Japan Reacts

Category: Entertainment

  • Daisuke Motoki’s ‘Drastic Weight Loss’ Photo Shocks Fans — Down 23kg From His Playing Days, Doctor Once Said He Was ‘Basically Diabetic’

    On September 13, Daisuke Motoki (54) posted a photo to Instagram taken during his appearance on Nippon TV’s “Sunday PUSH Sports.” His noticeably slimmer frame drew a wave of surprise and concern from fans, with comments like “Have you lost weight again?” He is said to have dropped 23kg from his playing days, and it was also reported that a doctor had previously told him he was “basically diabetic.” On 5ch, posters shared their own experiences losing weight on diabetes medication and debated how bodies change with age, with worried reactions mixing with more matter-of-fact takes.

    On September 13, Daisuke Motoki (54) — a former professional baseball player and coach for the Yomiuri Giants who now works as a TV personality — updated his Instagram with a full-body shot from his appearance on “Sunday PUSH Sports” (Nippon TV).

    [Photo included] “Honestly worried” — fans stunned by Daisuke Motoki’s “drastically slimmer” look

    Motoki wore an autumn-appropriate outfit — a dark brown zip-up jacket, beige pants, and sneakers — that showed off his noticeably slimmer frame. But fans who saw the photo responded with surprise and concern, with comments like “Have you lost weight again?”

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

    9AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:26
    Maybe if he took up yoga and became buddies with Tsurutaro Kataoka, nobody would worry about him. (Kataoka is a Japanese actor famous for his yoga practice and lean look well into his 60s.)
    13AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:27
    Looks like he's dieting without any exercise.
    16AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:28
    He dropped weight fast after Ohtani glared at him, didn't he?
    18AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:29
    I wonder if he actually got a diabetes diagnosis. If so, that's great news — it means insurance covers Mounjaro. I got diagnosed with type 2 diabetes myself and lost 25kg in six months on Mounjaro. People I haven't seen in a while are shocked when they see me. Sure, it might age your face a bit, but all my bad bloodwork numbers improved and my fatty liver cleared up, so health-wise it's a win. Looking older is a small price to pay for that.
    19AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:29
    Lately even his commentary sounds like his brain isn't keeping up, it's honestly a little scary to listen to.
    He really needs to eat more.
    20AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:30
    Looking older… well, he's 54, isn't that just normal?
    This is about the right look for his age.
    21AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:30
    Re: #1
    He looks like a 68-year-old grandpa.
    22AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:31
    He looks way too unhealthy for a 54-year-old.
    23AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:31
    Re: #15
    Look at the fifty-somethings around you.
    83AnonymousSep 16, 2026 01:38
    Re: #23
    They look younger than that.
    30AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:38
    So even though he has a wife, he was the one eating however he wanted? If he were single, a messed-up diet would make more sense, but…
    46AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:53
    Re: #30
    It's not like he's a salaryman — he probably doesn't eat at home that often.
    32AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:38
    His hairstyle always bugs me, it looks like something out of a Drifters comedy skit. (The Drifters were a legendary Japanese slapstick comedy troupe.)
    33AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:41
    My blood sugar's at 240 too, I guess I should follow his lead.
    38AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:43
    He's on the thin side, but still within a normal weight range, so I don't see the problem.
    45AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:53
    He got told he was pre-diabetic and lost weight because of it — if anything that's a good thing, no?
    48AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:56
    Normally once you're past 50 your body settles down to about this.
    Whether it's the Motoki pattern, some illness or surgical condition, or just eating less as you age.

    It's the comedians who stay hugely overweight forever that are the weird ones.
    55AnonymousSep 16, 2026 01:05
    The moment these guys retire from playing, their calorie intake massively overshoots.
    58AnonymousSep 16, 2026 01:13
    Lose too much weight and you just end up looking like a gaunt, wrinkly old man.
    62AnonymousSep 16, 2026 01:19
    Diabetes has nothing to do with me, but it really is bad enough for your body to cause weight loss this drastic.
    I get why it ends up being the cause of death for so many people.
    64AnonymousSep 16, 2026 01:24
    Kiyohara's diabetic too, but he's stayed heavy, hasn't he? (Kazuhiro Kiyohara, another former pro baseball star.)
    65AnonymousSep 16, 2026 01:24
    Why not just say flat-out 'you have diabetes'? Why phrase it as 'basically diabetic'?
    67AnonymousSep 16, 2026 01:25
    Former 'ramen shop owner'
    Did this guy have any other title besides that?
    70AnonymousSep 16, 2026 01:27
    Re: #67
    Apparently he used to be some kind of pro athlete
    Sepak takraw, maybe? (a joking guess — sepak takraw is a Southeast Asian kick-volleyball sport)
    78AnonymousSep 16, 2026 01:33
    Here you go

    Background and Talking Points

    The phrase “basically diabetic” appears to describe a “pre-diabetic” stage, where blood sugar or HbA1c levels are close to the diagnostic threshold — wording doctors often use to convey the situation without issuing a formal diagnosis. In recent years, rapid weight loss via GLP-1 receptor agonists (such as Mounjaro) has become a hot topic, and the thread included posts from users sharing their own treatment experiences. On the other hand, specific speculation about Motoki’s diet or personal relationships could not be confirmed in the original article and amounts to baseless conjecture, so it has been excluded here. Rapid weight loss can result from treating lifestyle-related disease, but it can also stem from other underlying conditions, so it’s worth noting that the cause can’t be determined from appearance alone.

    *This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Geisports Sokuho+) thread “Daisuke Motoki’s ‘Drastically Thinner’ Photo Stuns Fans — Down 23kg From His Peak, Doctor Once Said ‘Basically Diabetic’.”

  • Takei So Laments the ‘Whoever Gets Away With It Wins’ Era: ‘A Crazy Time When Even Violence and Lies Attract Legitimate Money’

    Talent Takei So updated his X account by September 15, 2026, posting a lament about modern society: “It’s become a world with neither good nor evil — a crazy era where even violence and lies, nuisances and worthless things, all attract legitimate money out in the open.” The post argued that a system where you can cash in just by grabbing attention, by any means necessary, with no need for righteousness, hard-earned skill, or sincerity, is mocking the people who sincerely support others. Reactions on 5ch were split, with some sympathizing with the point of the post while others pushed back with comments like “This hasn’t changed since forever” and “Wasn’t Takei himself active within the confines of TV too?”

    Talent Takei So (53) updated his X (formerly Twitter) account by the 15th, writing a lament: “What a sad era this is.”

    Takei began: “It’s become a world with neither good nor evil — a crazy era where even violence and lies, nuisances and worthless things, all attract legitimate money out in the open.”

    “A machine that needs no righteousness, no hard-earned skill, no sincerity, no learning whatsoever — one that turns attention into money by any means necessary — hands fame even to the most shameless of the greedy, and mocks the very people this world needs to support others. What a sad era this is.”

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

    3AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:58
    When the hell is Family History actually gonna air already
    5AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:59
    Re: #1
    Worthless garbage TV saying something.
    6AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:59
    Talking like things were ever different back in the day.
    7AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:00
    Pretty vague.
    Can't tell what he's actually criticizing.
    95AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:36
    Re: #7
    Part of the problem is it's a world where calling that kind of person out by name gets you sued now.
    9AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:00
    Re: #1
    What's this guy talking about? Weren't you bragging about your sleep schedule too? You just weren't good enough at it to cash in like Horie did (likely a jab referencing entrepreneur Takafumi Horie).
    10AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:00
    Talking about yourself? You can beat a lion, right? (a dig at Takei's famous claim that he could win a fight against a lion)
    11AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:00
    This is on you guys.

