleep.

    Forbes puts out its world billionaires ranking every year, and not a single salaried employee makes the top of that list. Almost all of them are capitalists who built systems that earn money while they sleep.
    114AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:49
    Re: #107
    Look at dentists, for example — even though they're high earners, they're making every yen with their own two hands, so it's rough. If something ever stops them from working, they're in trouble immediately. Passive income is a blessing. My current income is 100% passive.
    118AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:51
    Re: #107
    Sounds like you fell for one of those get-rich-quick pitches that love quoting 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' or 'Who Moved My Cheese?'
    129AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:02
    Honestly, in central Tokyo, ¥10 million a year is about the level where a single person can finally live a halfway decent life (´・ω・`)
    147AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:14
    Re: #129
    In central Tokyo, yeah. Just being a regular salaried employee, nobody takes you seriously. Past that income level, people start aiming to incorporate themselves, so below that you basically get treated like a kid — that's what I mean.
    151AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:16
    Re: #129
    Normally it'd be more like a dual-income couple — husband at ¥10 million, wife at ¥7 million.

    Background and Key Points of Debate

    This statistic comes from the National Tax Agency’s annual survey on private-sector salary conditions, covering 51.631 million salaried workers employed throughout the year. It doesn’t include self-employed income or side income that’s only captured through separate tax filings, so — as one commenter noted with ‘even a one-man contractor can easily clear ¥10 million’ — the meaning of ‘annual income’ for salaried workers versus everyone else can’t be compared directly. Where the thread split was over whether ¥10 million should count as ‘high income’ or as merely ‘average once you factor in prices and regional differences,’ with commenters pointing out that ¥10 million in Tokyo buys a similar standard of living to ¥6 million in the countryside, and debating whether assets (a stock measure) matter more than income (a flow measure). On the other hand, factors behind the gender gap (2.999 million men vs. 398,000 women) — such as differences in years of service or the share of management positions — weren’t explored in much depth in the thread, so it’s worth being cautious about letting the raw numbers speak for themselves without that context.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Newsplus) thread “[Latest] 3.395 Million People Earn Over ¥10 Million a Year, 6.6% of the Total — 2.999 Million Men, 398,000 Women.”

  • Miki Fujimoto Questions School Lunch Milk Budget: ‘Maybe Water Would Do?’

    It was reported that married couple Miki Fujimoto and Tomoharu Shoji covered an elementary school lunch program on Fuji TV’s “Mikiti Dining,” and in discussing the high cost of milk, remarked something like “Wouldn’t water be fine at this point?” On 5ch threads, opinions clashed between those who said milk is necessary for nutrients like calcium and those who pointed out it ignores children with lactose intolerance. Many also raised concerns about the soaring cost of ingredients like rice and vegetables, and the general shortfall in school lunch funding. Additionally, posts repeatedly referenced photographer Ken Domon’s work documenting the poverty-stricken school lunch conditions of the past, reflecting on the contrast with today.

    Miki Fujimoto stunned by elementary school lunch budget: “Wouldn’t you think, ‘Isn’t water fine already?’”

    Talent Miki Fujimoto (41) and her husband Tomoharu Shoji (50), of the comedy duo Shinagawa Shoji, appeared on Fuji TV’s “Mikiti Dining” (Saturdays, 11 a.m.) on the 10th, where they shared their thoughts on elementary school lunch budgets.

    Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here

    3AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:56
    Milk's got great nutritional bang for the buck.
    5AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:00
    Milk and eggs are essential for broke guys like me who cook for themselves.
    There's no way water would cut it, that's just an exaggeration.
    6AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:00
    Moms with big families pull off meals for under ¥200 per person at cheap supermarkets.
    20AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:18
    Re: #6
    Sure, if you don't worry about nutritional balance.
    7AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:01
    Going after the milk industry's vested interests? That's insane.
    8AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:05
    Apparently some places are trying serving tea instead lol
    9AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:07
    Talking up milk's nutrition completely ignores kids with lactose intolerance.
    It's just armchair theorizing.
    11AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:11
    Glad I was born a winner, eating MosBurger at midnight while reading this thread.
    12AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:11
    Rice prices are still high.
    Other food and drink items are pricey too because ingredient costs have soared.

