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  • Ebata Misaki Was Core-Member Material From Day One — 5ch: ‘They Said Her Group Would Take Over’

    A thread on 5ch’s Hello! Project board asked whether anyone had predicted, back when idol group Juice=Juice’s Ebata Misaki first joined, that she’d become the central member she is today. Posters recalled praise for her looks going back to her trainee days, and some claimed that at the scouting stage people were already saying “if we land this girl, this group will dominate.” Others pushed back, arguing that with senior members like Danbara Yamato and Inoue Haruka commanding so much presence, it’s a stretch to call her a true central member — leaving opinion split.

    1AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:10
    I thought she was cute back in her trainee days and right when she joined Juice, but what exactly did the people who called it from the start see in Eba back then?
    2AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:11
    She was pretty good at handling MC duties even from early on after joining, though.
    3AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:12
    At least visually, she's got to be the number one beauty of that generation.
    5AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:13
    Eba's the only one who ever gets a thread made about her.
    13AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:18
    With Danbara and Inoue being so strong, she doesn't really give off "central member" vibes.
    18AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:24
    Re: #13
    She won't graduate at 25, so she's blocking her juniors' chances to shine.
    Time to step aside already.
    14AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:20
    A second coming of the Ichii Sayaka-style rags-to-riches story.
    16AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:24
    Eba's real strength has got to be media appearances.
    17AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:24
    Her batch-mates were so underwhelming that it basically became "well, it's just Eba then."
    19AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:24
    A tier below "Rito Kame" (likely a nickname for another idol or group — exact reference unclear).
    20AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:25
    Vocal cover video views:

    Fukuda Marin: 1,061,404
    Kasai Yuina: 659,376
    Yokaze Runo: 537,629
    Yagi Shiori: 483,402
    Ebata Misaki: 398,980
    Arisawa Ichika: 244,543
    Irie Risa: 233,857
    21AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:25
    People were saying back then that whichever group landed Eba would become the dominant one.
    23AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:27
    It also helps that they've got the "Ebamifu" pairing (a fan-shipped duo nickname combining Eba and Mifu) working as a selling point.
    24AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:27
    Tabata Shintaro: "Eba-chan gets the best of both worlds — she pulls in the girls' votes while still pulling in the guys' votes too."
    25AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:30
    Kawashima's same-age peers at other groups — like Yokaze and Tsutsui — are the vocal centers of their groups, but Kawashima still isn't the main vocalist.
    26AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:31
    That's because there are people ahead of her in line.
    27AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:38
    Having a young member as your core is basically another way of saying your group's depth is thin, though.
    34AnonymousSep 17, 2026 01:28
    Re: #1
    Star power.
    Go check out Tsunku's actual assessment notes on note (the blogging platform) —
    he had Eba figured out properly from the start.

    Background and Talking Points

    The vocal-cover-video view counts cited in the thread (Fukuda Marin topping 1 million versus roughly 400,000 for Ebata Misaki) suggest Ebata isn’t actually the group’s top draw in terms of pure numbers — even as her visual appeal and media presence have been rated highly and consistently since she joined. Posts claiming that scouts said “landing this girl means becoming a dominant group” serve as evidence that some people foresaw her later rise even back then. At the same time, pushback citing the strong presence of senior members like Danbara Yamato and Inoue Haruka argues she isn’t quite a “central member” yet — and at the root of the thread’s disagreement is the fact that fans don’t share a common yardstick (draw power, exposure, or star quality) for what “central member” even means.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Did anyone actually predict back when she joined that Ebata Misaki-chan would become this much of a central member of Juice=Juice?“

  • Idol Ebata Hisaki’s Bread Recipient Identified as FruitsZipper’s Matsumoto Karen

    A thread went up on 5ch’s “Hello Project” board over a video of Hello Project idol Ebata Hisaki handing bread to an unfamiliar woman. The woman in the clip wasn’t identified by the original poster, and the thread kicked off with a chorus of “who is that?” Before long, posters pointed out that the woman was Matsumoto Karen, the “pink” member of idol group FruitsZipper, with some adding she’s “a genuine Ebata Hisaki fan.” What started as a guessing game over her identity quickly turned into a discussion about fandom crossing agency lines.

    Who is that?

    Source: video.twimg.com / Original article here

    2AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:02
    Probably just a staff member who's always looking after her
    3AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:02
    Who is she, you ask?

    It's Matsukare from FruitsZipper (fan nickname for Matsumoto Karen)
    4AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:04
    FruitsZipper's pink member, the illustrious Matsumoto Karen

    A genuine Ebata Hisaki fan
    5AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:06
    Somebody's older sister?

    Background and Talking Points

    Hello Project and Stardust Promotion-affiliated FruitsZipper are entirely separate agencies with no shared lineage, but it’s not unusual for idols to be fans of each other or to cross paths, and this thread is really just another example of that. Posters describing Matsumoto Karen as “a genuine Ebata Hisaki fan” likely reflects the fact that it’s well known among fans that she regularly attends Ebata’s events. Also, as one early comment in the thread noted — “don’t post illegal clips when the paid stream is still for sale” — unauthorized reposting of paid livestream footage on social media is a recurring source of friction across the idol fan community in general, and it’s possible this particular video should have been watched through official channels rather than however it ended up online. One point worth clarifying for readers: Matsumoto Karen’s appearance here isn’t a “scandal” — it’s simply an episode of fans and idols mingling across group lines.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello Project) thread “Ebata Hisaki-chan gives bread to a mystery woman.”

  • Only 1 in 4 Workers Hit ¥6 Million a Year — For Women, It’s Fewer Than 1 in 10

    According to the “Fiscal 2024 Survey on Private Sector Salaries,” the average annual salary for salaried workers was ¥4.775 million — ¥5.867 million for men and ¥3.332 million for women. Only 1 in 4 salaried workers overall reach the ¥6 million mark, while for men it’s more than 1 in 3, and for women it’s fewer than 1 in 10 — a finding covered on 5ch’s News Express+ board. In the thread, opinions split over why the gender gap is so wide: some pointed to differences in working hours and job titles, while others questioned the underlying realities of women’s employment, sparking a wider debate over how to read the statistics.

    (Excerpt)

    According to the National Tax Agency’s “Fiscal 2024 Survey on Private Sector Salaries,” the average annual salary for salaried workers was ¥4.775 million, broken down by gender as ¥5.867 million for men and ¥3.332 million for women.

    There’s a gap between the statistics showing rising incomes and how little that increase is actually felt in people’s wallets. This article checks where the widely-cited milestone of “¥6 million a year” actually falls on the statistical curve, then walks through how much take-home pay really moves when gross pay goes up.