    You force-feed us baseball! Korea! Johnny's talent agency! K-pop values morning to night,

    and then the second everyone looks away it's trash talk? lol
    14AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:02
    This just confirmed Japan's still got plenty of room left to sink to rock bottom.
    15AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:02
    The Tokyo over-concentration thing is real, they were just covering it on the news — charging 200,000 yen for a room that cramped and still raising it? That's how it goes when money piles up in places that don't actually produce anything — it warps everything.
    17AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:02
    A slightly late jab at the 24-Hour TV charity telethon?
    19AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:02
    Are Takei So and Takei Emi seriously blood siblings or something? Are you dumb?
    20AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:03
    Also JR East and Tokyo Metro are a mess of delays and trouble nonstop, yet people from the Tokyo suburbs keep riding them anyway.
    23AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:03
    He means the LDP, right?
    29AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:06
    Re: #23
    He means Horie. This guy used to run the same act himself, so he's just jealous of Horie. Pot calling the kettle black.
    24AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:04
    And then there's rice wholesalers, Mercari, Timee — nothing but middlemen skimming off fees.
    30AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:07
    If that's how you feel, go straight then (lol). Honest work attracts honest money.
    31AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:07
    Coming from 'King of the Beasts' Takei, it doesn't carry much weight.
    What's he even in a mood about in the first place?
    33AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:07
    Education and the legal system in this country are done for, so there's no fixing it now.
    36AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:09
    Turns out TV and celebrities were all filthy underneath.
    39AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:09
    Politics has gone the same way — quietly doing solid work gets no credit while flashy performance wins.
    On top of that, going viral wins out over plain truth even if it's a rumor or wishful thinking — that same social mood is also behind the rise in 'yami-baito' crime-for-hire gig jobs.
    41AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:10
    Well, hosts, hostesses, and organized-crime types are way too out in the open these days, and it does feel off that nuisance streamers rake in cash from donations.

    "Infamy beats obscurity."
    "Bad money drives out good."
    I've been seeing these sayings a lot lately.
    90AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:33
    Re: #41
    There's Takashi Tachibana, who preached exactly that and still ended up sent to a detention center.
    42AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:10
    That includes you too — no real talent, not even funny, just cashing in on industry connections.
    43AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:10
    Re: #1
    No, hold on — to begin with, the whole system of the entertainment industry funneling money to organized crime is insane. Newspapers and TV networks are run by the same anti-social groups too.
    45AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:10
    Aren't talents pretty much the same thing?
    46AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:10
    Isn't it the same with politicians, the press, and TV stations?
    53AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:12
    Too many celebrities trash-talk capitalism while shilling products themselves, so I don't trust any of them. Making worthless stuff look valuable and selling it at a markup is basically the celebrity business model.
    56AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:14
    Re: #53 👈 the best thing anyone's written since the Reiwa era began
    54AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:13
    Guess he means the crowd in showbiz and streaming where getting noticed is everything.
    57AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:14
    This has always been the case.
    The internet just made it easier for it to surface.
    60AnonymousSep 16, 2026 00:15
    From where we're standing, you're one of them too.

    Background and Points of Debate

    Takei’s post appears to have been prompted by the recent trend of nuisance streamers, hosts, hostesses, and organized-crime-linked figures gaining more presence on social media and in the press, while quiet effort and sincerity go unrewarded. In the thread, some cited the saying “Infamy beats obscurity,” pointing to the real-world example of Takashi Tachibana of the NHK Party, who gained fame through similar tactics and ended up sent to a detention center. At the same time, pushback was common, with comments like “The dynamic of ‘whoever stands out wins’ hasn’t changed since forever” and “Takei himself has worked as a TV talent,” and some pointed out that it’s hard to tell exactly who or what the criticism is actually aimed at. Others suggested that cases where crimes go unprosecuted, and a system where even spreading misinformation can grab attention, are part of what’s behind social problems like the rise of “yami-baito” crime-for-hire gig work.

    ※This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary from the 5ch (Geisports Sokuhou+) thread “Takei So Laments the ‘Whoever Gets Away With It Wins’ Era: ‘A Crazy Time When Even Violence and Lies, Nuisances, and Worthless Things All Attract Legitimate Money’.”

  • Nadeshiko Japan Opens With 8-0 Rout, But Only 1,202 Fans Show Up — Empty Seats Fill 50,000-Capacity Stadium

    Nadeshiko Japan faced off against Thailand in their opening Group Stage match at the Asian Games, cruising to an 8-0 win with hat tricks from Yoshino Nakajima and Saori Takarada. But only 1,202 spectators showed up at Ecopa Stadium (capacity roughly 50,000), and the fact that there was no terrestrial TV broadcast also became a talking point. On 5ch, reactions poured in from every angle — questions about why a tournament held in Aichi was using a venue in Shizuoka, debate over the drawing power of women’s sports in general, and comparisons with other sports like volleyball and basketball.

    “I can’t believe there was no broadcast on a terrestrial channel”

    The Asian Games, held in Japan for the first time in 32 years, kicked off. On September 14, Nadeshiko Japan faced Thailand’s women’s team in their Group E opener and won big, 8-0. Yoshino Nakajima scored a hat trick in the first half and Saori Takarada added another in the second, with the team notching four goals in each half.

    [Video] Stands nearly empty… Ecopa Stadium’s 50,000-seat capacity leaves empty seats everywhere

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

    3AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:10
    That's the real question — why is this even being held in Shizuoka?
    If it's an Aichi tournament, at least hold it somewhere in Aichi, there's no shortage of stadiums there.
    74AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:24
    Re: #3
    The Tokyo Olympics had matches all over Japan too, you know.
    99AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:28
    Re: #3
    Aichi's stadiums like Toyota Stadium and Mizuho are mainly used for the men's games, while the women get sent to Nagaragawa, Nagai, Ecopa, and the like.
    8AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:11
    Volleyball's women's side is popular though.
    90AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:27
    Re: #8
    That's because men's volleyball is boring.
    14AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:13
    Volleyball and basketball both use women's-specific equipment, but women's soccer uses the exact same setup as the men, which makes it look even more underwhelming.
    20AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:14
    Re: #14
    I have no idea what you're talking about.
    71AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:24
    Re: #20
    Women's volleyball has a lower net, and women's basketball uses a smaller ball — they're properly customized for the women's game, so it doesn't suffer by comparison to the men's and stays easy to enjoy.
    But women's soccer uses the exact same ball, goals, and pitch as the men.
    That's why it ends up looking even more underwhelming.
    102AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:28
    Re: #71
    Even with tweaks like that it'd still be way weaker than the men's game — in speed and power both.
    111AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:31
    Re: #71
    They should shrink the pitch and use a smaller ball too.
    Use a bouncier ball so it picks up speed when kicked.
    Something about the women's game just feels underwhelming.
    Basketball's still fun even with women players though.
    30AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:16
    Well, it's basically the third string — no Hasegawa, no Tanikawa.

