Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • Japan National Team to Face Brazil and Paraguay in Singapore This November — International Tournament Spot Confirmed

    The Japan Football Association announced on September 3 that the Japan national team will take part in the “MIZUHO BLUE CHALLENGE THE KALLANG FOOTBALL SERIES SINGAPORE,” an international tournament being held in Singapore from November 13 to 17. Alongside host nation Singapore, Paraguay and Brazil will also compete, with Japan facing Brazil on the 14th and Paraguay on the 17th. Each match is a straight 90 minutes with no extra time or penalty shootouts, and the tournament doesn’t even crown an overall winner — an unusual format. Over on 5ch’s Geinou/Sports Breaking News+ board, the thread took off with predicted starting lineups, speculation over whether the South American sides will actually send their first-choice squads, and grumbling about the cost of arranging matches like this away from home.

    The Japan Football Association (JFA) announced on September 3 that the Japan national team will participate in the “MIZUHO BLUE CHALLENGE THE KALLANG FOOTBALL SERIES SINGAPORE,” an international soccer tournament to be held at Singapore National Stadium from November 13 to 17.

    Besides Japan, the tournament features the national teams of Singapore, Paraguay, and Brazil. Japan is set to face Brazil on November 14 and Paraguay on the 17th, with both matches held at Singapore National Stadium.

    The pairings for each side’s second match were fixed in advance regardless of how the first match turns out. Every game runs a full 90 minutes with no extra time or penalty shootout — a draw stands as the final result — and no overall tournament ranking will be determined.

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

    2AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:09
    Put him in already, put that guy in!
    35AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:20
    Re: #2
    Cunha: "If you wanna fight me, come to the Premier League 🖐 you second-division shellfish, lol" (an odd jab seemingly mocking Japan's domestic league as bush-league)
    52AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:25
    Re: #35
    Cunha's actually faced Ao Tanaka a ton — in the Premier League, on the national team, even back in the youth ranks — so he respects him. Cunha was on the pitch when Tanaka scored 2 goals and an assist to beat Brazil, too. Same when Tanaka ran riot against Man United.
    111AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:42
    Re: #2
    Re: #35
    Salty shellfish щ(゚д゚щ) c'moooon
    7AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:11
    Re: #1

    Asian Cup — predicted starting lineup
    67AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:30
    Re: #7
    Really feels like a mishmash of mid-table clubs.
    73AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:32
    Re: #7
    Itakura pulled out, didn't he?
    83AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:35
    Re: #7
    No J-League players at all… I guess that's just how it goes, but still, kinda meh.
    10AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:12
    The South American sides probably won't send full-strength squads anyway — they'll ship over some 4th-division scrubs instead.
    116AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:43
    Re: #10
    They're probably amateurs.
    54AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:25
    Why can't they hold this kind of match in Japan? The federation's coffers must be empty.
    59AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:27
    Re: #54
    Against strong teams, away or a neutral country is fine by me — people complain no matter what if it's at home anyway.
    63AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:28
    Re: #54
    Are you empty-headed? They do hold matches in Japan.
    91AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:36
    Re: #54
    Inviting them costs matchmaking fees, lodging, and travel expenses too, you know. For reference, Brazil's matchmaking fee alone runs about 300 million yen.
    55AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:25
    So it's that pattern again — beat a third-string Brazil, get delusional about it, then lose when it actually matters.
    74AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:32
    Re: #55
    So we're supposed to lose next time or what?
    65AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:29
    Re: #49
    Mainz: "No offers have come in. If none arrive by the 27th, he stays."
    ↓
    The 27th passes with zero offers.
    ↓
    August 31: "We're in the relegation zone, offers keep getting rejected, and now it's already the 31st. Let's try offering half the fee for Sano since nobody's bid on him."
    ↓
    No dice.

    In the end, it's proven that whatever value Sano's fanboys kept hyping never actually existed.
    68AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:30
    Re: #65
    Makes no sense. Write it so it's actually understandable, and attach a source too, lol.
    101AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:39
    Even the official English ratings pin Ao Tanaka as the culprit.
    "E" stands for an error leading directly to a goal — and that's the mark attached to Tanaka's name.

    This is the official stat used by the English Football Association — the same system behind Kaoru Mitoma's Best XI picks.
    https://imgur.com/NOrY7EF.jpeg
    109AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:41
    The lowest-rating collector


    115AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:43
    Re: #109
    Kaishu Sano lost every single duel — 0 wins, 6 losses — and got the lowest rating on the pitch for being involved in both goals conceded. Daichi Kamada was also winless in duels, 0-9, second worst on the field.
    https://imgur.com/skToH5q.png
    https://imgur.com/DX4C1pa.jpeg

    Ao Tanaka, meanwhile, made a super block to keep a clean sheet, won his duels, was physically strong, never got dispossessed, and got shots on target — good at both ends of the pitch.

    Tanaka > Sano, Kamada.
    At defensive mid, Tanaka's clearly the better one — other players have said his defense beats Kamada's too.


    Also, during the Kamada/Sano stretch Japan was down 0-2, and once Tanaka came on they didn't concede again. There's footage of him making a super save even at the cost of taking a knock to the groin.

    The clip of Sano's goal conceded is right there too — he got split open by a vertical pass and beaten. Even the guys who were hyping Sano up had nothing left to say after that.
    120AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:44
    Paying big money for a match when the coaching change is already decided — isn't that just dumb? Even in a friendly, are they just gonna play punching-bag counter-attack soccer?
    123AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:46
    Re: #120
    Isn't this one of those invitations where they cover your meals and travel? 🥺
    126AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:47
    Re: #120
    You baseball fanboys ("yakibuta" — soccer fans' derisive nickname for baseball fans) are getting way too heated. Maybe baseball should copy soccer and hold some friendlies of its own?
    139AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:54
    Re: #120
    They were invited by Singapore, so if anything Japan's getting paid for this, you idiot.

    Background and Key Points

    Invitational tournaments like this one, scheduled outside FIFA’s official international match windows, typically have the host nation covering stadium costs while participating teams’ matchmaking fees and travel expenses are billed separately — the thread noted that inviting Brazil’s national team alone reportedly runs around 300 million yen. It’s also worth keeping in mind that participating countries won’t necessarily field their strongest lineups; some posters suggested the South American sides might send squads missing their key players rather than full-strength rosters. Meanwhile, the unusual format — 90-minute matches with no penalty shootouts and no overall tournament ranking — reflects that this is designed purely as a friendly exhibition rather than a serious competitive event. The thread also traded predicted starting lineups and discussion of Japan’s past results against Brazil, but since the latter half of the thread drifted into unverified claims about a specific player’s transfer situation, that material has been left out here as it couldn’t be confirmed.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Breaking News+) thread “[Soccer] Japan National Team Set to Face Brazil! International Tournament in Singapore This November, Clash with Paraguay Too.”

  • Stan Hansen Returns as PWF Chairman After 19 Years, Succeeding the Late Dory Funk Jr.

    On August 29, All Japan Pro-Wrestling held its “Hot Fight! Summer Action Wars 2026” event at Ota City General Gymnasium and announced that Stan Hansen has become the new chairman of the title-sanctioning body PWF. He succeeds former chairman Dory Funk Jr., who passed away suddenly, marking Hansen’s return to the PWF chairmanship after 19 years. On 5ch’s Geinou/Sports News+ board, veteran fans weighed in on everything from the 77-year-old “Unsinkable Battleship’s” current lifestyle to the real substance behind the PWF organization itself, along with lesser-known stories of him paying his dues back in his Texas days.

    ■ In honor of Japan’s many great wrestlers

    The legendary “Unsinkable Battleship” has returned to the top of the title-sanctioning body that symbolizes the history and authority of the King’s Road style of wrestling.

    On August 29, All Japan Pro-Wrestling held “Hot Fight! Summer Action Wars 2026” at EBARA WAVE Arena Ota (Ota City General Gymnasium) in Tokyo.