    Prices should vary by supplier, so they should use cheaper vendors to cover the gap well.
    Kids these days eat more than kids used to.
    13AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:11
    Lavish spending abroad, penny-pinching at home — what kind of government is this?
    14AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:14
    Even if it's to cover necessary nutrients,
    pairing rice with milk is just nuts.
    15AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:17
    Why not just charge separately for milk?
    Kids who want milk pay extra on top of the lunch fee.

    I never liked milk and always gave mine to the boys, so I'm in the 'milk's unnecessary' camp.
    17AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:17
    The thread title leaves out 'milk,' so it reads like she said 'skip the lunch entirely and just give them water.'
    19AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:18
    Can't really say anything since we don't even know what share of the budget milk takes up to begin with.
    At the very least, she should've said something like 'the budget for side dishes shrank' or 'the number of dishes dropped due to rising ingredient costs.'
    21AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:19
    Nutrition can just be covered at home, right?
    Just think of school lunch as fuel to get through studying.
    If it's meant to be a full meal, of course it's going to be lame.
    Either pay up, or do the job parents are supposed to do.
    24AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:22
    At my old 'Otokojuku' (a famously over-the-top macho boys' school from manga), lunch was just 100g of protein powder, white rice, miso soup, and pickles.
    Weirdly, everyone was still bursting with energy.
    26AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:29
    Milk has calcium in it, so it's a nutrient kids need 🥺
    27AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:30
    Lunchtime scene at a Chikuho elementary school decades ago.
    Decades back, before school lunches existed, many kids brought their own boxed lunches.
    The kids who couldn't even bring a lunch had nowhere to look, so they'd read magazines instead…

    A famous photo by the late photographer Ken Domon.

    https://stat.ameba.jp/user_images/20210211/10/shigacth0130/6b/5a/j/o0810108014894614749.jpg
    'Children of Chikuho'
    By Ken Domon
    'The Child Who Doesn't Bring a Lunch' (1959)
    34AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:36
    Re: #27

    'The principal is careful not to let the faces of children who don't bring lunch be photographed.
    The troubled kids stay home from school when it rains.

    It's especially the malnourished-looking children, the ones who need school lunch most, who don't bring a boxed lunch.

    The child without a lunch sits looking at a picture book.
    Even when the kids with lunches suddenly burst out laughing at something, the child without a lunch never turns to look.
    They never turn around, as if it had nothing to do with them at all.'

    (From Ken Domon's 'Children of Chikuho')
    40AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:41
    Re: #27
    Seeing photos like that makes you realize just being able to eat is a blessing in itself.
    It was a shock to learn there were people who couldn't eat because they couldn't even bring a lunch.
    So Japan really did go through times like that.
    I didn't even know there was no food during the war until I got to college, and I had no idea life was still that harsh even after the war, not until I saw this photo just now.
    Were there no convenience stores back then? Not even half-price unsold bread from a supermarket?
    Being born in this era, I guess I didn't know anything.
    Also, looking closer at the photo, a lot of them have shaved heads.
    Was buzzcuts a trend back then? Not the delinquent kind of buzzcut, but the real, proper kind — everywhere lol
    62AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:17
    Re: #27
    I already knew this photo, but it's still painful no matter how many times I see it.
    Now that I have kids of my own, it's even more painful.
    I wish hungry children would just disappear from this world.

    If the lunch budget is so tight, I think they should at least let kids bring extra staple food from home to supplement it.
    Honestly, how much kids eat varies person to person, and I always felt bad for the ones who didn't get enough.
    But for some reason that's never allowed.
    And yet they're quick to tell parents to suddenly pack a lunch the day after a typhoon passes.
    28AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:31
    Well, if it's just about getting calcium, dried sardines (iriko) would work too.
    Maybe serve iriko at lunch and just do barley tea for the drink 🥺
    29AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:33
    She's probably not even thinking about how switching to water would wreck the dairy suppliers who deliver the milk.
    30AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:33
    The nutrients don't change, so just switch to cheap low-fat milk.
    31AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:34
    When milk delivery salesmen come by, if you tell them you get diarrhea from drinking milk, they give up and leave right away lol
    33AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:36
    Re: #31
    Didn't realize there were still places doing home delivery these days.
    32AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:36
    I realized back in upper elementary school that milk doesn't go with rice, so I always left it at lunch — still grew to 185cm.
    I've wiped out on a motorcycle before and never broken a bone.
    So milk's unnecessary.
    35AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:38
    Milk's basically a cheat code for hitting nutrition targets.
    It's considered nutrient-dense, but whether it actually gets absorbed is a different story.
    36AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:38
    Milk, chicken curry, veggie salad —
    I think that could easily fit within ¥360.
    Unlike eating out, there's no service staff cost to cover.
    It's because they needlessly try to cram in more side dishes that the menu ends up looking so skimpy.
    38AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:39
    You sometimes see private-label products at supermarkets.
    You can buy something nearly the same quality as the national brand for cheaper.