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

    21AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:58
    If men's and women's wages are supposedly equal, a gap this big just shows how little women are actually working.
    35AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:01
    Re: #21
    They're not equal, lol
    26AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:59
    So for men, ¥6 million is pretty much par for the course — if you're on the career track (sogoshoku), even a small-to-mid-size company gets you there easily.
    41AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:04
    Re: #26
    Tough at a tiny company, but that's roughly the average for a section chief (kacho) at a mid-size firm. At a big corporation you'd tack on another ¥2 million or more on top of that.
    46AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:05
    I'm a fixed-route bus driver, 5 years in, and I'm over ¥6.5 million.
    It's a nerve-wracking job, but out in rural Kanagawa nobody cares if you're running late.
    Just drive safe and take it slow, that's all it takes.
    And running behind schedule actually bumps up my pay too.
    There's hardly a job this easy and this stable.
    Work never dried up even during COVID, and since it's a big company, raises actually happen on schedule.
    49AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:07
    Re: #46
    Smells like bait, but that's a job that'll be first on the chopping block. Get a useful license or qualification while you still can.
    52AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:08
    Re: #49
    Well, it's a driver's job after all.
    97AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:41
    Re: #49
    I don't think you guys get it — proper self-driving infrastructure is still a long way off.
    It's not happening until the infrastructure is fully built out.
    If anything, technical intern trainees (foreign labor program) will replace you first.
    50AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:07
    40 years old, ¥12 million a year — will somebody marry me already.
    54AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:10
    Re: #50
    Try a matchmaking agency, you could probably find someone your own age.
    58AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:13
    Re: #50
    You're not hoping for someone in their 20s, are you?
    56AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:11
    That 1-in-4 group is clustered almost entirely at big corporations, so you probably don't see much of it in the areas where ordinary people actually live.
    62AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:15
    Re: #56
    I get what you're saying, but the countryside isn't exactly representative of everyone either.
    61AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:14
    ¥6 million is a pretty tough bar for an average job.
    For ordinary people the average is probably under ¥4.5 million.
    67AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:20
    Re: #61
    The working population also skews heavily toward older guys rather than young people.
    Even at small-to-mid-size companies, plenty of places pay around ¥6 million once you're an older employee.
    70AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:21
    Re: #61
    My kid's in their 20s and already over ¥6 million at a major company.
    More than me — big companies really are strong.
    72AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:23
    Re: #61
    I'm a college dropout from the Employment Ice Age generation and I'm at ¥8 million.
    My wife, same generation, graduated from a national university, is at ¥8.5 million.
    We've both been at our jobs over 25 years.
    Stick around long enough and you'll get there too.
    The real question is whether you can actually stay that long.
    A lot of people fall out along the way.
    65AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:18
    For women, being a civil servant is the best option.
    There aren't many jobs in the private sector where a woman can keep her pride intact while working all the way to retirement.
    68AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:21
    Re: #65
    Doctor, maybe? Get married, work outpatient duty just 2 or 3 days a week, and you'd still pull in several times what an average part-timer makes as pocket money.
    73AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:24
    My real annual income doesn't even hit ¥2 million.
    I'm useless, so I let my money do the working instead.
    82AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:29
    Re: #73
    The system that automatically factors investment income from tax-withheld special accounts (where no tax filing is required) into the calculation of health insurance premiums and co-pays is being fleshed out under the government's "social security for all generations" reform policy.
    This legal change is meant to close what had been a loophole and an unfair advantage — it will effectively make it impossible to pose as "low income" on paper in order to receive generous welfare benefits or premium waivers, and it's positioned as a major step toward correcting the generational gap and sense of unfairness felt by the working generation.

    Taxation on investment income is clearly coming, no way around it now.
    87AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:31
    You people really do love your fantasies, huh.
    Take a good look at reality, old men.
    105AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:53
    No, if you think about the falling birthrate, women are better off heading home before it gets too late and saving their energy for their kids, their husband, and having more kids, rather than working late.
    108AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:55
    Re: #105
    Working late is actually easier than dealing with your husband and kids, lol.
    No married person gets to say "I'm beat from work, guess it's beer and instant noodles tonight," lol.
    107AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:54
    You can't live a decent, human life without at least ¥10 million a year.
    109AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:58
    Re: #107
    Yeah, fair enough.
    Doesn't really feel "human" either way, but once the kids are grown and out and you're on your own, money does pile up pretty fast.
    110AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:58
    It's because they're not doing jobs that actually earn money.
    Most women are in easy desk jobs — if you want to earn more, get out there and land clients yourself.
    112AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:00
    Re: #110
    Calling it a "job" is generous — it's just passing along contracts handed down from the government and pocketing the margin.
    113AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:01
    This all comes down to age, really.
    If you're in your 40s, you're normally well past ¥6 million, right?
    I'm comfortably past it too.

    If you're not past it, stop posting here and go work.
    118AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:15
    Re: #113
    At my company even high school grads and bottom-tier-university Ice Age hires clear that level.
    149AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:45
    You see people on 5ch claiming ¥8 million, ¥10-million-plus here and there — just how much of a high-earner hangout is this place?
    155AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:48
    Re: #149
    Isn't it the same as how a thread about Tokyo brings a swarm of Tokyo residents piling in to post? There are over 10 million Tokyoites, and over 10 million high earners too.
    171AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:59
    Re: #149

    According to census statistics, wasn't it something like 10% of the whole population earning ¥10 million or more a year (gross, not take-home)?
    That works out to about 14 million people.
    But here's the trick — that "¥10 million-plus" bucket also includes people making ¥30 million-plus, or even over ¥100 million.
    So the actual "wealthy" segment, out of a population of 140 million, is only a genuinely small slice — maybe just a few million people.
    (My personal guess: around 2 million.)
    And apparently this ratio holds true not just in Japan but in other countries too.
    159AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:51
    Men can basically only contribute to society through work.

    That's just the fact of it.

    Women give birth to children and raise them — that's a legitimate contribution to society too.

    In fact, it's something only women can do.

    It's a biological role.
    160AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:53
    Re: #159
    "Biological role" or whatever — there are tons of women out there who'd rather work than get some guy's dick stuck in them and pop out a baby.
    166AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:56
    Re: #159
    > Women give birth to children and raise them — that's a legitimate contribution to society too.
    Sure, but that "legitimate contribution" comes with zero pay.
    So it's only natural that more people would rather go work at a company and actually get a paycheck.
    If child-rearing really is such a legitimate contribution to society, then the government should just pay people to do it —
    say, ¥100,000 a month per child.

    Background and Key Points of the Discussion

    The “Fiscal 2024 Survey on Private Sector Salaries” is an annual survey published by the National Tax Agency, and one notable feature is that it covers all salaried workers, including part-time and temporary staff, not just full-time employees. The low ¥3.332 million average for women isn’t just about a straightforward wage gap — it also reflects the higher proportion of women working short hours. Some posts in the thread assumed that “men’s and women’s wages are the same,” but equal pay for equal work and the gap in average annual income are actually separate metrics, and conflating them tends to derail the discussion. Meanwhile, the wave of 5ch posts claiming ¥8 million or ¥10 million-plus salaries isn’t a statistically representative sample — it reflects self-reporting bias, since salaried workers actually earning ¥10 million or more make up only around 10% of the total. That mismatch between gut feeling and the actual data stems in large part from this kind of skewed sample.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “[¥6 Million a Year] Only 1 in 4 salaried workers reach it — but for men it’s over 1 in 3, and for women it’s fewer than 1 in 10.”