    For reference, the Women's Asian Cup drew 74,397 fans.
    61AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:22
    Re: #30
    I guess women's soccer is popular in Australia? The US too, come to think of it — but it's not really the same story in Asia.
    31AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:17
    Is there anything about the Asian Games actually worth watching?
    Even soccer's fielding what's basically the fourth string, nothing but players nobody's ever heard of, right?
    38AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:17
    Re: #31
    Women's track and field.
    Throwing events excluded, though.
    44AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:19
    Re: #31
    The Asian Games give you a chance to see sports that aren't in the Olympics, like sepak takraw.
    That's about it.
    34AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:17
    Honestly, I've got no interest in watching women's soccer unless Yui Hasegawa's out there.
    41AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:19
    I mean, it's just underwhelming.
    Can you really charge money for a match that's basically elementary-school level?
    59AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:22
    Re: #41
    The games run long too.
    With short-form video everywhere now, younger people's attention spans keep shrinking — it's an era where people can't even sit through a long movie.
    Watching a women's soccer match seems rough unless you're really into it.
    43AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:19
    Re: #20
    I think what they're saying is: other sports adjust for the physical differences between men and women, but soccer uses the same huge field as the men's game, so it ends up looking even more underwhelming by comparison.
    70AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:24
    Re: #43
    There's no such thing as a women's-specific court in volleyball or basketball.
    47AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:20
    Told you already — soccer's been a dead format for a long time now.
    51AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:21
    Re: #47
    The one that's washed up is baseball, propped up entirely by Shohei Ohtani lol
    56AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:21
    It's not just the women — the men are washed up too.
    Ball-kicking sports in general are done.
    68AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:23
    Re: #56
    So soccer's washed up even though a match between two other countries pulled 22% ratings in the middle of the night, but baseball's popular even though its best rating all year was 17% in prime time? lol
    118AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:32
    Women's soccer is boring on a whole different level — women's volleyball and basketball are seriously fun though.
    124AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:33
    Re: #118
    The field's just too big relative to how fast they can run.
    Their kicks aren't that powerful either, so you get a lot of dead, boring stretches.
    130AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:35
    Re: #118
    But soccer's actually the strongest one — if they win this time it'll be three straight titles.
    120AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:32
    Looking at it purely as a sport, soccer is where the gap between the men's and women's level shows up most clearly.
    The ball, the players' movement, the sense of speed — it's like watching adults versus kids.
    151AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:39
    Re: #120
    Boxing, maybe?
    The women's version just looks like playing around to me.
    164AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:42
    Re: #120
    Tennis and volleyball end up feeling like you're watching a completely different sport too.
    138AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:36
    It's supposed to be the Nagoya Games… so why was this held in Shizuoka…
    148AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:38
    Re: #138
    Apparently the men are playing at Toyota Stadium.
    The women get Shizuoka lol
    154AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:40
    Re: #138
    Aichi Prefecture just doesn't have many soccer or track stadiums.
    They're using not only Ecopa but even Nagai in Osaka as a venue.
    170AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:43
    Well, women's baseball draws even less than women's soccer's third string, so…
    175AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:44
    Re: #170
    Ichiro vs. a women's baseball team: 25,000 fans.
    Women's soccer at the Asian Games: 1,202 fans lol
    Less than a girls' high school baseball game lol
    182AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:45
    Re: #175
    How long are you gonna keep clinging to Ichiro lol
    214AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:50
    Re: #175
    Women's baseball at the Asian Games: 0 fans

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    This year’s Games mark Japan’s first time hosting in 32 years, with Aichi and Nagoya as the main hub and surrounding prefectures also serving as venues. The reason Nadeshiko Japan’s match was held at Ecopa in Shizuoka comes down to the fact that Aichi Prefecture has few soccer and track-and-field stadiums — the men’s games use Toyota Stadium, while the women’s games have been farmed out to venues outside the prefecture like Nagaragawa, Nagai, and Ecopa. Past editions of the Women’s Asian Cup have drawn crowds of over 70,000, so it’s not accurate to simply conclude that “women’s soccer just doesn’t draw fans.” Commenters in the thread also pointed out that the squad was missing its key players, and that with no TV broadcast, many people may not even have known the match was happening. Opinions were split between those who saw the low attendance as a sign the sport itself has lost appeal, and those who blamed the tournament’s organization and publicity. While the attendance figure alone tends to take on a life of its own, it’s worth remembering that a combination of factors — venue selection, promotion, and more — is really behind it.

    *This article is an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Express+) thread “[Asian Games] “This turnout is sad” — Nadeshiko J opens with a dominant 8-0 win… but only 1,202 fans show up in a 50,000-capacity venue. No TV broadcast either, fans lament“.

  • Shingo Yanagisawa Confesses to a Job He Refuses to Do: “I Haven’t Appeared in That Since”

    Actor Shingo Yanagisawa (64) appeared on TOKYO FM’s late-night program “TOKYO SPEAKEASY” on September 14, and during a conversation with fellow entertainer Kunikazu Katsumata, revealed that there’s a type of job he now refuses to take. The topic arose when he named the period drama “Tōyama no Kin-san” as one of the productions where he co-starred with a big-name veteran early in his career. On the 5ch thread, though, the discussion centered less on that revelation itself and more on nostalgia for Yanagisawa’s trademark impressions and signature bits like “Abayo” (his catchphrase farewell) and his “open reel” gag, along with stories about working alongside veteran actors like Tomisaburo Wakayama.

    Shingo Yanagisawa Comes Clean About a Job He Refuses: “I Haven’t Appeared in That Since,” “I Realized It Just Wasn’t for Me”

    Actor Shingo Yanagisawa (64) appeared on TOKYO FM’s late-night program “TOKYO SPEAKEASY” (Mon-Thu, 1:00 AM) on the 14th, where he had a moment revealing a job he now avoids.

    He appeared that day alongside TV personality Kunikazu Katsumata. While talking about his early career, Katsumata asked, “What was the first drama or movie you did with a big-name star?” Yanagisawa named the period drama “Tōyama no Kin-san.”

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

    5AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:21
    The Tomisaburo Wakayama and Tetsuo Ishitate stories are a sure thing, never fail to land
    7AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:23
    That's not it!

    That's not it, boss!
    8AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:23
    The one-hit wonder of ceremonial first-pitch routines
    69AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:13
    Re: #8
    His cigarette walkie-talkie bit from "Police 24 Hours" is one of a kind
    10AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:25
    Yanagizawa Shingooo~
    34AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:53
    Re: #10
    That just played in my head lol
    53AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:21
    Re: #10
    The fact that the great Wakayama kept shouting his real name shows he liked him.
    Sounds like he was actually doted on after that.
    11AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:25
    Apparently Tetsuko Kuroyanagi once blurted out the answer to question 2 while they were still on question 1, and the whole studio went dead silent.
    14AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:26
    Shingo-chan is hilarious
    Lame comedians should take notes
    25AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:40
    Re: #14
    I mean, he even gets booked for the variety-arts segment on Shōten (the long-running rakugo comedy show)
    16AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:27
    This guy's actually pretty mysterious underneath
    Feels like he's always performing
    18AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:34
    Re: #16
    Well, he's blood type AB (stereotyped in Japan as mysterious/dual-natured)
    23AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:39
    Re: #16
    He's actually super friendly
    Back when I had a part-time job trimming the hedges in the parking lot at Midoriyama Studio, he greeted me with an "otsukare" (good work) as he walked by
    He was driving a sweet Jeep Cherokee
    37AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:57
    Re: #16
    Apparently he's the quiet type at home lol
    Probably just a serious guy underneath
    17AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:32
    Why isn't "Fuzoroi no Ringotachi" ("The Uneven Apples," a famous '80s drama) available to stream?
    Is it because Mariko Ishihara is off-limits?
    19AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:35
    Being able to turn down work and still have plenty coming in — that's what makes him a big name
    20AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:38
    He's probably really well-liked within the industry
    21AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:38
    Kind of want to see a travel show with the trio of Yanagisawa, Katsumata, and Zakiyama
    31AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:50
    Re: #21
    Nah, his travel segments with Nan-chan (of the comedy duo Uchan Nanchan) are the best
    28AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:43
    Shimura & Tokoro's New Year's Battle (New Year's Day, 2005)
    Tomomi Nishimura, Shingo Yanagisawa

    Rusty-Driver Showdown
    Tomomi Nishimura attempts to park Shingo Yanagisawa's Mercedes-Benz S600 in the garage

    Mercedes-Benz S600 with Lorinser styling
    4th-generation W220

    35AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:55
    Re: #28
    Akiko Wada vs. Tetsuko Kuroyanagi in pachinko
    And that final daifuku (rice cake) game with the weird stuff hidden inside

    TV was great back in that era
    43AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:07
    Re: #28
    Versus Hanako Yamada
    63AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:48
    Re: #28
    "Abayo" ties it all together
    It's a magic word only Shingo Yanagisawa can pull off
    39AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:00
    I wish they'd release a complete DVD set of all his bits and talk segments
    A lot of it just isn't available anymore
    Would be even better if they filmed new material too
    55AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:25
    Re: #39
    Wouldn't used copies work?
    42AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:05
    I'm on Tetsuko's Room tomorrow! Abayo 👍
    https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/4167a20a2039b897f12ea4fa5730de8c10ecb1bc
    51AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:19
    Re: #42
    Set my recording for it
    48AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:17
    Re: #7
    Shut up! Zip it, you old fart!
    60AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:39
    Re: #48
    You just tacked on two extra lines there, didn't you
    71AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:21
    Re: #60
    Open reel: "kyuru kyuru kyuru kyuru" (the whirring tape-reel sound effect)
    79AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:30
    Re: #60
    I-it wasn't me! Director Matsuo told me to say it!
    56AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:32
    Kind of want to go see a Shingo Yanagisawa live show
    57AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:33
    Re: #56
    >Shingo Yanagisawa live show
    Wondered if he actually does those often
    Turns out he does
    https://yanagisawa-tour.com
    The first run sold out and the second round of tickets just opened
    59AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:39
    Not sure period dramas are really his thing lol
    61AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:42
    Re: #59
    He's actually quietly been cast in Taiga dramas (NHK's big annual historical drama) lol — he had a decent number of lines in "Yae no Sakura" and fit right in
    72AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:23
    Re: #61
    "Yae no Sakura" was good
    He blended in surprisingly well, no awkwardness at all