    If they did the same thing here, they could keep school lunch costs down.
    39AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:41
    I hated milk so I always gave mine away.
    Tea would be fine, no?
    45AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:49
    What Miki's probably trying to say is: if kids already drink milk in the morning, why eat into such a big chunk of the food budget giving them milk at lunch too? If that's her point, I'm on board.
    These days people just send their kids off with tea or water in a water bottle anyway.
    46AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:51
    Re: #45
    Being able to drink milk in the morning at all — how rich do you have to be!
    52AnonymousOct 11, 2026 02:56
    Re: #40

    Since high schoolers a few years before this photo was taken had this hairstyle,
    the generation below them was probably the same way.

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/358586826319960/posts/1026944186150884/
    > Male high schoolers around Showa 28 (1953), Nagano Prefecture
    > A generation that lived through wartime evacuations and air raids.
    > Many were rough-and-tumble "bankara" types — all in stand-collar uniforms with shaved heads. On their feet, "hoba" wooden clogs.
    > Back when the average male lifespan was 61.9 years, everyone looks older than their age.

    If you're interested in the photo book, try borrowing it from a library… and maybe some of Ken Domon's other photo books too, like "Hiroshima."

    https://calil.jp/search?q=%E7%AD%91%E8%B1%8A%E3%81%AE%E3%81%93%E3%81%A9%E3%82%82%E3%81%9F%E3%81%A1
    'Children of Chikuho'

    Give your local library a search
    Calil is a service for searching library holdings across Japan

    The large-format complete-works edition from Shogakukan should be held by more libraries.
    67AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:28
    Re: #52
    Everyone's got a buzzcut!
    Guess that was just the trend back then?
    More surprising to me is that they're wearing wooden clogs.
    Japan really did have times like this.
    Can't believe it.
    Around that era must've been when my grandpa was a kid — must've been a brutal time.
    Still, everyone's got an oddly solid build, broad shoulders and all.
    Their faces look kind of rugged too.
    Not a single Johnny's-looking guy in the bunch. (Johnny's = the talent agency famous for pretty-boy idols)
    70AnonymousOct 11, 2026 03:35
    Re: #67

    Looks like I had the wrong idea about this too.

    http://www.domonken-kinenkan.jp/domonken/kodomo/
    Ken Domon and His Work: Children

    Seems like even in cities, not everyone had a shaved head, but short hairstyles were common.

    Background and Key Points of This Debate

    Milk became a fixture of school lunches as a postwar measure against malnutrition, formally established under the 1954 School Lunch Act — a policy background that also helped stabilize demand for the dairy industry. Because of this, the claim that “cutting milk would free up the budget” isn’t so simple: milk itself is actually a relatively cheap item within the school lunch budget, and in recent years it’s the overall surge in ingredient costs — rice, vegetables, and the like — that’s really been squeezing budgets. The thread split along a divide between those who see milk as a necessary source of nutrition and those who see it as a system that ignores individual differences like lactose intolerance — though both sides agreed on a shared frustration over the underlying shortfall in school lunch funding.

    ※This article was compiled by excerpting and summarizing the 5ch (Geisoku Hōdō+) thread ‘[Entertainment] Miki Fujimoto Stunned by Elementary School Lunch Budget: “Wouldn’t You Think, ‘Isn’t Water Fine Already?’”.’

  • Director Mamoru Oshii’s ‘Votoms: Pale Witch’ Reveals Mech Designs — Scope Dog’s New Look Sparks Mixed Reactions

    Mech design information and new scene photos for “Armored Trooper Votoms: Pale Witch (Hexe),” directed by Mamoru Oshii, were unveiled on October 9, 2026. Based on the original work by Ryosuke Takahashi and produced by Sunrise, the two-part film depicts the final days of the war from the 1983-84 TV series. Alongside a new design for the AT (Armored Trooper) “Scope Dog,” large-scale ATs and enemy units were also revealed, and on 5ch’s Geino/Sports Flash+ board, reactions split between nostalgic welcome and complaints about the distinctly digital texture and off-balance proportions.