  • Mystery Bank Withdrawal from ‘Yamahage Tsushiya’ — Then They Checked the Transaction History…

    A post about an unfamiliar name, “Yamahage Tsushiya,” showing up in a bank account’s transaction history went viral on social media. The post on X (formerly Twitter) has racked up more than 12.8 million views and over 130,000 likes. On 5ch, posters speculated that the odd spacing came from the dakuten (voicing mark) being treated as its own standalone character in katakana, while others guessed the real culprit was Yamaha Music School tuition fees — theories that got laughs once it turned out to be a simple misunderstanding, though some pointed out the story was already old news.

    Mystery person withdrawing bank deposits, “Yamahage Tsushiya” → When they checked the history… The shocking true identity, with reactions like “That’s some hard-to-read katakana” and “The same thing happened to me” (1/2) | Nlab

    Who had been withdrawing money from the bank account…? The identity of the mystery person is going viral on X (Twitter). At the time of writing, the post has been viewed over 12.8 million times and earned more than 130,000 “likes.”

    The Whoops

    Source: x.com / Read the original post here

    7AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:37
    Don't put a space in there.
    33AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:51
    Re: #7
    Sorry,
    there isn't a single space in it.
    41AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:58
    Re: #7
    Guess you don't use bank passbooks much, huh.
    100AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:20
    Re: #7
    Isn't it actually the lack of a space that caused this whole mix-up?
    9AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:38
    GEKKYOKU-NANKYOKU-DAI-BOUKEN (a nonsense mashup of "monthly-contract" + "Antarctic" + "Great Adventure" — an old meme about garbled kana readings)
    10AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:38
    What are we even supposed to do with this thread?
    13AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:39
    Re: #10
    It's your thread now.
    30AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:50
    Re: #10
    YOU BALDY!!!! (a nod to the infamous "Kono hage!!" political scandal quote)
    12AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:39
    There was a time I was aiming to become a Yamaha piano school teacher.
    Guess the company really never goes under, huh.
    15AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:40
    Turns out "The Whoops" is the real mystery person here — that's the twist.
    22AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:46
    YAMAHAKE゛TSUSHIYA
    The dakuten counts as its own character — I thought typing small kana as full-size letters had gone extinct by now.
    26AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:47
    I bet it's an anagram — rearrange the letters and you get a normal name.

    Yamahatsushigeya
    27AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:48
    Why does it get charged in such a weird way?
    Just take the whole 40,000 yen at once.
    36AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:52
    Hold on, having it withdrawn in 3 separate charges on the same day is weird.
    Were they behind on payments or something?
    48AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:00
    Re: #36
    Three daughters…
    81AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:22
    Re: #36
    If they were taking extra lessons or something, wouldn't that get billed separately?
    Like "please check my piano piece for the school choir" type lessons.
    43AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:59
    How is this even news?
    Feels like a reader-submission column.
    47AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:00
    So when half-width katakana gets converted to full-width, the dakuten becomes its own character — that's what creates the stray space.
    49AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:00
    How many days old is this story they're reporting on?
    It's already stale, kotatsu-journalism outlet. ("kotatsu article" = a lazy piece written from the couch with no original reporting)
    51AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:01
    Doing music in Japan and not immediately thinking of Yamaha? Your faith must be lacking.
    53AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:02
    Whoever's furious is probably bald — and not just bald, totally slick bald.
    54AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:03
    Does a person actually named "Yamahage" exist?
    56AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:04
    Banks are supposedly the most behind on IT, right?
    Still using katakana instead of kanji to this day.
    Paid so well and yet they don't do the work.
    58AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:07
    I searched "Yamahage" and it's seriously one of the Namahage demons. (folklore ogre-like figures from Akita)
    59AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:08
    Not the same thing, but I've had money withdrawn from my passbook under some sketchy-looking name too. Looked it up online and went "ohh, THAT'S what it was."
    62AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:09
    This is so dumb I laughed.
    Just a little anecdote like that, huh.
    63AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:10
    YOU BALDY!! THAT'S NOT RIGHT, IS IT!! (the full famous line from the 2017 "Kono hage!!" political scandal)
    68AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:14
    Bank terminals still do that even today, huh.
    73AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:18
    It's gotta be the Yamaha Music School tuition fee.
    C'mon, that much should be obvious.
    77AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:19
    Tragedies like this happen because nobody stops to think about bald people.
    Yamaha's sin runs deep.
    78AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:20
    The lessons are actually pretty short.
    I went to guitar class and it just turned into guitar chit-chat lol
    83AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:33
    When you say "Yamahage," most people would normally think of "Yamahiro" — that's newscaster Hiroyuki Yamamoto. (known for bald jokes on TV)
    85AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:39
    Back in my student days I was bored, so I went to a free trial piano lesson, and the teacher was insanely gorgeous, so I signed up on the spot. Good memory.
    87AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:41
    彡⌒ミ
    (´・ω・`) Phew, turns out there was no bald guy after all.
    89AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:49
    Nah, the moment you see "music" you'd figure it out right away. If it really were something else, that'd be a crime.
    91AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:52
    彡 ⌒ ミ
    ( ・ω・) You guys are way too harsh on bald people.
    92AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:52
    Every month, something called "Nippon-ga" withdraws money from me.
    Turned out to be Nichigas (a gas utility company).
    93AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:54
    Thought it might be some scam, but it turned out to be a pointless story.
    96AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:59
    A "Japanese-sounding" name some foreigner made up?

    Background and Discussion Points

    This topic stems from a quirk in how bank statements display half-width katakana: when converted to full-width characters, dakuten (voicing marks) get treated as their own standalone character, leaving a stray space in the middle of a name. Many bank systems still use katakana-only names with no kanji, and cases where a sender’s or recipient’s name becomes hard to read are far from rare. Within the thread, the leading theory was that the mystery figure was actually tuition for a Yamaha Music School, though this remains speculation based on users’ personal experiences rather than confirmed fact. The name “Yamahage” also sparked a wave of unrelated jokes about baldness (“hage”), which is worth noting as a case where the thread’s energy diverged from the actual fact-checking.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “Mystery Person Withdrawing Bank Deposits, “Yamahage Tsushiya” → When They Checked the History….”

  • Lawson unveils single-ingredient “one-item gourmet” bento — corn-only or salmon-only, up to 50% cheaper

    Lawson has announced a new “one-item gourmet” bento lineup that cuts costs by limiting the filling to just a single ingredient. With options like corn-only or salmon-only, prices start as low as 297 yen (tax included) — up to 50% cheaper. As the cost of living keeps climbing, convenience store chains have been rolling out more budget-conscious products, and on 5channel threads, reactions poured in noting things like “Lawson Store 100 and Don Quijote already did this first” and “this is even more meager than a Showa-era bento,” reflecting mixed feelings about the price-to-portion balance and the broader simplification of Japanese eating habits.

    Lawson announced it will launch a low-cost “single-focus bento” that narrows the filling down to just one ingredient.

    Against a backdrop of belt-tightening amid rising prices, the idea is to carefully select ingredients to keep costs down while still aiming for a satisfying meal.

    Convenience stores and retailers have seen growing popularity for products built around one specific ingredient or menu item, reflecting a broader consumer shift toward efficiency and satisfaction over variety.

