While Sandwichman’s Mikio Date remains on hiatus after suffering a stroke, fellow Grape Company comedian Junichi Davidson visited him at the talent agency’s office and posted a recent photo to Instagram on the 13th. Davidson wrote, “This guy was doing great, haha!” — but on the forum, commenters pored over the corner of his mouth and cheek movement in the photo for signs of paralysis, while others shared their own or family members’ experiences with stroke. Many also drew comparisons to senior entertainers like Shigeo Nagashima and Beat Takeshi who made comebacks after illness or accidents.
September 13, 2026
A recent photo of Mikio Date, one half of the comedy duo Sandwichman, who has been on hiatus due to a stroke (cerebral infarction), has been shared.
Comedian Junichi Davidson updated his Instagram on the 13th, reporting: “This guy was doing great, haha! Went to see Date-san at the Grape Company office.”
Source: news.livedoor.com / Read the original article here
The road ahead is the long part.
My grandpa was doing fine when he got discharged too, but a year later he developed dementia.
Isn't that just an age-related change?
You recover fast for the first six months after onset.
After that, further recovery gets hard to come by.
The right side of his face looks off.
So does that mean the after-effects are still affecting his speech?
Just has to watch out for a recurrence.
They'll have him on blood thinners, so he should be fine.
A rehab specialist apparently said that in that condition, normally even standing up would be difficult.
But leave it to Mr. Nagashima — keeping that hand in his pocket helps him hold his balance, which is how he's able to walk.
Better late than never.
Hope there's no lasting after-effects.
but according to the doctors, I was actually the most severe case and needed strict bed rest. Half my face was crooked lol
Strokes are scary…
Sounds like they just watched and waited a long time after symptoms showed up, so it might be a tough road.
It's hospital food, of course he'd lose weight.
Illness and injury aren't the same thing.
Apparently even the doctors said his survival was basically a miracle.
Supposedly he even had an out-of-body experience.
Background and Talking Points on This Story
The article itself centers on the release of a recent photo, but opinion on the forum split into an “he’s doing fine” camp and a “can’t let your guard down” camp. The former took the speed of his discharge and the fact that he showed up at the office as proof of recovery, while the latter pointed to the asymmetry in the corner of his mouth and cheeks visible in the photo as a sign that some paralysis remains. Recovery after a stroke is said to follow a curve that depends heavily on how much time has passed since onset, and this was echoed in comments noting that “recovery is rapid for roughly the first six months after onset, but progress slows considerably after that.” Comparisons to Shigeo Nagashima and Beat Takeshi came up as well, though it’s worth noting that the location of their paralysis and the circumstances of their injuries differ, so their degree of recovery can’t simply be equated with Date’s.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Sandwichman’s Mikio Date, resting after a stroke, shows healthy latest look — “I’m doing just fine,” Junichi Davidson reveals.”