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

    6AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:25
    Huh
    I just assumed he'd died already…
    10AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:30
    Re: #6
    Pro wrestling's full of guys who died young
    Hansen and [Abdullah] the Butcher actually come up a lot as the rare ones still alive lol
    64AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:45
    Re: #6
    Hogan died
    8AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:29
    Re: #1
    Wait, Hiroshi Hase used to hold this job?
    He never had any connection to the title
    Isn't that true of Dory too
    I always picture Dory as the International Heavyweight guy
    25AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:56
    Re: #8
    They had Kim Il (Ōki Kintarō) vacate the International Heavyweight title he held
    and it became the PWF-sanctioned International Heavyweight title
    Dory and Brody both held it as champions after that
    9AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:29
    I totally bought the theory that the stun gun got its name because its voltage packs about the same punch as a Stan Hansen lariat




    (that's a lie though)
    14AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:38
    Does PWF actually exist as a real entity?
    I remember reading somewhere that a wrestling fan visited Hawaii looking for the PWF office and it caused some confusion
    Was that in the Peter Maivia book or something?
    20AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:48
    Re: #14
    It did exist
    It used to be based out of Lord Blears's office or dojo in Hawaii
    Probably because Baba loved Hawaii and wanted to write the expenses off
    41AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:20
    Re: #14
    I wonder if they actually ran matches in Hawaii lol
    Baba had a ton of political clout back then, so anything went
    He even became NWA World Heavyweight Champion, which really got under Inoki's skin too
    15AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:41
    Whenever they did the "Appo!" bit, it was always either Hanson or Hogan (a variety-show impression gag)
    16AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:43
    The strongest foreign wrestler really was Hansen
    Even his ordinary tackles landed like a finishing move lol
    18AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:45
    Neptuneman (the Kinnikuman character)
    23AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:52
    Re: #18
    That's Hogan
    21AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:48
    Hansen's a nice guy — even with no cameras rolling, if you waited for him at the venue's back door after a match, he'd rough you up, even if you were just a grade-schooler
    I got sent flying by his tag partner Dan Spivey
    Guess you couldn't get away with that kind of thing these days
    22AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:48
    All Japan Pro-Wrestling was great back when Brody was around
    24AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:53
    Kiss in blue heaven
    Hansen of the clouds
    26AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:58
    Re: #20
    Huh, so it really did exist in Hawaii at one point
    I think the story was that a fan asked, "I'm heading to Hawaii soon, can you tell me where the PWF office is?" and they were stuck for an answer since it's actually based at All Japan
    27AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:01
    I went on a business trip to Texas — having believed since I was a kid that Hansen was a big celebrity there, I asked all kinds of people if they'd heard of Stan Hansen, but seriously nobody had
    Meanwhile everyone knew Hulk Hogan
    29AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:06
    Re: #27
    Back in the territory days, when Hansen was in Texas he was just a young up-and-comer under the Funks
    He went on to work WWWF (later WWF → WWE), and at Madison Square Garden he injured WWWF Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino
    Sammartino later returned and they feuded
    Hansen made his name in New York as a heel
    28AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:06
    Brody's probably celebrating this from the other side
    31AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:09
    There's no big name left to follow Hansen, is there
    34AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:10
    Re: #31
    They're all in heaven
    32AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:09
    Hansen's 77 now, huh… stay unsinkable a while longer
    35AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:14
    What's the actual difference between the Axe Bomber and the Lariat?
    36AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:14
    Even after retiring he's living the easy life as one of the winners.
    No other wrestler has retired this peacefully.

    He was well paid to begin with, and clearly saved it properly.
    He also quit before his body was completely wrecked, so after surgery he's doing fine and living well.
    Must be a smart guy
    56AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:38
    Re: #36
    Would you really call someone whose body is wrecked "living the easy life," though
    I'd say that description fits guys like Mil Mascaras — still running his business full-tilt at 84 with no injuries or aftereffects and still interacting with fans — or George Gordienko, who won the lottery and became a successful artist, or Freddie Blassie, who was still getting huge ovations on stage right up until he died at 85
    37AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:16
    Oh, PWF still exists?
    I thought it was just a one-generation thing between Baba and Lord Blears
    38AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:16
    First time I've heard that Hase used to hold this position. Since he lost his bid for governor, he's got free time now — he could've just kept doing the job, no?
    78AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:27
    Re: #38
    Hase seems to be leaning more toward New Japan these days
    42AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:24
    He was already a working wrestler back when I was little, and he's still out there wrestling in nothing but trunks now that I'm an adult, lol. Didn't Urasawa draw a bit like that in one of his manga too?
    43AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:25
    Looking at old photos, the guy looks like he's cosplaying as Terryman (the Kinnikuman character)
    44AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:26
    Re: #41
    In the 1980s, Hawaiian pro wrestling
    was run by Peter Maivia (and after his death, by his widow Lia Maivia)
    46AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:29
    Re: #44
    So there really were matches out there!
    Ricky Steamboat was from Hawaii too, wasn't he
    45AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:27
    There ought to be some kind of pay for this role, but doesn't sound like there is
    Even if there is, it's probably only around 30,000 yen a month
    47AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:29
    The cheer when Hansen showed up on screen was huge — guess All Japan still has its old-school fans sticking around
    53AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:34
    Even with all that wrestling ability, he couldn't become a superstar in America because he wasn't good on the mic
    57AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:40
    Re: #53
    That's part of what makes him lovable too
    58AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:40
    Re: #53
    They aired his American matches on a show called "World Pro Wrestling"
    Seeing him booked as some weak, small-time thug over there, first-grade me suddenly understood how the whole business worked
    In Japan he was the strongest character on All Japan, so honestly I wish I'd never seen that…
    65AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:47
    Re: #53
    Hansen was actually pretty smooth on the mic
    https://youtu.be/myowNV6Z7_8&t=138
    This is from when he was feuding with WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund
    The interviewer is Vince Jr. (Vince McMahon Jr.)

    Background and Talking Points

    PWF (Pacific Wrestling Federation) is a sanctioning body Baba founded after launching All Japan Pro-Wrestling, and its championship lineage has followed a complicated path over the years. In the thread, posters traded trivia confirming PWF’s actual existence — including the fact that it once had a real office in Hawaii — establishing that it’s an organization with genuine historical roots rather than just an empty title. Where opinions split was over how much substance there really was to the tenure of Hiroshi Hase (a former candidate for Governor of Ishikawa Prefecture), who reportedly held the chairman post until 19 years ago, and over the reality of Hansen’s post-retirement life. Against the view that he’s “living the easy life as one of the winners,” a counter-argument emerged that surgery costs ate into his earnings and that these days his Japanese wife works while he handles the housework — exposing a gap between perception and reality. One point readers commonly get wrong is assuming PWF operates as an actively functioning organization at all times, when in practice it’s usually treated symbolically, trotted out mainly for title-sanctioning ceremonies.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Pro Wrestling] Stan Hansen: “I’ve happily decided to take on the role of PWF Chairman” — Returns after 19 years, succeeding the late former chairman Dory.”

  • Morning Musume Beats Juice=Juice in Spotify Monthly Listeners, Yet Gets Zero Music Show Bookings — 5ch: ‘The gap’s like 120K, right? That’s rough.’

    On 5ch’s Hello! Project board, a thread blew up over the fact that Morning Musume’s Spotify monthly listener count beats Juice=Juice’s, yet Morning Musume hasn’t received a single offer from TV or music shows. Replies split into two camps: one theory holds that the agency is funneling music-show slots to Juice=Juice, while the counterargument points out that if such slots really existed, Morning Musume should have been getting more appearances for the past five years. Commenters also brought up how Morning Musume’s new single hasn’t appeared on Venue101, and how none of Juice=Juice’s songs have cracked Spotify Japan’s Top 50 — with opinions split over which numbers should actually count as evidence.