    Source: imgur.com / Original article here

    27AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:13
    Why has Japan ended up like this?
    222AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:41
    Re: #27
    A national character rooted in peasant stinginess (a jab at frugal, penny-pinching mentality)
    The whole structure of the country and its people runs on grit-and-spirit ideology
    34AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:14
    Guessing this was a hit when Lawson Store 100 tried it first

    39AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:15
    Re: #34
    Fine if it's an elementary schooler's lunch
    51AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:16
    Re: #34
    This is even more pathetic than Lawson Store 100's version lol

    The salmon bento from this article
    https://imgur.com/a/C92hWkx
    38AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:14
    A nori bento's like 400 yen anyway, just eat that instead lol
    61AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:18
    Re: #38
    There's no way a regular nori bento sells for 400 yen lol
    7-Eleven's mini nori bento runs in the high 300s
    43AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:15
    Is this actually real bodakko salmon? (bodakko = a specific brand of salted salmon)
    64AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:19
    Re: #43
    That's barely any rice…
    77AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:20
    Re: #43
    Bodakko comes in different saltiness levels too
    with a portion that small it's probably not that salty
    44AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:16
    Why has food gotten more meager than it was back in the Showa era?
    54AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:17
    Re: #44
    Even school lunch photos look more meager than in the Showa era.
    Though there's probably some regional and school-to-school variation too.
    71AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:20
    If you're gonna buy this, just cook for yourself.
    Rolled egg, sausage, and rice would run you about 200 yen
    96AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:23
    Re: #71
    If you actually cost it out at home — 50 yen for rice, 150 yen for sausage — that math gets pretty rough.
    Even by home-cooking standards the cost ratio is still around 50%.
    72AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:20
    Does anyone actually eat just corn and rice?
    153AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:30
    Re: #72
    It's actually a pretty common item on conveyor-belt sushi menus
    84AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:21
    From another source:

    > Nobuhiro Tomonaga, General Manager, Lawson Product Division

    "When we make bento at the factory, there are usually about 10 items to plate. With just one, it's plop it in and done — labor costs drop massively."

    It's thorough cost-cutting. They simplified the packaging too, and the cheapest option comes to 297 yen tax included.
    86AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:21
    Rough life if you can't even make your own bento
    130AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:28
    Re: #86
    There's a chunk of people who just aren't satisfied without that obvious, in-your-face restaurant flavor
    Instead of a home-style meal — light sugar, light salt, less rice, more veggies, several little side dishes — they only feel full with just sausage and a huge mound of rice
    98AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:23
    Re: #1
    Looks like they tried to rip off Don Quijote's playbook and flopped
    Impressive how not a single one of these looks appetizing
    259AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:48
    Re: #98
    Lawson Store 100 did it first though
    102AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:23
    Bento for Japanese people in the old days were simple — just rice topped with a pickled plum, dried sardines, and pickled radish —
    but at least they nailed the balance: protein, vegetables, and real umami flavor
    218AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:40
    Re: #102
    With brown rice that combo would actually be top-tier
    231AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:43
    Re: #102
    That's basically all my favorite foods right there
    107AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:24
    Man, 5channel's really dried up too
    Food threads used to fill up instantly
    Guess everyone drifted off to TikTok and the like
    119AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:25
    Re: #107
    They're old people, they're not exactly flocking to TikTok
    122AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:26
    Re: #107
    It's dead in here late at night
    old folks go to bed early after all
    138AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:29
    Re: #107
    It's only old people around, and by this hour they're already asleep
    80% of 5channel users are 50 or older
    108AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:24
    A cheapskate bento like this should be priced at half — that'd actually be fair
    Did they roll this out because bento sales are tanking? What a joke
    124AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:26
    Re: #108
    Japan's just getting poorer, I guess.
    And this thing still costs 400 yen.
    156AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:31
    Re: #1
    7-Eleven: "Our bento with 7x the edamame got there first, thank you"
    https://www.ssnp.co.jp/uploads/2025/05/250508seven1.jpg
    175AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:34
    Don Quijote's wrapper-only bento (just gyoza/dumpling skins) is at least still somewhat practical
    https://www.donki.com/henaimeshi/assets/images/items/instore/0007_hover.jpg
    243AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:46
    Re: #175
    Don Quijote's bento are expensive though
    250AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:47
    Re: #175
    For some reason Don Quijote's version feels forgivable lol
    178AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:35
    But then again, peperoncino pasta
    is just wheat dough tossed in some pungent oil, and it passes as a fancy dish
    rice with sausage on it makes way more sense as an actual meal than that
    213AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:40
    Re: #178
    The sausage might be the real problem, honestly
    it's almost certainly using sodium nitrite as a color-fixing agent
    229AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:42
    Re: #178
    If it's the same meat, crumbled and seasoned soboro-style, it wouldn't feel out of place
    225AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:41
    This shabby and it's still over 300 yen?
    Guess that's just the era we live in now…
    238AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:45
    Re: #225

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    According to a Lawson representative, consolidating the factory plating process down to a single ingredient dramatically cuts labor costs — meaning the low price owes more to a simplified production process than to the quality of the ingredients themselves. Similar “single-ingredient” bento have also previously been sold by Lawson Store 100, Don Quijote, and 7-Eleven, so it’s worth noting — something the article alone doesn’t make obvious — that Lawson’s move here isn’t actually a first. Where opinion in the thread split was over whether to see this as “a symbol of Japan’s eating habits growing more impoverished” or as “a rational, efficiency-driven pricing move.” Some voiced concern over nutritional balance, but the announcement itself makes no mention of nutrition — worth keeping in mind that this is, at its core, a pricing strategy built around cutting cost and labor, nothing more.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (News Speed+) thread “[Frugal Living] Lawson announces cost-focused “one-item gourmet” bento chasing “just ○○” fillings — “corn-only” or “salmon-only” single ingredients cut prices by up to 50%.”

  • TV Tokyo’s ‘Afternoon Roadshow’ Picks 5 Films for Late September — 5ch: “‘Duel’ Is Scarier Than Half-Baked Horror Flicks”

    After TV Tokyo’s weekday afternoon movie slot “Afternoon Roadshow” announced its five picks for late September — including “Snake Eyes” — a thread on 5ch’s Geinou/Sports News+ board lit up with users naming other classics that didn’t make the cut. Support clustered especially around Spielberg’s 1973 film “Duel,” with posters praising how it builds terror on a shoestring budget with almost a single-person cast. The discussion ranged further too, with requests for chase thrillers like “The Car” and “The Hitcher,” and observers noting that opinions on the “Maze Runner” series grow more divided with each sequel.