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    The source material for this article is a segment from TOKYO FM’s late-night program “TOKYO SPEAKEASY,” aired on the 14th, in which Shingo Yanagisawa revealed during a conversation with Kunikazu Katsumata that there’s a job he now refuses to take. The quoted excerpt names the period drama “Tōyama no Kin-san” as one of the productions where he co-starred with a big-name veteran early in his career, but exactly which job he’s turned down and why is left to the rest of the original article — it can’t be determined from the thread’s comments. What actually got the thread buzzing wasn’t the main topic but Yanagisawa’s signature material: his “open reel” bit, his radio-impression routine, stories about co-starring with veterans like Tomisaburo Wakayama and Tetsuo Ishitate, and his role in the NHK Taiga drama “Yae no Sakura” — mostly nostalgia for the comedic style and acting career he’s built over the years. A few comments did include unverified claims that Yanagisawa’s behavior had upset a specific individual, along with pushback against those claims, but since none of this could be confirmed, it has been left out of this article.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou Sports Express+) thread “[Entertainment] Shingo Yanagisawa Comes Clean About a Job He Won’t Do: “I Haven’t Appeared in That Since,” “I Realized It Just Wasn’t for Me”.”

  • Radio Host Ijuin Hikaru Slams Daisuke Hori’s Week-Long Livestream: ‘The World’s Turned Ugly’

    Streamer Daisuke Hori, who bills himself as a “short sleeper,” has been running a continuous broadcast since September 9, streaming his daily life 24/7. Scenes where he appeared to be sleeping repeatedly became a hot topic, and during a bathing scene on September 15 he accidentally exposed his lower body on camera, forcing him to cut the stream and apologize. Commenting on the incident on his radio show, Ijuin Hikaru quipped, “He’d honestly be more entertaining if he just openly gave in and slept,” criticizing the “burn-baby-burn” style of entertainment and lamenting that “the world’s turned into an ugly place.” On 5ch, while some users agreed with the criticism, plenty of others pushed back, pointing out that “Ijuin himself pulled outrageous stunts back in the day” and “TV used to do the same kind of thing,” leading to a split in opinion.

    Hori accidentally exposed himself during his week-long nonstop livestream, cutting the broadcast and apologizing

    Since September 9, Hori has been livestreaming his daily life around the clock, with scenes where he appeared to be sleeping repeatedly making waves online. On the 15th, while about to take a bath during the stream, he accidentally exposed his lower body, cutting the broadcast and apologizing — continuing to stir up controversy on social media.

    On his show, Ijuin said of Hori’s stream: “That guy who doesn’t sleep, the short sleeper — it’d honestly be funnier if he just straight-up konked out. Like, snoring away, and then going ‘no, I wasn’t asleep’ (laughs).”

    Source: weekly-jitsuwa.jp / Original article here

    3AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:39
    Whoa, there's actually a thread about short sleepers going right now. Still don't know who this guy is, honestly haven't bothered to find out — it's just a fad, he'll be gone soon enough, so learning about him would just be useless trivia anyway lol
    54AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:17
    Re: #3 He's still doing this? I already NG'd (filtered) the thread title on the live-commentary board.
    4AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:40
    Yeah, I do feel like the world's gotten uglier. YouTube's whole mindset is just 'as long as it racks up views, who cares.'
    5AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:40
    They need to crack down harder so anyone who crosses the line can't monetize. X (Twitter) turned into even more of a hellscape once it started letting people monetize too.
    13AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:46
    Re: #5 But that's the same road TV went down — got so obsessed with compliance that it became boring.
    6AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:42
    He got showered with red Super Chats (YouTube's top-tier paid donations), raked in over ¥500 million, and made his name blow up — so this is basically the 'correct answer.'
    9AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:43
    Is he really courting backlash on purpose? Feels more like he's just doing his best and this is about the level he's at.
    11AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:44
    'Infamy beats obscurity' — you don't even know that saying? It's been true forever, including in the entertainment world you came up in. Sure, things have gotten more extreme, but your generation looked just as extreme to the one before it.
    14AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:46
    Back in the day it was nothing but long hours, power harassment, and sexual harassment. People are just burning free time on something — now or then, it's not that different lol
    15AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:46
    If he's just doing this as 'I'm a genuine short sleeper, I've only slept 30 minutes a day for 17 years,' that's fine as entertainment — same vibe as the old Hiroshi Kawaguchi Exploration Team show (a classic Japanese program famous for its staged, over-the-top 'adventures'). The problem is that he's teaching it as a trainable skill and selling course materials for it — that's what's getting people to seriously fact-check him, so yeah, this reeks of manufactured controversy for clicks.
    17AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:48
    Yeah, there's definitely this trend where pissing people off is a win condition. Rile people up, draw the hate, and you go viral. That's not supposed to count as talent, but online you can actually make a living off it.
    19AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:49
    'Burn-baby-burn entertainment' — wait, is he talking about the 24-Hour TV charity telethon?
    20AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:52
    TV does pretty much the same thing though. They casually pull stunts that could get a talent killed, all for ratings.
    22AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:54
    Ijuin's not really in a position to talk though — a lot of his old segments only got a pass because it was radio. I guess now it's just that amateurs can easily pull off "Denpa Shonen"-style stunts (a legendary Japanese reality/prank show) that used to require a whole TV crew? There are probably a lot of people out there doing risky "journeys" like the comedy duo Sarugakusetsu did on that show.
    27AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:57
    Re: #22 Sarugakusetsu claimed they were 'hitchhiking' while actually taking flights for part of it. Though that's not really Sarugakusetsu's fault — that's on Denpa Shonen (the show's producers).
    74AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:30
    Re: #22 Ijuin himself used to ride a moped stark naked through the halls of the TBS Radio building back in the day.
    23AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:55
    So in the end, after pushing this far, is he not going to have any lasting health effects?
    24AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:55
    Wait, isn't Ijuin himself supposed to be a short sleeper too?
    28AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:00
    It's just that the environment now lets amateurs stream easily with zero skill required. And 'if you've got no real charm, going extreme is the only way to stand out' — that hasn't changed from the past to now. Cheap example, but it's the same as women stripping to get attention.
    30AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:02
    Everyone piling on to watch some guy who lied about not sleeping and now can't back down — and a fair number of people finding that entertaining — is honestly pretty messed up. It's really just mobbing and mocking a nobody who would've never gotten this kind of attention before.
    31AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:03
    That whole thing gives off a vibe like there's some organization behind the scenes forcing the hype, so I haven't touched it at all. The whole vibe is just boring anyway.
    32AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:04
    I think it's fine if people just do fun stuff and organically get hyped up on their own, but the people who think they can deliberately manufacture trends online are the boring ones.
    33AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:06
    Honestly, Hori's funnier than any comedian out there right now.
    34AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:06
    It was entertaining, but I'd like to see wider public opinion actually hold him accountable. Why is streaming so profitable anyway? Those guys clearly know exactly how it works and are milking it.
    35AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:07
    I honestly don't get why anyone watches this stuff in the first place.
    36AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:07
    Honestly, at this point the people who keep bashing him seem like the confusing ones. The stream itself isn't even entertaining, right? He's just grinding through it — it's just a huge waste of time.
    39AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:10
    Re: #36 You're bashing it too, though.
    37AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:09
    Sorry, I have no idea what you're trying to say.
    42AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:11
    The core issue here is the worry that people will believe what this guy says and actually end up harming their health — that's what started this whole thing.
    44AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:12
    There's a YouTuber who put together a rundown of his past — this might actually be pretty rough for him lol 🤣
    47AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:14
    Wasn't the whole premise supposed to be that he does this effortlessly, long-term…? So is this actually a 'challenge' now??
    64AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:21
    TV's been pulling 'I have psychic powers' or 'I have spiritual powers' stunts forever, so…
    67AnonymousSep 15, 2026 23:22
    Re: #64 There's a YouTuber who compiled his past — it's the video titled 'His Shady Past Exposed! Shocking Truth About His Seminars and Full Investment Scam Emails Revealed!!' This might turn into a way bigger deal than some psychic-powers scandal 🍌