    1AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:05
    By the way, here's why Juice=Juice actually gets booked on music shows
    12AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:12
    Spotify numbers are probably the only thing left to cling to at this point
    15AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:14
    Re: #12
    Well, it's an important metric for Kohaku [NHK's New Year's Eve music special], but as things stand it's 100% impossible
    17AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:14
    Re: #15
    Classic case of ME:I debunking that argument every time
    32AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:19
    Because the agency is funneling its show slots to Juice
    37AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:20
    Re: #32
    Tons of new fans have flowed in that weren't there back when the slots went to Morning Musume — great cost-efficiency
    80AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:29
    Re: #32
    If 'slots' were really a thing, they'd have been getting way more appearances since 5 years ago. That's such a dumb take. Do you even know how many years it's been since they were on Music Station? lol
    44AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:22
    I don't care how, just hurry up and pass them on Spotify already
    47AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:22
    Re: #44
    Never gonna happen — they're already on a downward trend
    49AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:23
    Re: #44
    No need to pass them — Juice=Juice keeps getting booked on TV one show after another
    79AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:29
    Come back once you've clearly won. Don't shift the goalposts in a thread that's using numbers as the metric
    85AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:31
    Re: #79
    Who's the one shifting the goalposts away from the thread title?
    86AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:31
    Re: #79
    Okay fine, they lost to Musume's golden age. Happy now?
    90AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:31
    For other artists and idols, going viral makes Spotify listeners spike, so it's a reliable metric. Juice=Juice trending downward is proof their popularity is declining
    93AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:32
    Re: #90
    There are groups like Morning Musume and AKB48 that grow even without going viral, so you should take that with a grain of salt
    96AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:33
    Re: #90
    Name me a song or artist whose popularity never declines
    101AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:34
    Re: #90
    Maybe so… they don't ride trends either
    117AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:38
    Kurakura never really took off in the end. If the other songs were bangers they'd have been talked about too, but there's nothing close to that
    124AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:38
    Re: #117
    Kurakura☆Climax alone was enough to get them on Venue101, but apparently Morning Musume hasn't been on it once since their 'Fue' (Flute) single back in 2022
    129AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:39
    Re: #117
    If Kurakura had been credited to Hoshibe, it would've definitely gotten trashed as a crap song
    138AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:40
    The gap with Morning Musume is like 120K, right? That's just sad
    145AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:41
    Re: #138
    Honestly can't quite tell which way that gap goes
    147AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:42
    Re: #138
    That's rough. Everyone kept saying they went viral so I figured they'd at least be neck-and-neck with someone like =LOVE
    162AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:44
    Haven't they never once landed in Spotify Japan's Top 50? At least on Spotify, they're hopelessly unlistened to
    172AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:45
    Re: #162
    It's impressive that Airitto is still in the top 10 — they even beat out Mrs. Green Apple
    185AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:46
    Re: #162
    So Juice=Juice really isn't popular at all, huh. Guess I got fooled by the 'wolves' (diehard male fans notorious for hyping idols up)
    183AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:46
    Re: #172
    But they don't draw as big a crowd as Mrs. Green Apple though
    193AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:47
    Re: #183
    Well yeah, I mean their arena shows sell out completely and all
    197AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:47
    Re: #183
    But their monthly listeners are several times higher than Mrs. Green Apple's — that's the interesting part
    195AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:47
    Big-selling artists are sick of doing music shows, so it's just the moderately popular idols filling the slots
    205AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:48
    Re: #195
    Homatan is over there feeling frustrated watching other idols cover Hello! Project songs on TV

    Background and Key Points of the Debate

    Spotify’s monthly listener count measures the number of users who played a song at least once in the past 28 days — a different yardstick from CD sales, concert attendance, or TV appearance opportunities, and that distinction sits at the heart of this debate. Within the thread, it was pointed out that while Juice=Juice’s monthly listeners outnumber Mrs. Green Apple’s, they fall short in arena-show attendance, making the mismatch between different metrics itself a talking point. Whether a group gets booked on TV depends heavily on external factors like the agency’s sales strategy and each show’s own casting intentions, and can’t be explained by Spotify numbers alone. The thread split between an ‘agency slot allocation’ theory and a ‘talent/buzz’ theory, but since the actual booking criteria have never been made public, readers should keep in mind that both remain speculation.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Morning Musume completely beats Juice=Juice in Spotify monthly listeners, so why haven’t they gotten a single offer from TV or music shows?”.

  • Takehisa Maeyama: ‘I Get Slandered Just for Breathing’ — 5ch: ‘If They Don’t Know Your Face, No One Notices’

    Actor Takehisa Maeyama (35) opened up about his current life in an interview with FRIDAY magazine. After his girlfriend Sayaka Kanda passed away in 2021, tabloid reports about their relationship sparked a wave of criticism, leading Maeyama to leave the entertainment industry in 2022. He now says he gets by working part-time jobs at places like supermarkets, describing his state of mind as “I get slandered just for breathing.” The 5ch thread reacting to the article was split: some commenters remained harshly critical, while others questioned the reporting itself, arguing “He’s a private citizen now, stop covering him” and “As long as no one recognizes his face, he won’t be noticed.”

    “I don’t think the slander against me will ever stop unless I die.”

    Takehisa Maeyama (35), once active on stage and in musical theater, said he’d “gotten used to it… or rather, given up on it” — being photographed and dragged online for simply walking down the street, realizing that “no matter where I am or what I’m doing, even just breathing gets me criticized.” That’s when he added the line above.

    After his then-girlfriend Sayaka Kanda died in December 2021, tabloid reports about their relationship triggered a barrage of harsh criticism and slander directed at Maeyama. He subsequently left his talent agency in 2022, and as is widely known, retired from the entertainment industry.

    Source: friday.kodansha.co.jp / Original article here

    4AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:23
    Serves him right.
    What goes around comes around.
    No point playing the victim.
    5AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:24
    FRIDAY, out here interviewing a guy working part-time at a supermarket
    195AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:58
    Re: #5
    Why does this guy always want to work at supermarkets?
    He's a guy — wouldn't a factory job pay better?
    Guess it's easier to get hired somewhere nobody will recognize him
    16AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:27
    People know the name but not the face, so nobody's gonna notice him
    187AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:57
    Re: #16
    This.
    Don't know his face.
    49AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:32
    Isn't the slander happening on social media anyway?
    Nobody at the supermarket's gonna recognize his face either
    82AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:37
    Re: #49
    Even I only know a bit of the story and part of his name (something like 'Mae-something')
    No idea what he looks like
    60AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:34
    He's just testing the waters to see if he can make a comeback to the spotlight by saying stuff like this
    62AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:34
    If he were trying to make a flashy comeback, sure, but if he's just trying to live a normal life, I think people should just leave him alone at this point
    160AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:51
    Re: #62
    Are you dumb?
    Everyone's already leaving him alone.
    Nobody normally even brings this guy up.
    It's only because he keeps putting himself out there and rambling about it that people say anything.
    As long as he's just working at a supermarket, nobody cares.
    69AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:35
    That daughter of Seiko Matsuda's
    jumping to her death
    is, along with Akina Nakamori's suicide attempt,