    This late-September “Afternoon Roadshow” lineup is packed with can’t-look-away picks — from edge-of-your-seat action and unpredictable suspense to a survival story set in a giant maze. We’re introducing five must-see films for any movie fan, including one built on clever visual tricks, a breathless chase thriller, and a hard-boiled crime-action entry. (Text: Editorial Staff) [Page 1/5]

    ■ “Snake Eyes” (1999)

    Air date: September 15 (Tue), 13:40–

    Source: eigachannel.jp / Original article here

    3AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:20
    Friday night, BS12 is airing 'Game of Death'
    5AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:21
    Friday it's Matt Damon in Bourne 3, huh
    Personally I'm more into part 2 with the Russia car chase
    94AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:43
    Re: #5
    That one was great, gimme more Bourne sequels (キボンヌ/kibonnu = old-school net slang for "please"/"want this")
    6AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:22
    'Duel!' (1973)
    Air date: September 29 (Tue), 13:40–
    Director: Steven Spielberg

    I really want to watch this!!
    7AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:24
    I'd love to watch 'Duel' along with everyone and do a live commentary thread
    10AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:27
    If they're doing 'Duel,'
    they could probably show 'The Car' too
    73AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:38
    Re: #10
    Haven't seen 'The Car' in ages, want to watch it again
    12AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:29
    If he'd just spotted the guy at that diner where both he and the truck pulled over, this whole thing could've been solved
    13AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:30
    'Duel' is scarier than half-baked horror movies
    gets my heart pounding
    15AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:31
    Man, thirty years ago I never could've imagined rental video stores would go extinct
    46AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:56
    Re: #15
    Whoever could've predicted that probably became a billionaire
    18AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:34
    Best thing ever is watching this lazily while working from home
    19AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:34
    Jennifer Connelly back in her 'Once Upon a Time in America' days was an angel
    51AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:01
    Re: #19
    What about her in 'Blood Diamond' or 'Top Gun: Maverick'?
    24AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:39
    'Duel'

    it's a classic among classics, but…

    what I really want to see is the one where a family gets tailgated in their wagon and ends up chased by some psycho with a built-in acid sprayer
    80AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:04
    Re: #24
    Rutger Hauer in 'The Hitcher'
    27AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:41
    Oh, 'Duel' is the one about a tailgating truck?
    82AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:05
    Re: #27
    It was originally a TV movie, but it was such a hit that it got a theatrical release overseas
    28AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:41
    For the Bourne series, the Japanese dub voice for Pamela Landy in the second film was better
    the one in the third film, Mami Koyama, sounds a bit too shrill
    36AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:45
    Re: #28
    Wait, really!?
    The Pamela dub voice is different between the second and third movies!?
    Yeah, the second one's voice is better — has that scary older-lady-boss vibe
    29AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:42
    Looks like I can watch it tomorrow — is 'Maze Runner' any good?
    38AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:45
    Re: #29
    It's like a lighter version of 'The Hunger Games'
    30AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:42
    Don't know any of these movies
    39AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:47
    Re: #30
    'Duel' is famous and really good, you should watch it
    40AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:47
    Does 'Afternoon Roadshow' not air on public holidays?
    Guess it's off next week…
    42AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:49
    Re: #40
    On holidays they basically show Japanese films instead
    45AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:55
    'Fast & Furious'
    'Transporter'
    'Rambo'

    At this point I just want to see these series
    67AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:17
    Re: #45
    I think the whole 'Rambo' series aired on BS last year or so
    50AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:00
    'Maze Runner' 1 is good, but
    2 and 3 aren't even set in a maze anymore lol (´・ω・`)
    93AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:40
    Re: #50
    Yeah, feels like even the original author didn't have it all planned out from the start
    63AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:12
    What's amazing about 'Duel' is that it's low-budget with barely any dialogue or cast, and it's still that good
    71AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:28
    Re: #63
    That scene where the car suddenly slams to a stop, then the camera zooms out to reveal the truck was lying in wait — gave me chills
    74AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:42
    I don't think they've ever aired it, but I'd like to see 'St. Elmo's Fire' or 'Another Country'
    79AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:02
    Re: #74
    'St. Elmo's Fire'
    First aired: June 8, 2005 (13:30–15:30)

    'Another Country'
    This is an art-house, socially conscious drama — a complete 180 from the sharks, muscles, and explosions that are 'Afternoon Roadshow' staples — so the odds of it ever airing on the show are extremely low
    77AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:51
    I'm out in the countryside so this doesn't even apply to me
    81AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:04
    Re: #77
    Yeah, Biwako Broadcasting doesn't carry it anyway (a regional station serving Shiga Prefecture)

    Background and Talking Points

    “Afternoon Roadshow” is a movie slot TV Tokyo has run on weekday afternoons for many years. “Duel,” the film that dominated the thread, was originally a TV movie made in 1971 that proved so popular it was reworked into a theatrical release. The idea that its low budget and near-total lack of dialogue actually work in its favor was a point posters kept coming back to. Meanwhile, series like “Maze Runner” show more divided opinions as they go on, suggesting fans respond differently to standalone classics versus multi-film franchises. Note that the thread also contained exchanges about real-life manga artists and sumo wrestlers unrelated to the films discussed, as well as some sexually explicit posts — both have been omitted from this article.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “TV Tokyo’s ‘Afternoon Roadshow’ Late-September Picks: 5 Recommended Films.”

  • Why w-inds. Never Hit It Big: 5ch Blames “Johnny’s Pressure” and Digs Into the TV Politics of the Era

    A thread on 5ch heated up around the idea that w-inds. would have sold far better if the old Johnny’s & Associates hadn’t been such a dominant rival at the time. Posters pointed out that dance-and-vocal groups from the same era — w-inds., DA PUMP, Lead, and FLAME — were effectively shut out of appearing on shows like “Music Station” and “HEY!HEY!HEY!” back then. Users also cited the 2023 press conference in which the former Johnny’s agency admitted to working to exclude groups from rival agencies, sparking discussion of the TV industry’s power dynamics at the time. Others pushed back, arguing it simply came down to popularity and talent, and the debate stayed split right to the end.

    1AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:19
    All their early songs were great.
    3AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:21
    DA PUMP and w-inds. — such a waste in so many ways.
    5AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:23
    Burning Productions: "Nooo, they got frozen out!" (Burning is itself a notorious agency for freezing out rivals, hence the irony)
    6AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:24
    Wait, really? They got pushed pretty hard though, no? ("gori-oshi" = heavy-handed promotion)
    7AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:24
    Nah, they did okay, but even without Johnny's capping their TV appearances they never would've taken over the industry — Johnny's groups and DA PUMP were still around.
    8AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:25
    People tend to overlook it because of Keita's wife Ayaya (Aya Matsuura), but w-inds. used to be pretty popular back in the day — plenty of guys at the time got into dancing because they looked up to w-inds.
    9AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:25
    w-inds., DA PUMP, Lead, and Da-iCE all would've sold way more than they actually did if they'd come up in a different era.
    27AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:32
    Re: #9
    Da-iCE's actually done pretty well for themselves, they're on the successful side.
    10AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:26
    Don't lie and say they couldn't get on TV.
    13AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:27
    Re: #10
    Johnny's admitted it themselves — that they pressured shows like Music Station.
    23AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:31
    Re: #10
    At the September 2023 press conference, Inohara Yoshihiko and others admitted that "there had been moves and tacit consideration aimed at excluding groups from other agencies," and stated they would aim for a fairer environment for TV appearances going forward.
    11AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:26
    They were on Kohaku [the New Year's Eve music special] and people still count them as blacklisted?
    18AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:29
    Re: #11
    Kohaku's run by Burning, so of course they could get on it. Music Station's different — Johnny's and Tanabe Agency have a sworn-brotherhood pact, so they're locked out there. It's really the Suo faction vs. the Tanabe faction going at it inside the music industry association (Ongeikyo).
    20AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:30
    Re: #18
    So they're on the blacklisting side too then, lol
    21AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:31
    Back then internet penetration was low to begin with — no smartphones, no social media — so media exposure was directly tied to popularity in that era.
    28AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:32
    Re: #21
    Not really — back then you got dragged if you didn't produce results. These days it's way easier to fake your way through.
    24AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:31
    Dance gets way more attention now, and male idols get way more attention now too.

