2026.9.20「愉快な友達の話」
This episode centers on listener submissions for the theme "Stories About Delightful Friends." Highlights include a high school friend's endearing verbal slip-ups, a listener's reunion after 16 years with a former coworker from a fish market, and a secret ritual nurses performed with urine bottles during night shifts. Along the way, Azumi weighs in with trivia about Kitakyushu City's five-way merger and its flashy coming-of-age ceremony outfits, plus a correction to last week's mix-up between IBS and IBD.
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What this episode answers
What kind of verbal slip-ups did the listener's friend T-kun make?
He made mix-ups like calling his grandfather's first death anniversary "one-year anniversary" instead of the correct term, blending Dreams Come True and Princess Princess into "Drincess Come True," and ordering "washlet pickles" instead of shallot pickles at an izakaya.
What was the story about Wai-chan, who worked at the fish market Uo Ichiban?
Wai-chan, a gyaru-looking coworker who got the job by cold-calling shops alphabetically from the phone book, once comically misheard a customer's request for "kokonotsu" (nine items) as "You mean nine?"; she later became a full-time employee, married coworker Kei-kun, and when the listener revisited the shop 16 years later, she was moved to find the couple's daughter now working there as a part-timer.
What was the custom of toasting with urine bottles during nurses' night shifts?
During busy night shifts, whenever the two nurses passed each other in the hallway, they would silently raise their urine bottles in a wordless toast, a ritual that continued until the senior colleague retired.
What trivia was shared about Kitakyushu City's merger?
Kitakyushu City was formed through an unusual equal merger of five cities—Moji, Kokura, Wakamatsu, Yahata, and Tobata—making it a notable example of large-scale city merger even by global standards.
What correction was made on air regarding last week's IBS story?
The earlier reference to the "Ai no IBS Undou" (Love IBS Movement) was corrected to the "Ai no IBD Project," related to IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), a designated intractable disease causing intestinal inflammation.
Friends whose slips of the tongue are endearing
Deburanian-san (58, male) from Higashikurume City shared stories about his high school friend T-kun's verbal mix-ups: calling his grandfather's first death anniversary "one-year anniversary" instead of the correct term, confusing the girl group Dreams Come True with Princess Princess to produce the mashup "Drincess Come True," and flustering an izakaya waiter by ordering "washlet pickles" instead of shallot pickles. A woman in her 40s from Nakano Ward shared stories about a beloved senior colleague in publishing, who referred to the drama *Gunshi Kanbee* by a garbled title and pronounced *Attack on Titan* with the intonation used for the Yomiuri Giants baseball team. Azumi laughed that he was "genuinely worried" about the senior colleague.
A 16-years-later reunion with Wai-chan from the fish market
Ponkichi Tomoko-san from Aichi Prefecture wrote in about Wai-chan, a coworker from her part-time job 16 years ago at the fish market Uo Ichiban. Despite looking like a gyaru, Wai-chan had gotten the job by calling shops in the phone book in alphabetical order, and she once showed her scatterbrained side by asking "You mean nine?" when a customer asked for "kokonotsu" (nine items). Wai-chan later became a full-time employee and married Kei-kun, a younger coworker at the same shop. When the listener visited the shop again last month, she was moved to find that Wai-chan and her husband's daughter was now working there as a part-timer. This prompted Azumi to share his theory that people who work at fish markets tend to pair up with "lively" partners, producing vibrant family lines across generations. He also recounted his own experience at a memorial gathering for the late food writer Naomi Edamoto, where he was greeted by three hairdressers who all happened to share the same surname.
A secret ritual that bonded workplace friends
Chipipe Chaninjaa-san (44, female) from Abiko City described a 25-year friendship with a senior nurse colleague. During busy night shifts, whenever they passed each other in the hallway, they would silently raise their urine bottles in a wordless toast — a ritual that continued until the senior colleague retired. Mararo-san from Aichi Prefecture shared a story about a friend who played a recording of their own fart for the voice assistant Siri, which responded with a confused-sounding groan.
Trivia about Kitakyushu City
Gyunyu-san (male) submitted a story about once asking a friend where they were from, only to be told simply "Kitakyushu" — a vague answer that left him feeling a bit lonely, until he learned the friend was in fact from Kitakyushu City in Fukuoka Prefecture. This prompted Azumi to explain that Kitakyushu City was formed through an unusual equal merger of five cities — Moji, Kokura, Wakamatsu, Yahata, and Tobata — making it a notable example of a large-scale city merger even by global standards. Later in the show, Azumi corrected an earlier statement about the number of boat racing venues in the area, clarifying it was two: Wakamatsu and Ashiya. The conversation also touched on Kitakyushu's coming-of-age ceremonies, known for their flashy outfits.
An unforgettable farewell and a friend's hidden talent
A female listener from Fukuoka City recalled a farewell party thrown 33 years ago by a middle school friend who was about to transfer schools. The friend proposed selling off manga books she was getting rid of before the move for 100 yen each, and shrewdly sold them one by one to every classmate at the party. Another listener shared memories of Kei-chan, someone she admired in elementary school whose special talent was wiggling her ears; the listener practiced intensely after being taught the trick of keeping a straight face without laughing. The show closed with a correction: last week's mention of the "Ai no IBS Undou" (Love IBS Movement) was an error — the correct name is the "Ai no IBD Project," related to IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), a designated intractable disease that causes intestinal inflammation.
Takeaways
- The episode featured many endearing verbal slip-up stories from friends, including T-kun's "Drincess Come True."
- A standout story was a listener's reunion with former coworker Wai-chan from the fish market Uo Ichiban, where she found Wai-chan's daughter working 16 years later.
- Near the end of the show, the hosts corrected last week's IBS/IBD mix-up and an earlier error about the number of boat racing venues in Kitakyushu.
This article is edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. It is not an official summary — please listen to the episode itself.