    something I'll never forget as long as I live
    168AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:53
    Re: #69
    The image of Seiko Matsuda and Masaki Kanda standing side by side in mourning clothes was shocking — I still can't forget it
    70AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:36
    If the trash media (masugomi — 'garbage media,' derogatory slang) just didn't run these stories, none of this would happen.
    He writes 'I get slandered like breathing,' but that's because you trash media outlets keep churning out stories for laughs.
    Pretending to be on Maeyama's side while getting close to him just to feed him to the public — that's exactly what the media's doing.
    101AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:39
    Re: #1
    Re: #70
    Basically, people don't even want to be reminded of that whole incident anymore, so stop running these articles periodically, right?
    Isn't this Maeyama guy just a private citizen now?
    81AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:37
    What's this about getting recognized by the store manager just once?
    178AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:55
    Re: #81
    Stuff like this is what makes it feel fishy
    199AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:59
    Re: #81
    Re: #165
    He said before he was doing Timee (a Japanese gig-work app) shifts, so he's probably bouncing between different workplaces.
    If he had a fixed job, I don't think he'd say he only got recognized by the manager once.
    93AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:38
    With the Hana Kimura suicide case too,
    Ryota Yamasato
    is probably going to keep getting brought up forever
    112AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:41
    Re: #93
    If he weren't with Yoshimoto (Kogyo, Japan's biggest talent agency), Yamasato probably would've disappeared too
    97AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:38
    Re: #13
    This audio was never made public, right?
    111AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:41
    Re: #97
    The transcribed text was published, but the audio itself was never released
    121AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:44
    Who?? 'I'm a private citizen now, please stop!'
    139AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:47
    Re: #121
    A 'private citizen' who makes money off a fan club?
    151AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:48
    Sounds like his family's rich,
    so does he even need to work?
    173AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:53
    Re: #151
    Maybe he's half-disowned —
    like he can't be let back into the family until he's spent a few years working a normal job (not nightlife/hostess work or showbiz) and become a decent person
    176AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:54
    Sayaka Kanda really was a great singer
    186AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:57
    Re: #176
    Her voice was even prettier than her mother's
    203AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:01
    Re: #176
    She had that one-of-a-kind voice where you could tell it was her the instant you heard it
    Truly a loss

    Background and key points of this discussion

    Maeyama and Kanda’s relationship came to public attention through tabloid reports after Kanda’s death, when content purported to be from their exchanges was published, fueling widespread criticism. Since then, Maeyama has left the entertainment industry and rarely spoken publicly about the matter. This interview is one of the few times he has, and reactions on 5ch ranged widely — from those who felt he “still hasn’t paid enough” and wanted further criticism, to those questioning the reporting itself with comments like “he’s a private citizen now, coverage should stop altogether.” Worth noting as a matter of fact: only the transcribed text of the exchanges was ever reported — the audio itself was never released. Some posts nonetheless drew firm conclusions about his character based solely on secondhand claims.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geinosuposoku+) thread “[Entertainment] “I’m working part-time at a supermarket”… Sayaka Kanda’s ex-boyfriend Takehisa Maeyama reaches the realization that “I get slandered just for breathing” [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★].”

  • Today’s PlayStation ‘State of Play’ Draws 5ch Attention Over Lack of Pre-Show Hype

    PlayStation’s information broadcast “State of Play” (nicknamed “Steple” in Japan) is scheduled for September 3, 2026. Last time, the show generated so much hype beforehand that theaters even held screening events for it — but this time there’s been almost no buzz ahead of the broadcast, prompting a thread on 5ch’s hardware/industry board (“Geha”). In the thread, conflicting reports swirled about a rumored trailer reveal for Naughty Dog’s supposed new title Intergalactic (nicknamed “Space Baldy” after its bald-headed hero), alongside denials of that same rumor. Discussion also spread to other topics, like what to call “State of Play” for short and the differing sales fortunes of Western versus Japanese games.

    1AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:43
    This has to be the least buzz it's ever generated.
    3AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:43
    Last time the pre-show hype was insane, though.
    88AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:30
    Re: #3
    Well yeah, last time they even set up movie theater screenings for it…
    4AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:44
    How much buzz did it usually get before, and how much is today's getting?
    10AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:47
    Re: #4
    If last time was a 100, this time's hype is like a 5.
    7AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:46
    Wait, it's today? If this were before a Nintendo Direct, people would already be throwing a party.
    12AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:48
    Rumor has it there's an update on 'Space Baldy,' but nobody's interested — zero heat to be found.
    19AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:53
    Re: #12
    Apparently there's no 'Space Baldy' after all

    https://www.resetera.com/threads/state-of-play-state-of-play-japan-return-on-september-3.1619203/page-11#post-159907780
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HRJk_8vXAAAMAlB.png

    There's no galaxy in this SoP.
    David Bratt is a concept artist at Naughty Dog (ND).
    87AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:29
    Re: #19
    Seriously? Guess the release is still way off then — at this rate the PS6 will come out first.
    92AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:32
    Re: #83
    Someone from Naughty Dog is saying there's no 'Space Baldy' Re: #19
    17AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:49
    Even the closer got leaked — apparently it's FF7.
    90AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:31
    Re: #17
    They leaked it themselves!
    24AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:56
    Hololive, who did watch-alongs for practically everything during the Nintendo Direct, hasn't scheduled a single one for State of Play.
    48AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:08
    Re: #24
    Pekora (a Hololive VTuber) does State of Play watch-alongs sometimes, so she'll probably do one, right?
    38AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:05
    Apparently if you can't get hyped for State of Play, you're not a real gamer — that's what PlayStation fans both in Japan and abroad were saying all over X last time.
    43AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:06
    Re: #38
    Getting hyped over Sweet Baby's Wolverine is genuinely laughable lololol (Sweet Baby refers to Sweet Baby Inc., the narrative consultancy tied to Marvel's Wolverine)
    45AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:06
    If people overseas are so hyped for the FF7 Remake series, why didn't Rebirth sell?
    89AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:31
    Re: #45
    Rebirth's video view counts are already pretty dismal too lol
    55AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:12
    First time I've seen anyone abbreviate State of Play as 'SoP.'
    57AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:13
    Re: #55
    That's the standard abbreviation overseas.
    58AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:14
    Re: #55
    I see it all the time on this board (Geha) though…
    64AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:18
    Re: #55
    It's not like it's the first time I've seen it, but it still doesn't click when it's just thrown out there.
    59AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:15
    Japanese games sell in every market, but Western games don't sell in Japan at all — if anything they're a net negative.
    Any hardware that reeks of 'Western game' vibes won't sell here,
    because it turns off women and kids.
    At this point, PlayStation in Japan is basically turning into Xbox.
    69AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:20
    Re: #59
    Look at the NPD numbers or Europe's yearly rankings — pretty much only Nintendo software sells everywhere.
    Even Capcom isn't that big once you're just looking at the US/Europe.
    Square Enix is weak overseas too, and FromSoftware only had one big hit with Elden Ring —
    everyone else is small fry.
    76AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:25
    People do use 'SoP' — you see it a lot on this board too.
    79AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:26
    Re: #76
    People call it 'soap' too, you know (SoP sounds like "soap," which in Japan also evokes "soapland," a euphemism for a type of adult bathhouse)
    83AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:28
    [Sad news] 20-minute 'Space Baldy' segment confirmed

    https://x.com/rinothebouncer/status/2094075220390768685?s=46&t=MWiB4PuUxCSC5yPeWanu-g

    Rumor: A gameplay trailer for 'Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet' is said to be revealed at PlayStation's State of Play this September 🚀
    According to the same source that correctly predicted the God of War Laufey reveal, Naughty Dog's 'Intergalactic' will close out the show.
    106AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:44
    It'll be 2 or 3 PM in Europe, and 10 AM in Brazil — outside of the US, the timing isn't too bad.
    108AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:45
    Re: #106
    They basically copied Nintendo Direct's usual time slot, so of course it's not a bad time.
    126AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:52
    Re: #106
    Is anyone even home from work at that hour?
    119AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:49
    Not even any wild fantasy lineup predictions this time around — guess everyone's grown up.
    128AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:54
    Re: #119
    With GTA already out, there's no bigger ammo left to fire.
    123AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:51
    Did they pick this time slot because some Japanese third-party is announcing a new game?
    133AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:03
    Re: #123
    Hint: last time's State of Play was Japan-focused.
    139AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:05
    Sounds like 'Space Baldy' is closing out the show.
    There's a real chance it blows up for the wrong reasons, so I'm honestly looking forward to that.
    144AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:09
    Re: #139
    Sadly, no 'Baldy' this time Re: #19

    Background and key points of this discussion

    “State of Play” (nicknamed “Steple”) is the informal name for Sony’s irregularly-scheduled PlayStation news broadcast. The thread grew out of a contrast in temperature: last time, hype built up so much before the show that theaters even held screening events, whereas this time there’s been little discussion right up until air time. The recurring nickname “Space Baldy” refers to the bald-headed protagonist of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, a title reportedly in development at Naughty Dog — it’s a fan nickname, not the game’s official title. The rumor of a trailer reveal is said to have originated overseas, and the thread also cites a denial from an account claiming to be a staff member, though none of it has been confirmed either way. Other remarks — like whether “State of Play” should be shortened to “SoP,” or claims that Western games flop in Japan while Japanese games sell well even abroad — are largely based on gut feeling rather than hard sales data, so they should be read with that caveat.