    They were just born in the wrong era.
    30AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:32
    Re: #24
    What era are you living in where dance actually gets appreciated, lol
    34AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:33
    Re: #29
    It wasn't "smartphones" — it was the i-mode era.
    38AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:36
    Re: #34
    That's fine though — Johnny's groups were popular online too.
    35AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:33
    FLAME had some good songs too.
    54AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:47
    Re: #35
    Totally forgot about FLAME. Brings back memories.
    42AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:37
    Either way, it would've been tough with EXILE around, and then TVXQ and BIGBANG showed up too.
    48AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:41
    Re: #42
    Those guys came along way after w-inds., so they wouldn't have been competing for the same lane.
    45AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:39
    Their early boyish charm faded pretty quickly, so who knows. Say what you will, but Johnny's was genuinely good at letting their young debut kids age gracefully into their image.
    46AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:40
    Re: #45
    Johnny's talents could pivot into acting and variety shows, but it's a fact that Rising Production's acts had that path blocked off by Johnny's.
    47AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:40
    Same category as EE JUMP.
    64AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:58
    Re: #47
    EE JUMP's a stretch — the only thing I can even remember is "Otto Totto Natsu da ze."
    53AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:47
    They did make it onto the 2002 Kohaku, but then EXILE started blowing up from 2003 onward.
    56AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:49
    Re: #53
    Either way, it was a rivalry within the Burning group, so Suo profits no matter which side wins. They just lost momentum after Taira Tetsuo got arrested for tax evasion.
    65AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:59
    Are w-inds., Lead, and FLAME still around today?
    69AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:00
    Re: #65
    w-inds. is still going. The others disbanded.
    70AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:00
    Re: #65
    Lead's still around too.
    71AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:00
    Without Johnny's pressure, w-inds. would've been the male version of SPEED.
    74AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:01
    Re: #71
    No way, not SPEED level — SPEED outsold even Morning Musume at their peak.
    80AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:07
    Johnny's strength is that their talents can do variety shows.
    96AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:35
    Re: #80
    True, SMAP×SMAP was fun to watch.
    87AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:17
    Being shut out of Music Station, Utaban, and HEY!HEY!HEY! in that era was brutal. Once Johnny's finally lifted the ban and appeared on HEY!HEY!HEY!, the Rising Production regulars who used to be fixtures there disappeared — which made Johnny's pressure visible for everyone to see.
    89AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:21
    Re: #87
    Not having their own prime-time variety show was rough. Arashi, SMAP, KinKi Kids, TOKIO, and V6 had it good with their variety shows.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    It is a matter of public record that, at the September 2023 press conference held by the former Johnny’s & Associates (now SMILE-UP.) in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal, Inohara Yoshihiko admitted — with then-president Higashiyama Noriyuki present — that “there had been moves and tacit consideration aimed at excluding groups from other agencies,” and the thread’s citations are based on this fact. The view raised later in the thread, however — that this was really a power struggle between the Burning Productions and Tanabe Agency factions within the music industry association (Ongeikyo) — is a narrative often repeated within the industry, but it has never been officially confirmed and remains at the level of rumor. Readers can easily conflate two extremes here: “couldn’t get on TV” being equated with “lacked talent,” versus “pressure was the sole cause.” Even within the thread, the camp arguing “it was an era when media exposure directly drove popularity” and the camp arguing “they simply failed to produce results” ran side by side right to the end. As for how widespread flip-phones actually were at the time, or what fan communities really looked like, accounts vary even among those who were there, so there isn’t much solid material to draw a firm conclusion from.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “w-inds. would be huge by now if Johnny’s weren’t around.”

  • Puyo Puyo eSports Gold Medal Hopeful Is a 5th-Grader Who ‘Loves Studying Too’ — Plays at Most 2 Hours a Day

    At the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, fifth-grader Yuki Kurihara (11), a Tokyo resident, will compete as the youngest member of Japan’s national team in “Puyo Puyo eSports.” A gold medal contender with international tournament wins under his belt, he reportedly plays for no more than two hours a day, balancing the game with studying for middle school entrance exams. After reports detailed how he started playing at Christmas during his final year of kindergarten and grew skilled enough to pull off chains of up to 19, 5channel’s Geinou/Sports Express+ board lit up with both the perennial “can games really be called a sport” debate and comments praising the child’s effort.

    At the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, fifth-grader Yuki Kurihara (11) — competing under the gamer tag “Yuki,” a Tokyo resident — will take part in the eSports puzzle title “Puyo Puyo eSports.” Though he’s the youngest member of Japan’s delegation, he’s a gold medal contender with an international tournament win to his name. Surprisingly, though, he plays for at most two hours a day, juggling practice with studying for his middle school entrance exams. His dream for the future: to become “a cram school teacher or a train driver.”

    He started playing Puyo Puyo at Christmas during his final year of kindergarten. With so much time spent at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, his mother picked up the game “Puyo Puyo Tetris 2.” He later bought the competitive version of the game at a tournament venue where his idol, pro gamer “Tomo-kun,” was competing. After placing third at a national tournament during spring break just before starting second grade, he began taking competitive play seriously.

    His specialty is the “big chain” technique — clearing a huge string of falling “Puyo” blocks in one go — and he’s pulled off chains as long as 19. There was a period when he studied strategy from YouTube videos, but since becoming a top player he says he no longer watches videos or analyzes matches. “I don’t change my play style — I just think it through in my head as I go.” As his skills have rapidly improved, he’s come to trust his own instincts.

    Source: chunichi.co.jp / Original article here

    3AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:19
    It's a video game…
    I don't think that counts as a sport lol
    4AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:20
    Oh, eSports is still a thing?
    11AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:25
    Re: #4
    Since it got dropped from the Olympics
    it's probably already peaked
    29AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:33
    Re: #11
    It's the opposite — Saudi Arabia is running its own eSports World Cup and has basically abandoned the Olympics angle.
    That was hashed out to death in the thread about pulling out of the Olympics, so why are you casually lying about it?
    12AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:26
    Who owns the rights to Puyo Puyo these days?
    Compile went under, so is it Bandai or someone now?
    Such a waste — it was a cash cow, but they got too full of themselves…
    19AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:28
    Meanwhile the rest of us struggle to pull off even a 3-chain no matter how hard we try
    20AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:29
    Re: #18
    Oh really? Sega, huh — didn't expect that
    22AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:30
    There's no way it'll take off without cross-play.
    Titles that get official eSports status should be required to have cross-play.
    23AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:30
    Huh? Didn't anyone teach him "games are one hour a day max"?
    30AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:33
    Sept 23 (Wed, holiday): Gran Turismo 7 — group stage through finals
    Sept 23 (Wed, holiday): eFootball™ — semifinals through finals
    Sept 24 (Thu): Naraka: Bladepoint — semifinals through finals
    Sept 25 (Fri): Fighting Game Team Battle — finals tournament through semifinals
    Sept 26 (Sat): Puyo Puyo eSports — finals tournament through finals
    Sept 26 (Sat): Fighting Game Team Battle — finals
    Sept 27 (Sun): Pokémon UNITE — finals tournament through finals
    Sept 28 (Mon): Honor of Kings — finals tournament through finals
    Sept 29 (Tue): PUBG Mobile — finals
    Sept 30 (Wed): Identity V — finals tournament through finals
    Oct 1 (Thu): Mobile Legends: Bang Bang — finals
    Oct 2 (Fri): League of Legends — finals