    October 9, 2026

    Mech design information and new scene photos for “Armored Trooper Votoms: Pale Witch (Hexe),” directed by Mamoru Oshii, have been unveiled.

    The “Armored Trooper Votoms” series is a realistic robot anime with original story and direction by Ryosuke Takahashi, produced by Sunrise. The TV series, broadcast from 1983 to 1984, was set in a world after the end of a Hundred Years’ War in the Astragius star system. The two-part “Pale Witch (Hexe)” depicts the war’s final days, portraying soldiers whose lives are treated as expendable as they pilot the humanoid weapon known as the “Scope Dog,” an AT (Armored Trooper).

    Source: natalie.mu / Original article here

    2AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:29
    Watching an Osaka night-skyline video channel on YouTube beats watching 'Peace-kun' from Omiya Park any day (Peace-kun is a local park mascot with his own livestream).
    3AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:32
    I prefer it a bit short-legged with a lower center of gravity.
    5AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:36
    I wanted a Hi-Metal R Brutishdog figure.
    9AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:39
    Speaking of 'Pale Witch,' that makes me think of Record of Lodoss War.
    10AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:39
    What's with the third picture, lol
    11AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:40
    Can't follow this thread without someone pasting that copypasta.
    13AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:40
    Is this what happens when creepy otaku demand excessive female characters?
    It's a war story, so a buff, bearded late-40s Marine type would've been fine.
    14AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:41
    It'd be boring without characters like Rochina or Kan Yu.
    15AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:42
    The mecha action's probably only about 5 minutes long anyway.
    16AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:42
    Votoms mechs aren't even that cool-looking, it's all about Kiriko anyway…

    If that's the case, just go make Fang of the Sun Dougram instead!
    19AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:43
    Is Mamoru Oshii the guy behind that really quirky Beautiful Dreamer movie?
    20AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:45
    Vwoom vwoom, whirring round, vwoooom (mimicking a mecha's engine/servo sound)
    23AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:47
    Re: #1
    The proportions are off!
    29AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:53
    What about the Strike Dog?
    30AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:53
    Are they gonna do it like Patlabor?
    38AnonymousOct 11, 2026 00:57
    The head's too small so it doesn't look like a proper AT, and there are too many extra lines.
    Is the third picture trying to be a joke?
    The fourth one is out of the question.
    41AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:00
    Why does it look less cool than the old designs?
    45AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:03
    Re: #23
    Tiny head
    Puffed-out chest
    Skinny legs
    It's not a gravure idol, come on…
    54AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:12
    Something just feels off when it's all digital.
    55AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:13
    Guess he's still got the energy for this…
    60AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:25
    I've wondered this for a while, but there's no way those tiny treads alone let it run through forests or sand.
    63AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:27
    There's no room left to customize the Scope Dog, huh. Can't make it too outlandish.
    67AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:31
    What happened to that 'octopus' look? (fans nickname Scope Dog's round head design the 'octopus' look)
    71AnonymousOct 11, 2026 01:36
    Doesn't this look kind of dated? The rendering style looks straight out of the Showa era.
    Is this set in the past?

    Background and Key Points of the Discussion

    “Armored Trooper Votoms” is a realistic robot anime written and directed by Ryosuke Takahashi and produced by Sunrise, broadcast in 1983-84. “Pale Witch” is a two-part story depicting the war’s final days, directed by Mamoru Oshii. Since someone other than the original creator is directing, it’s a project that split fan opinion from the very start.

    The thread was divided mainly over the mech designs. Reactions to the new designs for nostalgic units like the Scope Dog ranged from criticism such as “the head’s too small to look like a proper AT” and “the texture feels off with digital processing,” to more approving remarks like “it’s so polished there’s no room left to customize.” This isn’t simply a matter of liking it or not — it largely reflects differing reactions based on age group and rendering technique.

    Some comments also touched on Mamoru Oshii’s personal box-office track record and business standing from past projects, but since no concrete figures or sources were given, readers should keep in mind these remain speculation.

    *This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary from the 5ch (Geino/Sports Flash+) thread “Director Mamoru Oshii’s ‘Votoms: Pale Witch’ Mech Designs Revealed, Including Large ATs and Enemy Units Besides Scope Dog.”