    *This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary of the 5ch hardware/industry (“Geha”) thread “[Sad news] Nobody — including overseas fans — cares about today’s State of Play.”

  • Is Masami Kurumada Really a ‘One-Hit Wonder’? 5ch Users Debate the Truth About Manga Royalties

    A 5ch thread debating whether Masami Kurumada, creator of “Saint Seiya,” is really a “one-hit wonder” was heating up. The spark was the sheer size of the royalty income manga creators can earn once their work becomes a pachinko or pachislot machine, with posters citing the well-known story of the “Fist of the North Star” creator saying he made more from the pachislot licensing than from the manga and anime combined. As for Kurumada, one estimate claimed he’d pocketed “5 billion yen from pachinko alone,” while others questioned the basis for that unit count, splitting the thread over how credible the figure really was. Posters also pointed out that even before “Saint Seiya,” Kurumada had already scored top-tier hits with “Ring ni Kakero” and “Fuma no Kojiro” during their original runs — pushing back on the “one-hit wonder” label itself.

    1AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:49
    This has been all over the news since this morning
    2AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:49
    Let's be real, "Ring ni Kakero" is basically unknown to the general public too
    3AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:50
    Kind of like Naoko Takeuchi, the "one-hit wonder" behind Sailor Moon — still living off that one big hit
    Just keeps cashing in on that single hit forever
    4AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:51
    These days he's cashing in on pachinko and slots
    6AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:52
    The way you're describing it makes him sound like a pachinko pro
    7AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:55
    The pachinko industry itself is basically running out of room now
    Whichever IPs locked down the big money over the last quarter century are the real champions
    Evangelion and GARO definitely stand out
    8AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:56
    Gotta respect how Hirohiko Araki of JoJo managed to resist it for so long
    9AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:57
    Back then the toy sales were insane
    10AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:58
    Re: #1
    The Fist of the North Star creator said that once he greenlit the pachislot deal, he ended up making more from that than he'd earned from the manga and anime up to that point
    11AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:58
    Personally I wish sensei Mikiya Mochizuki had gotten to bathe in some easy money too
    12AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:59
    He's not just a one-hit wonder — the guy basically built the foundation for media mixing in the manga industry
    He was designing the toys while the series was still running
    13AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:59
    Don't forget "Silent Knight Sho" and "B't X" either
    14AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:00
    Pachislot royalties are supposedly around 10%, and at 500,000 yen a unit, if roughly a million machines sold, that's 5 billion yen from pachinko alone
    73AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:01
    Re: #14
    Is there actually a pachinko/pachislot machine that's sold a million units?
    78AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:02
    Re: #14
    Selling 30,000 units would already be considered a huge win
    15AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:00
    "Ring ni Kakero," "Fuma no Kojiro," "Saint Seiya"
    It's wild he made hits out of all three even though they're basically the same plot
    16AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:01
    Gotta go with "Fuma no Kojiro" and "Otokozaka" for me
    17AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:01
    The "Oyabun Reach" is the classic flashy-but-doesn't-hit tease (in pachinko slang, a "reach" is the suspense animation before the result)
    But if it's snowing in the middle of summer, that's the guaranteed jackpot pattern — Yuki leaping from the helicopter
    18AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:01
    The sheer madness of using a full two-page spread for a single panel
    19AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:02
    TV Asahi announcer Yoko Oshita said she used to read "Ring ni Kakero"
    20AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:02
    There are like five different artists actually drawing "Saint Seiya" these days
    21AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:03
    Pretty impressive how it convinced everyone that just swinging a practice sword around is the ultimate training — nice one, Machami
    22AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:05
    Was "Sei-Sei" (fan nickname for Saint Seiya) really that mainstream?
    24AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:06
    I wonder if anyone's actually read "Saint Seiya" all the way through
    I remember it diving into this Buddhist worldview with the twin sala trees and I had no idea what was going on anymore
    27AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:09
    The twin sala trees thing is simply: if you can transcend life and death, dying lets you invade the underworld
    28AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:10
    Shiryu's got a rising-dragon tattoo ("monmon," slang for a tattoo) on his back at age 14
    30AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:16
    He'd already hit it big with "Ring ni Kakero," and "Saint Seiya" was a hit on a whole social-phenomenon level
    31AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:17
    Apparently "Ring ni Kakero" was overwhelmingly the most popular series during its original run
    32AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:21
    "Ring ni Kakero" is a legendary series that got a color lead-off spread in Jump for its final chapter
    33AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:21
    First off, the Apollo Exerciser
    Completely useless under normal 1G gravity on Earth's surface
    You should just be training with free weights like a normal person
    35AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:22
    Finding a post or wall sturdy enough to anchor it to is a challenge in itself, to begin with
    37AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:23
    Made the whole world aware that "power wrists" (wrist weights) exist
    40AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:24
    The manga that tanked Cancer's image
    45AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:27
    Re: #40
    There's also a manga that redeemed him, so it's a nice twofer
    61AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:54
    Forgot the name, but wasn't there a manga with a dog as the main character?
    69AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:59
    Re: #61
    "Doberman Deka" (Doberman Cop)
    72AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:01
    Wait, what exactly are you "staking" in "Ring ni Kakero"?
    79AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:03
    Re: #72
    Mercury bubbling and boiling away
    That's the kind of thing you get in the Kurumada World, the Buronson World
    76AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:02
    Isn't it a woman?
    80AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:04
    Re: #76
    Because female (artists) don't draw stuff like Kiku-neenee's nipples

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Pachinko and pachislot licensing deals typically involve a per-machine contract worth several million yen and up, and if the machine becomes a major hit, the original creator is said to receive somewhere between a few percent and around 10% in royalties. It’s a well-known story in the industry that the creator of “Fist of the North Star” said his pachislot royalties eventually surpassed his combined earnings from the manga and anime. What split the thread was the estimate in >>14 putting Kurumada’s actual take at “5 billion yen from pachinko alone,” versus the pushback in >>73 and >>78 doubting that even a million units had sold — since neither the real unit sales nor the royalty rates in his contracts have ever been made public, both sides are ultimately just speculating. The thread also reinforced, across multiple posts, that Kurumada isn’t simply a one-hit wonder: beyond “Saint Seiya,” both “Ring ni Kakero” and “Fuma no Kojiro” were top-tier hits during their original serializations. One point readers can easily get wrong is that a large pachinko revenue figure doesn’t automatically translate into the creator’s personal net worth — the actual cut depends heavily on the specific contract terms.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Is Masami Kurumada, the “one-hit wonder” behind Saint Seiya, actually raking it in?“

  • New Hello! Project Group Coming Next Year? Fans Split Between the “3-Year Cycle Theory” and Rosy Chronicle’s Rocky Present

    Since Morning Musume launched Hello! Project in 1997, the agency has rolled out a new group roughly every three years: ANGERME (2009), Juice=Juice (2013), Tsubaki Factory (2015), BEYOOOOONDS (2018), OCHA NORMA (2021), and Rosy Chronicle (2024). Applying that cycle literally would put the next new group’s debut in 2027, but a thread lit up with speculation that a new group centered on Suzuki Kotomi could actually launch next year instead. On the other hand, since 2024’s Rosy Chronicle still hasn’t reached national hall tours or big venues, there’s a persistent cautious camp arguing that shoring up existing groups should come before forming a new one — leaving opinion split on which direction to take.