    Also, the fighting games are Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and KOF
    41AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:40
    Re: #30
    No Mario Kart or Bomberman?
    32AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:34
    Does eSports at the Asian Games even draw a crowd?
    33AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:35
    eSports really lost momentum once people saw how immature the players are — basically kids acting like kids, confirming the "all they do is play games" stereotype.
    As someone who loves games myself, I honestly wish some of those guys would just disappear.
    34AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:35
    Re: #29
    Isn't there a prince over there who's a gamer?
    No question Japan isn't excited about this at all
    35AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:36
    The 5ch live-commentary thread's probably gonna be lively for this one
    36AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:36
    I think this is the best kind of story.
    I want him to win in the elementary-school world and pass the torch to the next generation.
    Having dumb adults competing right alongside kids is the ugliest thing.
    38AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:37
    Pathetic that the Kenmo crowd (5ch's cynical "anti-profiteering" politics board, known for bitter posters) are jealous of a literal kid
    40AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:39
    If you play Puyo Puyo for hours straight, you close your eyes and the blocks are still falling, right?
    42AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:42
    Re: #40
    Back in school my friends and I used to play until someone hit 100 wins, and I'd still see Puyo Puyo blocks right up until I fell asleep lol
    44AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:42
    I wonder if it'll actually get official status and TV coverage
    45AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:44
    This kid's seriously strong enough to change the game's history
    48AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:48
    How does he even build chains like that
    55AnonymousSep 16, 2026 21:53
    Re: #1
    Seriously, let's stop calling games "sports" already
    Japan's probably the only place still saying this
    It's honestly kind of pathetic
    65AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:03
    Re: #55
    I find it pathetic that you're still saying that
    67AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:05
    Re: #55
    English-speaking countries call it "esports" too, you know
    Well, learn something new every day lol
    70AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:10
    Wow, Puyo Puyo is still around?
    I was really into it back in middle school — and I'm 50 now
    82AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:30
    Re: #70
    48 here, same
    75AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:16
    That's impressive
    You'd think that scene would be full of players who've been grinding for years
    81AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:30
    Re: #75
    I guess in the end you just can't beat a kid's reflexes

    Background and points of debate

    “Puyo Puyo eSports” is an official event at the Asian Games and will also be held at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games. Rights to the franchise passed on after original developer Compile went bankrupt and are now held by Sega, a point some commenters asked about directly. The thread split over whether games can really be called a “sport” (competitive event), with skeptics squaring off against those countering that “esports” is standard terminology even in English-speaking countries. At the same time, plenty of commenters expressed genuine surprise that an 11-year-old had taught himself the high-difficulty technique of chains up to 19 long while also balancing exam prep. Note: posts mocking opponents’ appearance or making baseless personal attacks on specific players have been omitted from this article.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and summaries of the 5channel (Geinou/Sports Express+) thread “[Asian Games] Puyo Puyo eSports Gold Medal Hopeful Is a 5th-Grader Who “Loves Studying Too” — Plays at Most 2 Hours a Day.”

  • Juice=Juice’s Misaki Ebata Walks 10km After Rehearsal Ends Early — Report Sparks Reaction

    Juice=Juice (Hello! Project) member Misaki Ebata reported on her blog that on a day when rehearsal wrapped up early, she “walked 10km after rehearsal.” The post got picked up on 5ch’s Hello! Project board, sparking a thread that mixed genuine astonishment at her stamina with a kind of calculation contest over how much time and distance 10km actually represents. Commenters cited examples like Shinjuku Station to Tokyo Station, or Shinjuku to Ogikubo, as roughly 10km, and opinions split over how to take the claim.

    ♡ Bit by bit  Misaki Ebata

    Rehearsal finished a little early today, so

    I walked 10km after rehearsal 🚶‍♀

    Source: ameblo.jp / original post here

    2AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:24
    That's monster-level stamina
    4AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:25
    First-class mentality
    6AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:25
    Hana Goto should take a page from this
    7AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:25
    This is the vitality of an idol who's actually going to make it
    9AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:26
    I heard if you live in Tokyo, that's nothing
    10AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:27
    So that means she walked for like two and a half hours?
    59AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:50
    Re: #10
    An hour and a half to two hours would do it
    11AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:28
    What route in Tokyo would even add up to 10km?
    55AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:49
    Re: #11
    Shinjuku to Tokyo Station is 6km
    10km is a lot farther than you think
    12AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:29
    Packed work schedule, cooks on top of it, and godlike stamina too — how?
    13AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:29
    Walking 10km would take over 3 hours
    16AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:30
    Re: #13
    That's fat-guy walking speed
    62AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:50
    Re: #13
    What, are you crawling on all fours?
    14AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:30
    I once walked home from Nakano Sun Plaza to Shinjuku after a concert, took about an hour — just looked it up and it's only 4.2km
    15AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:30
    Way too many Ebata threads lately
    17AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:31
    I always figured walking speed was about 4km an hour
    18AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:32
    If rehearsal was at the agency office in Takanawa, walking back to the dorm (or home?) would be about 10km — something like that, maybe?

    Background and Talking Points

    Walking 10km at an average pace (roughly 4–6km/h) takes about 1.5 to 2.5 hours, and the thread turned into a running fact-check using concrete Tokyo geography — “Shinjuku to Tokyo Station is about 6km,” “Shinjuku to Ogikubo is about 10km” — as posters tried to pin down just how far that really is. While covering that kind of distance in the middle of a busy idol schedule impressed people as a feat of stamina, plenty of replies also tried to verify whether the claimed distance and time actually lined up, and reactions split between taking the post at face value and eyeing it with a bit of skepticism.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Misaki Ebata: “Rehearsal finished early, so I walked 10km after rehearsal” — isn’t that insane?“

  • Sumo Mascot Holds Court Again Tonight in Famous 5ch VIP Thread: “Dosukoi — Time to Stir Up a Storm in the Sumo World”

    On 5channel’s Newssoku VIP board, there’s a famous recurring thread featuring a character in a sumo wrestler costume, ⊂(´・ω・`)⊃, who faithfully chants “dosukoi!” (a traditional sumo kiai/chant) at every post. This day was no exception: under the banner of “training,” the character dutifully responded to every single ASCII-art post and photoshopped image with its trademark cheer. Along the way the thread wandered into late-night chatter about chanko nabe (the hearty stew sumo wrestlers eat) and a manga-recommendation showdown, and the thread’s familiar emoticon regulars comforted a poster who said they’d been hit with unkind words in another thread. There’s no real argument or conflict here — it’s simply a snapshot of the easygoing atmosphere that late-night VIP threads run on.