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    Daisuke Hori is a self-proclaimed “short sleeper” who claims to get by on just 30 minutes of sleep a day, and since September 9 he has been running a continuous livestream broadcasting his daily life 24/7. On the thread, the main talking points have been the repeated scenes where he appeared to be sleeping during the stream, and the uproar over his accidental lower-body exposure during a bathing scene on September 15. Ijuin Hikaru’s comment was a sarcastic jab suggesting “it would honestly be funnier if he just openly slept instead of sticking to the no-sleep act,” framing it as his discomfort with this kind of “any publicity is good publicity” style of entertainment. Opinion on the thread split between those siding with the criticism and those pointing out coolly that “old TV wasn’t much different” and “Ijuin himself pulled outrageous stunts when he was young” — with some suggesting the critics might be the pot calling the kettle black. It’s also worth noting that while some posts flatly asserted that Hori’s “short-sleep training” methods and seminars are a scam, that’s purely speculation from 5ch users and has not been confirmed as fact.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Ijuin Hikaru questions short sleeper Daisuke Hori’s “week-long livestream,” laments that ‘burn-baby-burn’ entertainment has made ‘the world an ugly place’.”

  • Passenger Stumbles on Train, Gets Tsk’d — Sugichan’s Lament Has 5ch Saying ‘Just Ask If They’re Okay’

    Comedian Sugichan (53) updated his X account on the 15th, writing about something he witnessed on the train. He says he was present when a stumbling passenger was met with tsk-ing from people nearby, and the post laments the state of the world with, “Man, we’re done for.” On the 5ch thread, many voices sympathized, saying society as a whole has lost its capacity for patience, while others questioned the post itself — “Isn’t it a stretch to say people tsk just because someone stumbled?” — and pushed back against comments that pinned the blame on a specific gender, showing reactions to the story were far from uniform.

    Sugichan sees someone stumbling on the train… laments the passengers who click their tongues at them: “Man, we’re done for”

    Comedian Sugichan (53) updated his X (formerly Twitter) account on the 15th.

    He wrote about an unbelievable scene he witnessed on the train.

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

    2AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:39
    Everyone's so on edge and irritable lately.
    Like they're about to blow a fuse.
    5AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:40
    That GMO Securities ad with Sugichan's voice that plays on loop at FamilyMart makes me want to kill someone.
    7AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:40
    Even average people's morals are going downhill now.
    32AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:47
    Re: #7
    Proof that richness of heart — morals included — can't grow unless society itself has richness (mainly the economy and hope for the future).
    14AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:42
    16AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:43
    Sugichan really does seem like a genuinely good guy.
    18AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:43
    If you lean on other people instead of grabbing the handrail or strap, of course you'll get tsk'd. Come on, Sugi.
    44AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:49
    Re: #18
    Exactly.
    It's mostly people using strangers as a human stabilizer while they fiddle with their phone.
    19AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:44
    There was a passenger who saw someone stumbling on the train and did nothing but gripe about it on X.
    26AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:45
    Re: #19
    Now that you mention it, true.
    83AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:08
    Re: #19
    What could you even do in that situation?
    20AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:44
    Well, if you touch them you get treated like a groper.
    21AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:44
    I'm so sick of the 'how lame~' shtick, I wish he'd just talk normally for once.
    22AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:44
    If people swapped their tsk-ing habit for 'Are you okay?' everyone, myself included, would be a lot happier.
    23AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:44
    Getting bumped by a scruffy-looking guy versus a clean-cut one feels completely different, you know.
    24AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:45
    I had someone's foot barely brush mine once,
    and they kept tsk-ing at me over and over,
    so I completely snapped.
    51AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:53
    Re: #24
    Wild, right~ (Sugichan's signature catchphrase)
    27AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:45
    I swept his leg right out from under him~ Wild, right~
    29AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:46
    Forget Sugichan, it's Kurochan for me, dashin'! (mimicking fellow comedian Kurochan's own catchphrase tic)
    30AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:46
    Japanese people have seriously gone downhill.
    You'll even see young guys just casually sitting with their legs crossed, hogging the priority seats.
    34AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:47
    As long as there are still people out there lamenting the tsk-ers, the world hasn't been given up on yet, Sugichan.
    81AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:06
    Re: #34
    Even if it wasn't happening to you, doesn't it still feel awful just to witness?
    35AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:47
    Maybe it's because their workplace is like that.
    But then again, being like that at work
    and then playing the nice guy out in public
    seems kind of messed up too, if you ask me.
    38AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:48
    Nobody tsks just because someone stumbled.
    Describe it more accurately.
    39AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:49
    I thought this was building up to a punchline like 'Wild, right~… wait, it's you?!'
    40AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:49
    It's basically the internet's fault.
    People used to keep their honne (true feelings) separate from tatemae (public face), only showing their honne to close friends and family. But now all of that gets dumped online instead, so the line marking where someone's true nature stops has vanished — and people started acting that way in real life too.
    60AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:59
    And yet apparently, to white people, 'Japanese people are kind, considerate, and gentle'? 🙄
    86AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:10
    Re: #60
    I bet Tokyoites only act that way for white folks too, huh.
    70AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:02
    Way too many people wear earphones on packed trains.
    Saying 'excuse me, getting off' does nothing — they won't notice unless you actually bump into them.
    75AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:03
    Re: #70
    On a packed train you can't even touch your phone, so going without earphones is rough.

    Background and key points of this story

    Sugichan debuted in 1993 and made a comeback as a 53-year-old comedian on the strength of his catchphrase “Wild, right~.” This post wasn’t from a TV appearance — just a personal account of something he witnessed, shared on X. It’s worth noting that the tsk-ing passenger’s circumstances and the stumbling person’s actual condition are described purely from Sugichan’s own point of view, with no footage or third-party testimony available to verify what happened. On the thread, many agreed with the sentiment that “society as a whole has lost its capacity for patience,” but reactions weren’t uniform — comment #42, for instance, which pinned the blame on a specific gender, was immediately met with pushback calling it discriminatory. Contact and tsk-ing incidents on packed trains happen all the time, but the fact that they only go viral when relayed through a celebrity’s post is part of why this kind of story keeps resurfacing.

    *This article was compiled by excerpting and summarizing the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] Sugichan sees someone stumbling on the train… laments the passengers who click their tongues at them: “Man, we’re done for”.”

  • Hiroshima’s Sei Katsuta Struck in the Head by Pitch — Blue Tarp Shields Emergency Stretcher Exit, Stadium in Shock

    On September 15, 2026, during a Hiroshima Carp vs. Yakult Swallows game at Jingu Stadium in Tokyo, Hiroshima’s Sei Katsuta was struck on the right side of the head by a 144 km/h pitch and had to be substituted immediately. The unusual sight of him being carried off on a stretcher, his view shielded by a blue tarp, left the stadium in shock. On 5channel, many posters voiced concern for the player’s condition, while others pointed out that hit-by-pitches and mid-game substitutions have been piling up in Yakult games this season, sparking debate over the team’s image.