    1AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:45
    Make it a rock-oriented group.
    3AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:48
    If a group that's clearly headed for disbandment like BEYOOOOONDS gets more members added, there won't be a new group unless some other group disbands first.
    6AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:57
    Hello! Project group formation dates

    Morning Musume 1997
    ANGERME 2009
    Juice=Juice 2013
    Tsubaki Factory 2015
    BEYOOOOONDS 2018
    OCHA NORMA 2021
    Rosy Chronicle 2024
    New group 2027


    New groups form every 3 years,
    so a new group next year is basically confirmed
    8AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:07
    Rosy Chronicle can't even stand on its own two feet yet, so if they toss a trainee unit on top of that, it'll just be the start of endless, never-ending dues-paying.
    13AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:12
    My bet: they disband ANGERME and build a Juice=Juice sister group with Nagano as leader.
    15AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:13
    Re: #1
    If they add any more groups, I'm genuinely going to lose it 😡
    16AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:14
    Honestly, Morning Musume's Vocaloid/EDM direction is the way to go — it'll definitely sell.
    17AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:14
    There's no way Rosy Chronicle exists for business reasons.
    It's basically a holding pen for trainees they have no use for but can't just fire.
    Most of them are juggling it with university anyway, and it'll be gone in three years.
    Younger members like Uemura and Soma could transfer out if they put up results before then.
    21AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:16
    Re: #17
    That was already done with College Cosmos.
    24AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:18
    Re: #17
    Morning Musume and ANGERME barely make money and can't funnel funds back down the chain either — so are those not run for business reasons too?
    18AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:14
    With more and more groups piling up, the Hello! Project concerts are getting more and more painful to sit through.
    19AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:15
    A trainee unit '26' is basically guaranteed to form within this fiscal year.
    But wouldn't it be better to just put Suzuki Kotomi into an existing group instead?
    20AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:16
    Rosy Chronicle is just some byproduct of promoting every single trainee at once.
    22AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:17
    Kobushi Factory → OCHA NORMA
    Country Girls → Rosy Chronicle
    Those two groups only happened because they shifted over existing personnel and management resources.
    If they make a genuinely new group, it'll be the first time working with brand-new resources since BEYOOOOONDS nine years ago,
    so that would be a pretty big gamble for the agency too.
    23AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:17
    Honestly, I bet a lot of the trainees have a mindset of 'if I can't get into Juice=Juice, anywhere else is fine.'
    25AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:18
    But there was a huge gap in time between Country Girls and Rosy Chronicle.
    26AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:19
    'Personnel resources' — you mean like, at most, a manager? lol
    28AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:22
    Since "Grand Master" Yamazaki Aoi skipped out on them, Hoshibe Shu will be handling the songwriting full-throttle now.
    29AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:23
    Re: #24
    Those two groups were the biggest draws, so plenty has already flowed back down over the years.
    Do you really think Rosy Chronicle can pull off a national hall tour and Yokohama Arena?
    33AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:26
    Re: #29
    So you're saying it's not happening right now.
    Then let's just disband Morning Musume and use those resources to pave Rosy Chronicle's road to Budokan.
    30AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:24
    Let's flip it and have Tsunku handle it instead —
    the group he's currently looking after has a really good vibe going.
    37AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:30
    You guys sure love the word 'resources.'
    But Hello! Project fans themselves are running low on both life resources and money resources,
    so the fanbase just keeps shrinking.
    38AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:30
    Give it that vibe from early Juice=Juice, back when Laforet Harajuku was providing the costumes.
    52AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:42
    If it's a kendama (Japanese cup-and-ball) unit, the odds of landing a Kohaku Uta Gassen [year-end music special] spot go way up

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Aside from Morning Musume, Hello! Project has never officially stated a fixed cycle for forming new groups — the “3-year cycle theory” floated in the thread is simply a fan-made rule of thumb derived by working backward from past debut years. In practice, many of these launches have been “refreshes” that inherited personnel and management resources from existing groups, as with Kobushi Factory → OCHA NORMA and Country Girls → Rosy Chronicle, and no group has been built from entirely new resources since BEYOOOOONDS nine years ago. What split the thread this time was a divide between those who take the cycle theory at face value and expect a new lineup next year, and those who point to Rosy Chronicle’s current struggles to draw crowds at larger venues and argue that developing existing groups should take priority over forming a new one. Neither side is working from any official announcement, and it’s worth keeping in mind that this remains fan speculation.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “What direction should the group forming next year, centered on Suzuki Kotomi, take?“

  • ‘Tokyo Food Is Bad’ Debate Sparks Pushback — 5ch Users Note Tokyo Ranks 36th in Tap Water Rankings

    A thread on 5ch’s Nandemo Jikkyo (“Anything Goes”) board asked, in essence, whether people from the countryside who claim “Tokyo food is bad” have actually ever been to Tokyo. The poster argued that with its huge population and sheer number of restaurants, Tokyo offers everything from high-end establishments to neighborhood Chinese joints. That drew a swift rebuttal: “The water’s bad, so it’s a lost cause.” The discussion eventually escalated into a citation of a prefecture-by-prefecture tap water ranking, which placed Tokyo at a middling 36th place. Some commenters also pointed out a flaw in the comparison itself: people tend to judge “Tokyo has great food” by high-end restaurants, while judging “the countryside has bad food” by cheap, everyday spots — turning the thread into something more nuanced than a simple Tokyo-vs-countryside spat.

    1AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:17
    Tokyo's population and number of restaurants are on a whole different scale
    Everything's here — high-end spots, neighborhood Chinese diners, ramen, sushi, cuisine from every country
    And yet people from the countryside: "Tokyo food sucks!"
    4AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:19
    The water's bad, so there's nothing to be done about it
    9AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:21
    Gindaco went global, didn't it?
    What about authentic Osaka takoyaki?
    10AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:22
    Re: #9
    Gindaco is from Gunma (not Osaka)
    15AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:27
    Re: #9
    W-well, Wanaka's popular worldwide thanks to Es Con Field… (voice trembling) (Wanaka is a famous Osaka takoyaki chain; Es Con Field is a baseball stadium in Hokkaido)
    13AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:26
    If you're willing to pay top yen, Tokyo has plenty of great food you can't get in the countryside — but there's no cheap food that's actually good.
    Even a place with a long line was bad.
    21AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:33
    Re: #13
    Which place did you line up at?
    Standing in line at a tourist-trap spot and standing in line at a place like Meat Yazawa (a genuinely well-regarded Tokyo restaurant) are two completely different things.
    28AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:36
    Re: #24
    Tokyo's hand-me-down storefronts (shops that move into a previous tenant's old space as-is) are exactly the kind of places with rotten old plumbing.
    46AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:42
    Re: #28
    Oh really? So even those run-down-looking, long-established restaurants out in the countryside have brand-new pipes putting out clean, delicious water?
    Wow, amazing~
    32AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:37
    Re: #30
    Where did Tokyo rank on that list again? If you're from a region that ranked above it, of course the food's going to taste worse to you.
    41AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:41
    Re: #32
    21 Fukushima
    22 Hiroshima
    23 Tochigi
    24 Gunma
    25 Mie
    26 Wakayama
    27 Aichi
    28 Kochi
    29 Yamaguchi
    30 Oita
    31 Nara
    32 Fukuoka
    33 Ehime
    34 Kanagawa
    35 Kyoto
    36 Tokyo
    37 Shiga
    38 Okayama
    39 Ibaraki
    40 Saga
    41 Hyogo
    42 Nagasaki
    43 Kagawa
    44 Saitama
    45 Osaka
    46 Chiba
    47 Okinawa
    45AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:41
    Re: #41
    Guess it was right after all that I, a countryside guy, thought it tasted bad.
    53AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:43
    Re: #41
    Kyoto — everything was delicious! Like, refined, you know?
    Even the rice and miso soup were incredible.
    33AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:38
    Tokyo's tap water is good enough that they bottle and sell it as "Tokyo Water."
    38AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:40
    Re: #33
    These days the countryside's tap water is terrible too!
    37AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:40
    For example —
    "Nagoya food is bad." What comes to mind?
    Probably Nagoya specialties like miso katsu or miso nikomi udon, right?
    But when it's "Tokyo food is great," suddenly people start talking about how great the high-end French or Chinese food is.
    Tokyoites don't realize they use a different standard when trashing the countryside versus glorifying Tokyo.
    For what it's worth, you can get high-end French and Chinese food in Nagoya too.
    39AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:40
    Re: #37
    Tokyo = ramen, right?
    42AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:41
    Re: #39
    Well then it's bad. Jiro lol (Ramen Jiro, a famously divisive ramen chain)
    48AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:42
    Re: #45
    Osaka's even worse than Tokyo, and Kyoto's not much different, so I guess it's all bad.
    50AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:43
    Re: #48
    I'm not from Osaka, so I wouldn't know.
    55AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:44
    Re: #53
    So it doesn't sound like Tokyo's actually bad because of the water, then.
    59AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:44
    Re: #55
    Kyoto's tap water isn't bad to begin with.
    57AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:44
    Re: #46
    It's because the base water quality is just different — hardness, everything.
    I want you to try the water from my hometown just once.
    70AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:51
    Re: #57
    Are we talking well water?
    If it's tap water, it all comes down to the purification systems — and Tokyo's the best at that.
    They make drinkable water out of sewage with actual crap mixed in.
    58AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:44
    Country bumpkins don't have the money, so even when they come to Tokyo they can only afford cheap chain restaurants and low-end joints.
    And then they go "Tokyo food's nothing special," "Tokyo food sucks," acting like they've figured Tokyo out. That's honestly hilarious.
    62AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:47
    Re: #58
    It's not really that they lack money, more precisely they lack information.
    Though I guess in a world where information is money, that might tie back to having no money anyway.
    61AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:46
    Isn't it just that Tokyoites never leave Tokyo, so they can't actually make the comparison?
    73AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:54
    Re: #61
    Is there actually any data on that, I wonder?
    66AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:50
    Re: #64
    So Jiro is what comes up as an example of bad Tokyo food?
    69AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:51
    Kanto udon's appearance is seriously not okay…
    71AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:52
    Re: #69
    What you're talking about is standing-eat udon stalls.
    74AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:54
    Re: #72
    Where did anyone say Jiro was good?
    76AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:57
    Re: #74
    Then your Japanese is off.
    Do you understand what context means?
    77AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:59
    Re: #76
    Nobody's out there saying Jiro represents Tokyo ramen.