    1AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:33
    ⊂(´・ω・`)⊃ Come on, future grand champions, gather round! Dosukoi, dosukoi!
    6AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:35
    (´・ω・`) You're always doing your dosukoi-dokkoi sumo thing, huh
    8AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:38
    Re: #6
    ⊂(´・ω・`)⊃ A stablemaster's duty, dosukoi!
    7AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:38
    (;;;;((;;;;;;;(;;;;;;)
             /;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;ヽ
            /;;;;;;;;;;/´`´`´`´ ヾ
           /;;;;;;;;/  /   \ ヽ
         /;;;;;;;;;|  (●) ,(●) |\
         ヽ;;;;;(6     、_!    |;;ノ
           >ー|    ‘ー三-‘   l-‘
         /  ヽ         /\
        /     `ー——一’   ヽ
        /   y            t  ヽ
        |   /ヽ  ・   人   ・  )  |
        |   |             |  |
    9AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:38
    Re: #7
    ⊂(´・ω・`)⊃ Yaruoyama-zeki, dosukoi! (a sumo-style ring name pun on the AA character Yaruo)
    11AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:39
    ✋(´・∀・`🤚) Good work on that 10-hour shift, dosukooo~
    18AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:41
    Re: #11
    ⊂(´・ω・`)⊃ Still grinding through training, dosukoi!
    12AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:39
    ( ・_ゝ・)(・c_・` ) Face off, face off! ("mieatte" — the referee's cue for wrestlers to size each other up before charging)
    20AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:41
    Re: #12
    ⊂(´・ω・`)⊃ Bumping drills, dosukoi! (butsukari-geiko: a sumo exercise of repeatedly charging a training partner)
    13AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:39
    Hakkeyoi! (((ノ`^´)ノヾ(`^´ヾ))) Nokottaaa! (traditional referee's cries urging wrestlers on and confirming they're still in the ring)
    22AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:41
    Re: #13
    ⊂(´・ω・`)⊃ Things are heating up, dosukoi!
    15AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:40
    The village chief of the Explosive Betting-Ticket Master's Hoihoi Room decides his opening move toward the off-road path by roulette 🏁(´・ω・`)
    25AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:42
    Re: #15
    ⊂(´・ω・`)⊃ Greedy, dosukoi!
    17AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:41
    (´・ω・) You're training for the first time in a while, huh
    27AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:42
    Re: #17
    ⊂(´・ω・`)⊃ Gonna stir up a storm in the sumo world, dosukoi!
    19AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:41
    (´・ω・`) There's plenty of chanko nabe hotpot!
    28AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:43
    Re: #19
    ⊂(´・ω・`)⊃ Looking forward to when training's done, dosukoi!
    21AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:41
    .    Λ__Λ
       (・ω・)
      /   ヽ*squeak squeak*
     _/ ┃))_i |_
    / \⌒) (_ノ\\
        ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄
        Λ__Λ
       (・∀・)
     | ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄| *thud*
    _0 Out of material! 0
    /|______|\
    30AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:43
    Re: #21
    ⊂(´・ω・`)⊃ Training's still got a long way to go, dosukoi!
    23AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:42
    (´・ω・`) I've never watched a sumo match — should I go see one at least once?
    31AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:43
    Re: #23
    ⊂(´・ω・`)⊃ Me neither, dosukoi!
    26AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:42
    Re: #18
    (´・∀・`) Heading out a bit ahead of you all, dosukoi
    つ🍶と
    32AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:43
    Re: #26
    ⊂(´・ω・`)⊃ Evening drink, dosukoi!
    29AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:43
    (´・ω・`) It's all going back to being a normal thread once we get to bath time anyway
    33AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:44
    Re: #29
    ⊂(´・ω・`)⊃ Can't be helped, dosukoi!
    100AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:03
    (●´・ω・) Shigowa-san
    つ🥃🐷🍲と Got some tonjiru (pork miso soup) to keep with the chanko spirit, but training had already ended by the time I got here
    102AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:05
    Re: #100
    (´・ω,・`) Once training's done, it's chanko time
    つ🍲🥢と
    103AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:06
    Λ_Λ
    ૮₍ ・᷇ ∀,・᷆ ₎ა Much obliged! ("gottsuan desu" — a sumo wrestler's way of saying thanks)
    つ🥣と
    104AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:07
    Re: #103
    (´・ω・`)っ🍅 Here, have a tomato
    107AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:11
    Re: #102
    Re: #103
    🍗(●´・ω・)🥃 There's seconds of that "furisode" fried chicken too (a wing cut named for resembling a furisode kimono sleeve), so eat plenty
    117AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:21
    ꒰ ੭ु・ω ・꒱ ੭ु⁾⁾ Someone told me to "d*e" (a masked-out insult, from 死ね) in some thread yesterday… (crying)
    119AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:25
    Re: #117
     Λ_Λ
    ૮₍ ・᷇ ∀ ・᷆ ₎ა Anyone who throws around words like that so easily doesn't mean it — no weight behind it, so just ignore 'em, 'kay
    121AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:29
    Re: #117
    (´・ω・`) Oh! It's Fuwa-san! I get told that a lot too!
    128AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:35
    Re: #127
    (´・ω・`) Go read all of Kochikame (the long-running manga series)
    130AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:36
    Re: #128
    Go read Kengan Ashura, Kengan Omega, and Isshou Senkin
    132AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:37
    Re: #130
    (´・ω・`) Guess I'll just read Cooking Papa instead…
    つ📱と
    129AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:35
    Λ_Λ
    ૮₍ ・᷇ ∀,・᷆ ₎ა Eating rice crackers to refresh!
    つ🍘と
    131AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:36
    Re: #129
    (´・ω・`) It got taken from me!
    137AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:41
    ꒰ ੭ु・ω ・꒱ ੭ु⁾⁾ Re: #129 Thanks, Neko-san too (sniff) — wanna split it half and half? 🍘
    145AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:57
    Λ_Λ
      ૮₍ ・᷇ ∀ ・᷆ ₎ა Alright! Gonna sleep before the date changes!
      _| ⊃/(___
    / └-(____/
     ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄

     *moo moo moo*
      <⌒/ヽ-、___
    /<_/____/
    149AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:00
    Re: #145
     (´・ω・`) I'm gonna sleep too
    l⌒O⌒O⌒l
    | □囗□ |
    | 囗□囗 |
    | □囗□ |
    156AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:05
    ꒰ ੭ु・ω ・꒱ ੭ु⁾⁾ Re: #145 Good night, Beef Reddy-san

    Background and Key Points

    On Newssoku VIP, threads where a fixed AA character camps out and keeps reacting to every post are a recurring format, and this time’s “Mambo Room” is one of them — its defining feature is ⊂(´・ω・`)⊃, dressed in a sumo costume, tacking a “dosukoi” onto every single post it responds to. The line where a poster says they were told to “d*e” didn’t happen in this thread itself — it’s a report the poster brought in about an insult received in a different thread, and it’s easy to misread it as trouble happening here, when really the regulars are just comforting them. There’s no incident or conflict going on; it’s simply a faithful record of the loose mix of chit-chat and mutual encouragement that late-night VIP threads run on.

    ※This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Newssoku VIP) thread “⊂(´・ω・`)⊃ Dosukoi! Mambo Room.”