    Hiroshima’s Sei Katsuta subbed out after HBP to the head — 144 km/h fastball strikes right temple, freak accident stuns Jingu Stadium, player shielded by blue tarp and carried out on a stretcher

    Sep 15 (Tue), 19:44 JST

    Daily Sports

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

    2AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:40
    Re: #1
    For a second I thought he'd been carried off by an oil tanker… (pun: タンカー/"tanker" sounds just like 担架/"tanka," the actual word for stretcher)
    14AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:43
    Lol the blue tarp
    That's straight-up 'fatal accident on the tracks' energy (blue tarps are the classic visual Japanese news uses to cover bodies at accident scenes)
    17AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:44
    Players Yakult has wrecked this season:
    Ishii, Fushimi, Sakamoto, Ishihara, Katsuta
    18AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:44
    If his Hiroshima teammates know the right meds, he'll be fine
    20AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:44
    When they cover the stretcher with a blue tarp, is that because the guy soiled himself and they don't want fans seeing it?
    59AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:04
    Re: #20
    More likely because his brains are leaking out, no?
    22AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:45
    Yakult, again…? Enough is enough!
    Someone plunk Ikeyama in the dugout already, seriously
    23AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:45
    Speaking of which, whatever happened to that umpire who got hit in the head with a bat?
    25AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:46
    Hit by pitch?
    → Honestly admits it just grazed the bat handle, ruled a foul
    → Next pitch, hits him in the exact same spot again
    Classic Yakult baseball
    26AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:46
    If they broke out the blue tarp, his eyeball probably popped out or something
    27AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:47
    We don't even have a shortstop left (sob
    33AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:48
    Re: #27
    Kozono: "Guess it's…"
    Yano: "…our turn?"
    29AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:47
    Why the blue tarp though?
    Okay, now I'm genuinely worried
    30AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:48
    If it's a serious concussion, this could threaten his career
    31AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:48
    If you're gonna play a fundamentally broken sport, you gotta be ready for this 😌
    35AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:48
    Nah, just huff a 'zombie' (slang for smelling salts) and he'll be back to normal in no time
    36AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:49
    Feels like the world's gotten pretty grim since this month started
    Nonstop bad news and deaths since September began
    40AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:51
    Covering him with a blue tarp — that's what you do with a corpse
    52AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:01
    Ah, the Yakult that's famous for Osuna, huh
    53AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:01
    This is exactly why I try to avoid watching sports as much as possible
    Stay uninvolved
    Walking and light strength training is plenty for me
    54AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:01
    Whatever happened to that umpire?
    No follow-up news on him?
    57AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:03
    Broken pastime
    Can't even call it a sport — it's a hobby where the pitcher alone gets to 'take out' (56 = internet slang for korosu, "kill," used to dodge word filters) anyone he doesn't like, as many times as he wants
    60AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:05
    Sorry Boy
    66AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:09
    Re: #60
    Since we're the generation that grew up on that anime, isn't the player who just got hit basically 'Kakupuru' now?
    67AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:11
    Wait, the pitcher's from Koryo High?
    Koryo vs. the Carp
    71AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:16
    Guess that's why it's called a 'death pitch' (死球, literally "death ball," the Japanese term for hit-by-pitch) — driving the other guy toward death and all
    73AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:17
    Guess Futamata's the starting shortstop starting tomorrow, then
    74AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:17
    They should really get this place exorcised, this team is seriously cursed

    Background and talking points on this topic

    The practice of shielding an injured player with a blue tarp while carrying him off on a stretcher after a hit-by-pitch at Jingu Stadium is a protective measure for injured players that has become common in recent years — using a tarp doesn’t necessarily mean the injury is serious. Its main purpose is to protect the player’s privacy and prevent footage from spreading excessively, and until the severity is confirmed via a same-day press conference or official statement, anything more is just speculation. While many thread posters expressed concern for the player’s safety, there were also numerous comments noting the recurring hit-by-pitches and substitutions in Yakult games this season; however, posts asserting a definitive causal link to the team’s overall conduct lacked solid grounding and were left out of this article. Some comments also referenced a past incident involving an injured umpire, but since that is an unrelated event, content that could cause confusion between the two has been excluded.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Sports News+) thread “[Hiroshima] Sei Katsuta subbed out after HBP to the head — 144 km/h pitch strikes right temple, Jingu Stadium in shock, player shielded by blue tarp and carried out on a stretcher.”

  • Matsumoto Hitoshi to Undergo Second Surgery, Will Miss September 19 ‘DOWNTOWN+’ Livestream

    Downtown’s Matsumoto Hitoshi is set to undergo another surgery to reverse his colostomy, and it has been announced he will skip the September 19 livestream of “Comedy Empire University (OIU)” on the streaming service “DOWNTOWN+.” The service’s operators have issued a statement asking members for their understanding. On 5ch, comments focused on how many times now he’s missed the once-a-month livestream, along with cynical remarks about stagnant concurrent-viewer and subscriber numbers, and questions about why the surgery timing overlapped with the streaming schedule.

    Tue, Sep 15, 7:11 PM

    Downtown’s Matsumoto Hitoshi, who announced he will undergo surgery to reverse his colostomy, revealed by the 15th on the internet streaming service “DOWNTOWN+” that he will forgo appearing in the September 19 livestream of “Comedy Empire University (OIU).”

    The platform explained: “Regarding this livestream, Matsumoto Hitoshi will be undergoing surgery to reverse his colostomy, so we have decided he will not appear.” It continued, “We sincerely apologize to the members who were looking forward to it, but we humbly ask for your understanding and cooperation.”

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

    2AnonymousSep 15, 2026 20:46
    Watching an Osaka night-view livestream on YouTube is more fun than watching 'Peace-kun' at Omiya Park anyway (a local mascot/zoo webcam).
    3AnonymousSep 15, 2026 20:48
    Even after the anus is restored, apparently bowel dysfunction is a real pain to deal with.
    5AnonymousSep 15, 2026 20:49
    Only a tiny handful of Matsu-shinja (diehard Matsumoto 'faithful') even watch it, so who cares.
    7AnonymousSep 15, 2026 20:50
    They should just rename the channel 'Colostomy+.'
    8AnonymousSep 15, 2026 20:51
    Scheduling it right on top of the once-a-month livestream… how many times has he skipped now?
    10AnonymousSep 15, 2026 20:52
    Just because he can't appear on network TV doesn't mean he needed to launch some massive platform lol, YouTube would've been fine.
    Yoshimoto [his talent agency] got saddled with wasted money too. Actually, looking back, the Bunshun scandal might've been the perfect excuse to retire and rest.
    11AnonymousSep 15, 2026 20:52
    If he really were the god of comedy, he'd be livestreaming from the operating room.
    Well, he might actually become 'a god' for real (dark joke implying he could die on the table).
    22AnonymousSep 15, 2026 20:57
    Re: #11
    Less 'a god' and more like… (trails off ominously)
    12AnonymousSep 15, 2026 20:53
    DOWNTOWN+ has completely stopped being talked about — is anyone actually still watching it?
    82AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:43
    Re: #12
    I used to watch, but lately it's nothing but griping about network TV. And despite supposedly having deep pockets, when Sisonne's Hasegawa asked him, 'Come on, do a comedy skit,' Matsumoto pulled a sour face and made excuses like 'skits cost money' lol
    20AnonymousSep 15, 2026 20:56
    Doesn't even look like it can hit 300 concurrent viewers.
    21AnonymousSep 15, 2026 20:57
    Re: #20
    It's a membership service, so concurrent viewers don't really matter.
    Plenty of people probably watch the archive instead.
    28AnonymousSep 15, 2026 20:59
    Re: #21
    'Rapist Matsumoto' himself (a mocking nickname referencing the assault allegations against him) was obsessing over the live viewer count, so what do you mean it doesn't matter lol
    31AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:01
    Re: #21
    The subscriber base is already at 'dying rural village' levels (i.e., nearly depopulated) — nobody's watching this stream, yet you're acting smug about how 'plenty watch the archive.'
    24AnonymousSep 15, 2026 20:58
    Feels like a lot of celebrities have been dying of colon cancer lately… is he going to be okay?
    32AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:03
    I want him to live a long life and watch him fade into irrelevance.
    33AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:03
    Seriously?! There are 500,000 fans waiting for him, right!?
    35AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:04
    Imagine going through the trouble of switching IDs just to keep trash-talking him lolololol
    37AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:04
    Why not just schedule the surgery for a time that doesn't clash with the stream?
    It's starting to feel like he's using it as an excuse to dodge the broadcast.
    44AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:08
    Re: #37
    Isn't it just that the earliest available slot based on his condition and the doctor's schedule happened to overlap?
    I'd guess it's serious enough that they couldn't plan it out with plenty of lead time.
    53AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:12
    Re: #44
    This time it's just reversing the colostomy, right?
    I'd think prioritizing the stream would honestly be fine.
    He's probably skipped the livestream about twice before for hospital-related reasons anyway.
    56AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:14
    Re: #44
    He literally streamed himself scarfing down yakiniku, cake, and multiple bowls of curry right before this — quite something to say that.
    Doesn't defending him like that feel painful even as you type it?
    42AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:07
    It's Downtown Matsumoto's subscription service, right? On TV that'd easily pull a 10% rating.
    Well, 10 million subscribers is a lock, question is whether it hits 15 million.
    You'd better brace for a steady 3 million concurrent viewers, so the servers — whatever they're using — better be solid, right? Right?!
    Whoa, just streaming and raking it in, easy money lol
    ↓
    Reality
    59AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:17
    Re: #42
    Right before launch, the Matsu-shinja were talking big about how this subscription service would surpass Amazon Prime, Netflix, and even Disney+ lol
    They were spouting nonsense like 'every comedian will move over to DOWNTOWN+, TV networks won't be able to make shows anymore, and every station will come crawling to Matsumoto on their knees, pale-faced.'
    43AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:07
    There's literally nothing that would make subscribers increase.
    It's only going to keep shrinking — rough.
    50AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:10
    Has any TV station even covered this?
    54AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:12
    Re: #50
    Pretty sure not a single one has.
    If one did, the Matsu-shinja would be losing it, declaring victory and saying his TV comeback is imminent.
    Plus it's not even trending on X.
    69AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:29
    The subscriber count made online news when it launched — did it actually go down since then?
    70AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:29
    Even with Matsumoto gone from TV, over 99% of Japanese people were completely unaffected.
    75AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:36
    Re: #70
    Meanwhile, actress Nakamura Yuri…
    Really makes you feel the cruelty of the world all over again. (a bitter contrast drawn with another entertainer's harder fate)