    Background and Key Points of This Debate

    This kind of “Tokyo vs. the countryside” debate is a 5ch staple, but what caught people’s attention this time was the prefecture-by-prefecture tap water ranking cited in the thread. No source was explicitly named, but surveys of this kind — often published by home appliance makers to promote water purifiers — are frequently cited on social media and are said to reflect regional differences in water sources and disinfection methods. That said, this is not an official government statistic but the result of a single survey, and it’s worth noting that the Tokyo Metropolitan Waterworks Bureau itself promotes its high adoption rate of advanced purification treatment as a key selling point. Some replies in the thread pointed out a double standard in the comparison — judging “Tokyo food is great” by high-end restaurants while judging “the countryside’s food is bad” by cheap, everyday spots — highlighting the kind of goalpost-shifting common in these regional debates. Opinion split over the claim that Tokyo’s “great restaurants” skew toward the expensive end, met with the counterargument that this describes tourist-oriented spots rather than reality — and that particular point was never resolved.

    ※This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Sad News] Countryside Resident: “Tokyo Food Sucks!” — Apparently Has Never Been to Tokyo“.

  • Mie: 24-Year-Old Man Goes Missing on Mt. Kurakake Pass After Quitting Hike Just 15 Minutes In — Search Resumes at Dawn

    A 24-year-old man who had gone hiking with acquaintances at Kurakake Pass in Inabe City, Mie Prefecture, has been reported missing. According to reports, the man complained of fatigue and quit the hike just 15 minutes after starting, telling the group he would head back down alone — but he was never heard from again. The search has continued since the previous day and resumed on the morning of September 3rd. On the forum thread, many reacted with surprise (“You can get lost in a distance of just 15 minutes?”), while others pointed out that the scenery looks different on the way down than on the way up, making it easy to lose the trail, and some noted a discrepancy in the article between “3 people” and “4 people” regarding the number of companions.

    Quit hiking just 15 minutes in… 24-year-old man, one of a group of 4, went missing after descending alone — search resumes at dawn

    Thu, Sep 3, 6:31 AM JST

    Tokai TV

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

    4AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:08
    You can get lost after walking for only 15 minutes…?
    5AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:09
    Quit the hike after just 15 minutes, though
    11AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:10
    Genuine question for anyone who really knows the area — if you compare it to Mt. Fuji, what part would this be????
    268AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:42
    Re: #11
    Got lost 15 minutes after setting off from the 5th station (the roughly halfway rest point) lol
    13AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:10
    Re: #5
    Maybe he just didn't want to go in the first place?
    27AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:12
    Re: #13
    He's not some elementary schooler who quietly wanders off without a word while hanging out with friends he's not that into lol
    132AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:26
    Re: #27
    That's literally me 🥺︎︎
    306AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:47
    Re: #27
    That's me leaving the after-party (nijikai) lol
    22AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:12
    LOL. Surely if you're within 15 minutes of the starting point, your life can't be in danger
    113AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:24
    Re: #22
    You climb for 15 minutes, turn back after 5, take a wrong turn, walk another 20 minutes and still can't get back, and then you can't even retrace the way you came — at that point you're done for.

    That's basically how people get lost in the mountains
    25AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:12
    Couldn't he get back down even using the GPS on his phone?
    272AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:42
    Re: #25
    Probably doesn't know how to use it — the generation that only uses phones for games and social media
    29AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:13
    Anyone here know the area well? Is Kurakake Pass in Inabe City, Mie Prefecture a difficult route?
    88AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:22
    Re: #29
    No idea — never even heard of a city called Inabe before, so I couldn't tell you
    106AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:23
    Re: #29
    I'm a local, but it's not even a famous mountain to begin with, so I don't even have a sense of what "climbing" it means
    189AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:33
    Re: #29
    It's the trailhead for Mt. Oike. If you're lucky, you might spot a squirrel along the way
    40AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:16
    Is it really possible to not find your way back after walking for only 15 minutes lol. Was he bushwhacking through the undergrowth or something?
    114AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:24
    Re: #40
    I think it's possible. The scenery looks quite different going up versus coming down. If someone has a poor sense of direction, this kind of thing isn't surprising
    124AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:25
    Re: #40
    Even straying off the trail just a little can easily turn into getting lost — it happens all the time
    49AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:17
    Low mountains are actually tricky because the trails are hard to make out
    58AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:18
    Re: #49
    Even so, he'd only walked for 15 minutes…
    156AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:29
    Re: #49
    If you get lost in the mountains, head upward — that's the golden rule of hiking. Whether it's Mt. Fuji or Everest, going up will tell you where you are
    60AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:18
    >"Came hiking with 4 people"
    >"started hiking with 3 acquaintances"
    So is it 3 or 4, make up your mind
    86AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:22
    Re: #60
    If you're not trolling, go back and redo elementary school
    117AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:24
    Re: #60
    This is exactly the type of guy who gets lost in the mountains lol
    307AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:47
    Re: #60
    Came hiking with 4 people = 3 acquaintances + the guy who went missing. Got it?
    79AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:21
    Wasn't he already not feeling well to begin with?
    138AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:27
    Re: #79
    I get that he wasn't feeling well, but why would that make him get lost?
    193AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:34
    Re: #79
    Maybe he drank the night before and was hungover
    100AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:23
    This is what you get from the 'yutori' generation (Japan's so-called "relaxed education" cohort, roughly millennials)
    108AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:24
    Re: #100
    Since he's 24, he's actually not from the generation that went through the 'yutori' relaxed-education system
    202AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:35
    Re: #100
    24-year-olds aren't 'yutori generation' lol lol
    159AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:30
    This missing guy is just like me. My company forced me to go on a hike up Mt. Rokko, so I had no idea about the trail either. I get the urge to give up after 15 minutes, but I couldn't do it since I wouldn't have been able to get back alone
    168AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:31
    Re: #159
    Rock Garden (a famous rocky scramble section on Mt. Rokko) is rough going for a beginner
    180AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:33
    Re: #168
    Saw a local's Pomeranian climbing it too lol
    203AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:35
    Re: #168
    They made me climb that section on my third time up Mt. Rokko. I was seriously like, are you kidding me
    300AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:45
    Doesn't look like the kind of place you'd get lost in at a glance

