「シアートート」
Iwai (岩井) arrives at the recording studio just before 11 PM with zero packing done, despite a 6:30 AM departure the next morning for a 14-hour international flight. The episode covers behind-the-scenes chaos from Iwai's appearance on Shutsubo! Ad Machi Heaven (出没！アド街ック天国)'s Ageo special, and ends with the official christening of the ultra-thin ZEPP tour tote bag as the 'Sheer Tote.'
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What this episode answers
What took the #1 spot in the Ageo episode of Ad Machi Heaven that Iwai appeared in?
#1 was 'Ageo, Town of Manufacturing.' Both Iwai and Matoba-san looked visibly unenthused, and local listeners shared the feeling—even Iwai himself admitted he'd never thought of his hometown that way, despite Bridgestone and other factories being based there.
Who are the substitute MCs filling in for Iwai on Pokapoka, and what was Sawabe's take on the lineup?
The lineup includes Nakata Atsuhiko (中田敦彦), Wolf Aron (ウルフ・アロン), Zakiyama (Hiroya Yamazaki / 山崎弘也), Shelly (シェリー), and Kawaii-kun from ABCG. Sawabe laughed that merging them all into one person would produce 'a completely different character—like some kind of celebration,' while both hosts expressed genuine gratitude that everyone shows up.
When a listener called the ZEPP tour's mail-order tote bag 'flimsy,' how did Iwai respond?
Iwai immediately named it the 'Sheer Tote,' insisting the see-through quality is the entire concept and the thinness is a deliberate, fashionable design choice—not a defect. He then proposed a string of uses: letting can badge holes become part of the charm, shrinking it in the dryer into a mini tote for dog walks or Marunouchi lunch runs, and connecting five of them end to end to make a five-color rainbow muffler.
Which piece of merchandise has never sold out, and what does Iwai think is the cause?
The 'Private Video Room T-shirt' (個室ビデオTシャツ) is the only item that has never sold out, even after Beams featured it on their website. Iwai theorized that the team uses it as the baseline for all merchandise orders, causing every other item to be underestimated—and Sawabe couldn't deny it.
What special treatment did Iwai receive from Mine Ryuta?
At a location shoot in Rakuen, Mine Ryuta (峯竜太) ordered delivery unaju (eel rice boxes) worth 6,000–7,000 yen per person for the entire cast, and on Pokapoka he had previously given Iwai two Italian custom-made jackets—prompting Sawabe to say 'You're receiving way too much Mine-rii love.'
Zero Packing, 6:30 AM Departure
Recording started just before 11 PM, when Iwai casually revealed he had a 6:30 AM international flight the next morning—a 14-hour journey—and had not packed a single thing. He hadn't even bought snacks for the plane. His attitude? "I'll just sleep on the flight." Sawabe pointed out that knowing both the departure time and the flight duration made it easy to narrow down the destination, and the moment Iwai let the hours slip, the region was all but confirmed. He also explained why the trip couldn't wait: his child's entrance exams would soon be ramping up, and he needed to go before that window closed.
A Substitute MC Lineup That Looks Like a Party
With Iwai away, a stand-in MC would take his seat on Fuji TV's midday show Pokapoka. The next day's guest would be Nakata Atsuhiko, known as Acchan. Past substitutes have included Wolf Aron, Zakiyama (Hiroya Yamazaki), Shelly, and Kawaii-kun from ABCG. Sawabe's verdict: "If you merged all of them into one person, you'd get a completely different character—it'd feel like some kind of celebration." Iwai agreed they were "way too all over the place," but both expressed genuine gratitude that everyone makes the effort to come.
Behind the Scenes of Ad Machi Heaven's Ageo Episode
A listener email turned the conversation to Iwai's appearance on Shutsubo! Ad Machi Heaven for its Ageo special. The #1 spot went to "Ageo, Town of Manufacturing," and the listener noted that both Iwai and Matoba-san looked visibly awkward about the ranking. Ageo does have factories—Bridgestone is based there—but Iwai admitted that even he, as a local, had never really thought of his hometown that way.
Coming in at #11 was "A Town That Loves Ankake," spotlighting three dishes: Sta-Curry, the Tama-Chiri Don at Ageo Han-ten, and Gyoza Soba at Chaina. A listener then unearthed a past episode in which Iwai mentioned carrying ankake ramen broth from Chalmera around in a thermos, prompting the theory that "ankake might be written into Ageo's DNA."
Behind the scenes, the production staff confessed at the very first meeting that "this one was honestly tough"—there simply wasn't enough material. Iwai ended up supplying footage from his childhood piano recital and tracking down his old piano teacher to round out the segment. "If it were Kichijoji, you could do this show ten times and it would still work," he laughed. Spots like Hanasaku-no-Yu and Maruyama Park got brief mentions, but Iwai and Sawabe acknowledged that their knowledge is mostly limited to the Omiya-adjacent area, calling their ignorance of central Ageo around the station "embarrassing."
At a Rakuen location shoot, fellow cast member Mine Ryuta surprised everyone by ordering delivery unaju—eel rice boxes worth 6,000–7,000 yen per person—for the whole cast. Iwai had also previously received two Italian custom-made jackets from Mine Ryuta on Pokapoka, leading Sawabe to tell him: "You're getting way too much Mine-rii love. Maybe you should set your sights on becoming the second coming of Mine-rii love."
The Ultra-Thin Tote Bag Gets an Official Name: the Sheer Tote
A listener who ordered the mail-order tote bag from the Haraiichi no Turn 10th anniversary ZEPP tour wrote in to report it was impressively flimsy, wondering if the concept was to leave it intentionally thin so buyers could customize it. Iwai latched right on: "Exactly. This is a Sheer Tote." The translucency is the whole point. Thin is not a defect—it's a trend.
Sawabe pushed back: "A thick tote is a good tote." Iwai was unmoved. Attach a can badge and the fabric pulls away—enjoy it. Wash it repeatedly until holes appear—enjoy it. Tumble-dry it and it shrinks into a mini tote, ideal for walking your dog or as a lunch bag for an OL in Marunouchi. Connect five of them end to end and you have a five-color rainbow muffler or scarf. By the time Iwai finished, Sawabe had surrendered: "I guess anything goes."
Merchandise Orders Always Come Up Short—Except for One
ZEPP tour items—including the American Dog T-shirt and caps—have sold out repeatedly despite reorders. The one item that has never once sold out: the Private Video Room T-shirt. Even after Beams featured it on their website, sales barely moved. Iwai's theory: "They're probably using the Private Video Room T-shirt as the benchmark for every order, so everything else gets underestimated." Sawabe couldn't argue.
The episode closed with a plug for the tour penlight, shaped like a spatula. Perfect for waving at concerts, writing in sha-font, or cutting bread dough. One warning attached: "Do not press it against a hot iron plate—it will melt."
Takeaways
- The Ageo episode of Ad Machi Heaven placed 'Town of Manufacturing' at #1, drawing mixed reactions from locals; content was so thin that Iwai had to supply childhood piano recital footage just to fill the segment.
- The ultra-thin ZEPP tour tote bag was officially named the 'Sheer Tote' and reframed as a design feature rather than a defect, with sanctioned uses including dryer-shrinking into a mini tote and connecting five bags into a rainbow muffler.
- ZEPP tour merchandise orders appear to be systematically underestimated because the baseline is the perpetually unsold Private Video Room T-shirt, causing every popular item to keep selling out while that T-shirt sits on shelves.
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.