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    “DOWNTOWN+” is the paid streaming service Matsumoto Hitoshi launched as a substitute for his absence from network television; when it first began, its large subscriber count made headlines, but in this thread the comments mainly pointed out how low the concurrent-viewer numbers are. Following the Shukan Bunshun magazine’s reports, Matsumoto suspended his activities, later underwent colorectal surgery and had a colostomy performed, and resumed streaming afterward — this latest surgery appears to be aimed at reversing that colostomy. The thread was split over whether the overlap between the surgery date and the streaming schedule was an “excuse” or simply an “unavoidable scheduling issue” dictated by the doctor’s availability — something that can’t be determined from the article alone. It should also be noted that no concrete figures for subscriber or concurrent-viewer counts appear in the article itself; the numbers discussed in the thread are purely speculation.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisoku+) thread “Matsumoto Hitoshi Reports Second Surgery, Will Miss September 19 “DOWNTOWN+” Livestream: “We Humbly Ask for Your Understanding and Cooperation”.”

  • Taigawa Yosuke’s ‘Bus Trip’ Returns After 8 Months — Viewers Slam His ‘Irritable Attitude’

    Taigawa Yosuke’s conduct on the September 12 broadcast of the TV Tokyo variety show “Tag on the Local Bus! ~Escape From Bus Trip Master Taigawa~ Ibaraki Gourmet Battle Special,” his first appearance in the series in eight months, became a hot topic on social media. The long-running series has been known for its odd-couple duo of Taigawa and Ebisu Yoshinori, but with Ebisu absent from recent location shoots, viewers have increasingly pointed out that Taigawa seems “irritable” in how he treats general participants and fellow cast members. On 5channel, opinions split between those who say Taigawa’s temperament has been this way since Ebisu was still on the show, and those who think his rougher, unfiltered side has become more noticeable now that Ebisu isn’t there to soften things — with debate also flaring over who should take over Ebisu’s “tell-it-like-it-is” role.

    Taigawa Yosuke’s “Bus Trip” Returns After 8 Months, But Some Viewers Call Out His “Irritable Attitude”… His “One-Man Show” Tendencies Intensify Without Partner Ebisu Yoshinori

    On September 12, actor Taigawa Yosuke’s variety show “Tag on the Local Bus! ~Escape From Bus Trip Master Taigawa~ Ibaraki Gourmet Battle Special” (TV Tokyo) aired.

    It was the familiar “Bus Trip” series, but Taigawa’s conduct on the show appears to have stirred up social media.

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

    3AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:27
    He's way past menopause age, so this has to be old-man irritability.
    5AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:28
    Old folks lose their ability to hold back irritation once senility sets in.
    6AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:29
    Now I get why his wife once wanted to run away.
    8AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:29
    It's because they're pairing him up with people like Kusanagi and Murashige.
    9AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:29
    Taigawa's been irritable like this since back when he was doing the show with Ebisu.
    10AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:30
    The 'Takagi-nee' from W gets irritable a lot too — if they're going to show that side, I want them to show the even more heated, tense moments too.
    24AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:33
    Re: #10
    She's cute, so it's not a problem.
    11AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:30
    If you don't like it, just don't watch it!
    13AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:30
    Let's just force Ebisu-san to come back on.
    14AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:30
    Ever since I found out they rerun old Bus Trip episodes every Monday at 7pm, I've never missed one.
    67AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:46
    Re: #14
    When regular participants fumble around getting on and off the bus, Taigawa does get visibly irritated.
    94AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:04
    Re: #14
    Guess we should just watch that instead, huh.
    15AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:30
    Nah nah, he was way more irritable back when Ebisu-san was on.
    16AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:30
    Him losing his temper on top of making dumb mistakes is basically the whole appeal of this show.
    18AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:31
    Wasn't he doing the show with Ebisu-san like 10 years ago already?
    21AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:32
    They should just bring in Miharu to fill Ebisu-san's screwup role.
    57AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:43
    Re: #21
    Miharu is currently battling cancer.
    93AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:03
    Re: #21
    Hiroshi would be good.
    22AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:32
    Casting Kusanagi basically means they told him 'please get angry' — he's just doing the job he was hired for.
    36AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:37
    If I remember right, Taigawa Yosuke is a total domineering-husband type —
    like 'If you call me by just my name, I'll slap you' or
    'Speak to me in polite language,'
    https://up.gc-img.net/post_img_web/2017/12/fddb7284a2457cafc7aaff2b9564c39f_7540.jpeg
    46AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:39
    The show probably doesn't want viewers dumb enough to call even a location shoot like this 'scripted.'
    82AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:52
    Re: #46
    They need to edit it so it doesn't come across that way.
    If it's too blatant, even amateurs can tell.
    49AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:40
    They should run a viewer poll for who fills Ebisu Yoshinori's role. Guess it's hard to find someone naturally scatterbrained without it feeling staged…
    54AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:41
    I think it's popular and still running because he gets genuinely serious about winning.
    61AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:44
    Re: #54
    He's settled into being the old guy the young cast members tease now.
    The conversations (light trash-talking) that happen when Taigawa's not around are the funny part lol
    69AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:46
    He's always been short-tempered — it's probably new viewers who don't know that writing the complaints.
    75AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:49
    Re: #69
    He's actually serious and meticulous. He notices things more than you'd expect from a guy.
    All sorts of stuff comes out of his bag — cooling packs, you name it — and when there's downtime he'll go buy niku-man (steamed pork buns) for everyone. He's got his good sides too lol
    79AnonymousSep 15, 2026 21:50
    Nah nah,
    this is a show where you're supposed to enjoy Taigawa's twisted sense of justice.
    95AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:04
    What about throwing in Marcia as a spark to shake things up?
    101AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:09
    Re: #95
    Ikoma-chan too.
    97AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:05
    A guy who didn't hold back even against Ikoma, who's two generations (24 years) younger than him, making things tense — and then grins about it looking back on a later special.
    That's Taigawa for you.
    100AnonymousSep 15, 2026 22:09
    Re: #97
    Makes me wonder if that's what Jiro Sato's attitude toward Ai Hashimoto was like lol

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    Since the “Bus Trip” series began airing in 2007, its signature draw has been the mismatched duo of Taigawa Yosuke and Ebisu Yoshinori. In recent years, however, Ebisu’s appearances have decreased due to his age and health, and the show has continued with other co-stars such as Kusanagi and Murashige. On the thread, opinions were split between those who say Taigawa’s irritable attitude is nothing new and was already his defining trait when Ebisu was still on the show, and those who believe his unfiltered harshness has become more noticeable now that he’s lost Ebisu as a “buffer” — the article alone doesn’t settle which reading reflects the actual change. It’s also worth noting that the “domineering husband”-style anecdotes about Taigawa’s private life are stories he himself has shared on TV in the past, and there’s no evidence directly tying them to this recent irritability report.