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    Kurakake Pass sits in the Suzuka Mountains on the border between Mie and Shiga prefectures and is one of the main trailheads for Mt. Oike, though it’s a low mountain with little name recognition nationwide. Even low mountains often have trails that branch in complicated ways, and cases where hikers lose the trail because the scenery looks different on the way down than on the way up are considered a classic pattern behind getting-lost incidents. The discrepancy discussed on the thread — the article referring to both “3 acquaintances” and “a group of 4” — is likely not actually contradictory if you count the missing man himself as the fourth person, suggesting the topic arose from a misreading. Cases of hikers going missing within such a short time and distance of starting out, as in this incident, aren’t unusual, and since factors such as losing the trail, sudden illness, or a fall could all be at play, there is currently no way to pin down the cause for certain.

    *This article was compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “[Mie] Quit hiking just 15 minutes in… 24-year-old man, one of a group of 4, went missing after descending alone — search resumes at dawn, Kurakake Pass.”

  • Osaka City Moves to Tighten Vacation Rental Rules — 5ch Asks: “What Kind of Apartment Isn’t Wood or Steel-Framed Anyway?”

    Osaka City is moving to tighten its own regulations on “minpaku” (private home-stay vacation rentals), which have been plagued by a string of noise complaints and other trouble. The city plans to add a requirement for buildings with high sound insulation to the licensing conditions for minpaku operated under the Hotel Business Act, effectively barring wood-frame and steel-frame apartments from opening as a general rule. The city had previously promoted “special zone minpaku” under the National Strategic Special Zones Act, but that scheme has already stopped accepting new business applications. On 5ch, the thread saw a mix of basic questions about the details of the new rules and a divided debate over the responsibility of the politicians who pushed special zone minpaku, as well as the surge in foreign tourists.

    Published 9/3 (Thu) 5:00 AM

    The Asahi Shimbun

    In response to a string of noise-related and other troubles involving “minpaku” vacation rentals, Osaka City is moving to introduce its own regulations, including adding a requirement for buildings with high sound insulation to the conditions for obtaining a business license. The city had previously promoted “special zone minpaku,” a scheme under the National Strategic Special Zones Act with relaxed licensing rules, in order to prepare for the rapid increase in inbound foreign tourists, but it has already stopped accepting new business applications for that program. This time, the city will tighten licensing regulations for minpaku operated under the Hotel Business Act instead.

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

    2AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:16
    Fashionable prefab construction it is, then
    42AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:29
    The yield on investment condos like J-REITs is calculated from rental income, but realistically a lot of them are probably being used as minpaku. I can't imagine there are tenants out there paying ¥1-2 million a month in rent.
    24AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:22
    What kind of apartment isn't wood-frame or steel-frame anyway?
    85AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:42
    Re: #24
    Thatch-roofed, obviously.
    32AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:24
    Just scrap minpaku already. Or have civil servants actually manage the trash properly.
    48AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:30
    Re: #32
    Tokyo: "We're going to start charging for garbage bags."
    Wouldn't be surprised if they start charging for collection itself before long.
    37AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:26
    Investment condos are totally fine! Zero damage ♪
    43AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:29
    >Operators, including existing ones, will be required to keep staff stationed within 1km of the property while guests are staying there.
    That's a good rule.
    53AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:31
    Re: #43
    Great news for the management proxy agencies.

    Though for guests and neighbors, I doubt they'll actually respond properly if something goes wrong anyway.
    51AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:31
    Re: #1
    So applications for regular minpaku surged because the special zone minpaku application window closed in May. Why does Osaka City alone keep seeing this kind of increase?
    61AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:34
    Here we go again, Hashimoto's gonna lose it lol
    82AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:40
    Re: #69
    It was also "Gā-sū" (nickname for then-PM Yoshihide Suga) back in the Abe era who let immigration policy go slack. Looking back, Suga was pretty rough.
    123AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:12
    Re: #69
    [TV] Toru Hashimoto, on a Chinese owner's "illegal minpaku": "Who's the one who started special zone minpaku? Me!"
    https://hayabusa9.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/mnewsplus/1749378621/
    Hashimoto brazenly admitted with a smile, "That's right. It was me, along with Ichiro Matsui and [Hirofumi] Yoshimura, who called for turning Osaka into a minpaku city, pushed hard on the Abe administration, and expanded special zone minpaku. That was us!"
    81AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:40
    The "Minpaku New Law," which made it possible to operate minpaku even in residential-only zones where hotels and inns generally can't operate,

    and the massive deregulation of special zone minpaku rules that let minpaku operate almost like full hotels —

    both of those are thanks to the LDP and the Abe administration.

    ■ Minpaku New Law


    ■ The minimum stay requirement for special zone minpaku was deregulated down to 2 nights/3 days
    https://minpakubusiness.com/kiseikanwasochi/
    120AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:10
    Re: #1
    Number of special zone minpaku rooms (Feb 2024 – May 2026)
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HM3vqYabEAArWnR.png
    128AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:14
    Re: #123
    So the ultimate responsibility lies with Abe, doesn't it? He was the head of government at the time and held the final decision-making power.
    129AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:15
    Re: #128
    The reason the numbers are so abnormally high only in Osaka is because Ishin pushed for it.
    144AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:20
    Re: #129
    With the Expo and the casino, Ishin's economic policy is all-in on inbound tourism.
    146AnonymousSep 3, 2026 10:21
    The turning point of Japan's decline


    The economic scale of inbound tourism amounts to only a few trillion yen at most. Meanwhile, tens of millions of foreign tourists also generate social costs — dealing with noise, garbage, and even public defecation.
    185AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:04
    But they're not actually going to crack down on it, are they?
    187AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:06
    Re: #185
    When Ishin says they'll do something, they actually follow through. That's one thing you have to give them credit for, unlike other parties.
    188AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:07
    Re: #187
    Then hurry up and abolish the tax exemption for foreign tourists already.
    190AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:08
    Re: #187
    They've said before that they'd "provide guidance," but the number of shops actually stripped of tax-free status has been zero.
    191AnonymousSep 3, 2026 11:11
    Trend in Osaka City's foreign resident population — up 25,056 people in one year
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HOY3L9ubUAAOs6K.jpg

    Background and Key Points of Debate

    It’s easy to misunderstand that this round of tightened regulations targets minpaku operated under the Hotel Business Act — a separate framework from the “special zone minpaku” system (which relaxed licensing rules under the National Strategic Special Zones Act) that Osaka City once promoted. Special zone minpaku has already stopped accepting new applications, and posters in the thread pointed out that this has caused a rebound surge in applications for minpaku under the Hotel Business Act instead. The thread’s opinions mainly split over the question of “whose decision drove the deregulation,” with back-and-forth arguments over whether responsibility lies with the Abe and Suga administrations, which led the push for special zone minpaku and the Minpaku New Law, or with the Osaka Ishin party and Toru Hashimoto, who actually made use of the special zone on the ground. Hashimoto’s own past TV remarks admitting “I’m the one who did it” were cited as material for understanding the background. Meanwhile, how effective the concrete details of the new regulations will actually be in practice — such as the sound-insulation standards or the requirement to station staff within 1km of a property — remains an open question in both the article and the thread.

    ※This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary from the 5ch (Breaking News+) thread “Osaka City to Tighten Regulations on Opening “Minpaku” — Wood and Steel-Frame Apartments to Generally Be Barred“.