    *This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] Taigawa Yosuke: “Bus Trip” Returns After 8 Months, But Some Viewers Call Out His Irritable Attitude… “One-Man Show” Tendencies Intensify Without Partner Ebisu Yoshinori.”

  • Sada Masashi: “AI Songs Have No Philosophy” — 5ch Fires Back: “Nobody Asked for Philosophy in Music”

    Singer-songwriter Sada Masashi (74) was asked about AI-composed music at a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan on September 15, 2026, and replied, “It actually makes pretty good stuff. It just doesn’t have philosophy in it.” Coming from someone who has released over 650 songs across a career spanning more than half a century since his debut, the remark drew a mixed reaction on 5ch: some agreed that “nobody’s asking music for philosophy,” while others pushed back with “it all depends on the prompt” and “tweak the parameters and you can get it closer to human-made music,” splitting opinion over both the quality of AI-made songs and whether music needs “philosophy” at all.

    9/15 (Tue) 16:50

    Singer-songwriter Sada Masashi (74) held a press conference on September 15, 2026, at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Marunouchi, Tokyo. Having released more than 650 songs and continued creating and touring energetically for over 50 years since his debut, Sada shared his views — with occasional laughs — on the value of AI-made music and how to face the loneliness deepening in modern society.

    As PCs and AI lower the barrier to making music, how will the value of music and musicians change? Asked this by a reporter, Sada paused for a moment and said, “Now that’s a tough one.” He continued: “When you have AI make music, you know, it actually makes pretty good stuff. It just doesn’t have philosophy in it.”

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

    3AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:01
    Nobody's asking music for philosophy.
    89AnonymousSep 15, 2026 19:23
    Re: #3
    It's basically the musical equivalent of Irasutoya clip art. (Irasutoya: a hugely popular free clip-art site famous for cheerful but generic illustrations.)
    4AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:01
    AI is built by hoovering up mountains of data, so of course it can't produce anything with a sharp edge.
    54AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:53
    Re: #4
    Tweak the numbers and you can dial it closer to or further from human-made music. That kind of adjustment is doable.
    5AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:04
    First I've ever heard that songs are supposed to have 'philosophy' lol (and for the record, I do rate Sada)
    6AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:04
    Just ask it to make music 'with philosophy' and it will.
    7AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:05
    I genuinely listen to tracks made with Flow Music. It's already at a 'good enough' level. (Flow Music: an AI music-generation service.)
    8AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:06
    Sada's a Paul Simon fan, but his lyrics are so heavy-handed for it. Don't spell everything out — leave some interpretation to the listener.
    9AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:06
    At the end of the day it's still just a novelty. Voices themselves aren't copyrightable, but once you tie a voice to a name, I'd bet rights kick in — so this kind of fun won't last forever.
    10AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:08
    No philosophy, no ideas — shallow music, like Tetsuya Komuro's stuff. (Komuro: legendary '90s J-pop hitmaker/producer.)
    41AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:33
    Re: #10
    Komuro's music is shallow? Since when?
    68AnonymousSep 15, 2026 19:04
    Re: #10
    Huh? What on earth are you talking about?
    11Guard [Lv.14]Sep 15, 2026 18:08
    Still a gap for now, but AI's probably going to take over eventually.
    Music seems likely to get there faster than illustration or video.
    13AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:10
    'Philosophy in music' — I'll bet 10,000 pesetas he blurted that out without really knowing what he meant. (An old joke wager using an obsolete currency, roughly like betting 'a million bucks.')
    14AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:10
    Composing is dead.
    30AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:25
    Re: #14
    Human-made stuff can keep circulating too, I don't really care either way. Good is good, that's all there is to it.
    70AnonymousSep 15, 2026 19:06
    Re: #14
    Is composing dying? Is songwriting dying? Is arranging dying? Please, enlighten me.
    15AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:10
    Maybe he means 'music' as in songs, not 'music' as in melody — that's the sense in which he's saying there's no philosophy?
    16AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:10
    AI can crank out infinite songs, but it has no idea which ones will actually resonate with people. So humans still have to do the curating, which is still work — and there's no guarantee the curated songs sell. Composing just gets faster for everyone, but that doesn't change anything fundamental.
    17AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:11
    You couldn't put Sada's songs on TV these days.
    18AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:11
    A reggae version of 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon' — solid as actual reggae too.
    https://youtu.be/vPGWcaZ-fMY?si=wd5Peal3Jm4swobd
    21AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:16
    Re: #18
    That's funny precisely because Sailor Moon and reggae already existed as reference points. The real question is whether AI can create a hit on the level of Sailor Moon or reggae completely from scratch.
    23AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:17
    AI tracks all seem to have that flat, one-note mix to me.
    Re: #18 This person's remix was good too.
    86AnonymousSep 15, 2026 19:21
    Re: #18
    YouTube's flooded with AI tracks, but aren't they mostly 'take an existing famous song and do it in the style of X'? My impression is the only ones that actually go viral are built around celebrities or events, like the Yajuu-senpai meme songs. Has there ever been a case of AI creating a hit completely from scratch — true zero-to-one? Well, maybe a genuine zero-to-one AI hit will show up eventually as the tech improves. (Yajuu-senpai: a famous Japanese variety-show meme figure who's inspired countless fan remix tracks.)
    20AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:12
    That trend of making recent songs sound like they're from the Showa era has taken off lately — that's got to be a copyright problem, right? (Showa era: 1926–1989.)
    25AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:21
    Something like 'Tsugunai' (Atonement) would be absolutely impossible for AI. Same with 'Remon' (Lemon), 'Kasokudo' (Acceleration), 'Tobiume,' 'Mahoroba,' 'Tsuyu no Atosaki' — no way AI touches those either. (All classic Sada Masashi songs.)
    26AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:21
    Re: #12
    Maybe the philosophy is… in the prompt.
    27AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:23
    Realistically, even humans can't write that many good songs either.
    28AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:24
    The music being AI is fine, but since the lyrics are still human-written, some of them are clearly amateurish. Wish an AI would show up that writes and fixes lyrics too.
    39AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:32
    Re: #28
    Humans can already barely beat AI at senryu and tanka, so it should be able to do that too. (Senryu/tanka: short-form Japanese poetry.)
    29AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:25
    You get lyrics with such clunky phrasing you can't even focus on the song.
    32AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:26
    There's surely know-how to writing lyrics too.
    36AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:29
    Honestly I think AI is crazy good at literature and philosophy lol
    47AnonymousSep 15, 2026 18:40
    Re: #36
    You're better at trolling than AI is. Current AI can't even judge the right number of 'w's to use. ('w' is Japanese net shorthand for laughter, like a string of 'lol's.)

    Background and points of contention

    Sada Masashi debuted in 1976, and his comment reflects the gut feeling of a creator with nearly 50 years in the business — it wasn’t meant as a blanket dismissal of AI technology itself. Where the thread split was over how to interpret the word “philosophy”: one camp argued listeners don’t need it at all, while another countered that prompt engineering and parameter tuning can push AI output closer to a human style — a fair point given how much a generative AI’s direction can shift based on its instructions. Others pointed to Sada’s own signature songs, like “Tsugunai,” as lyrics rooted in specific lived experience and historical context that AI can’t easily replicate — which is really more a question of where the source material comes from than whether “philosophy” is present. Note that comments amounting to personal attacks on Sada’s talent or track record have been excluded from this roundup.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Sada Masashi on AI composition: “It actually makes pretty good stuff. It just doesn’t have philosophy in it.”“