# ヤングJUNKの仲間！南海キャンディーズ・山里亮太さん登場！

- Show: 金曜JUNK バナナマンのバナナムーンGOLD
- Published: 2026-10-05
- Canonical: https://podc.club/en/episode/1651797030_9b946b108c8f.html
- Audio: https://pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/TBS1672172839.mp3
- Source: Edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. Not an official summary.

Nankai Candies' (南海キャンディーズ) Yamazato Ryota (山里亮太) appeared as a guest on the podcast edition of Bananamoon Gold (バナナムーンGOLD), sharing daily life moments like dancing the Thriller with his 4-year-old daughter and the story of how he made her burst into tears over misshapen clay gyoza. The 49-year-old also opened up about his ambitions to keep performing live shows into his 70s, his fear of 'having his seat taken,' and the exacting behind-the-scenes instructions he received from veteran impressionist Korokke (コロッケ) during an impression medley shoot.

## What this episode answers

### What does Yamazato Ryota aim for in his future career?

He said he wants to build the same kind of longevity as the morning show Sukkiri (すっきり), which has run for 17 years, and pointed to Furutachi Ichiro (古舘伊知郎) still delivering high-quality live shows past 70 as proof that 'if you put in the effort, you can still do live performances at 70'; he also said he wants to keep appearing on JUNK (ジャンク) for as long as he keeps getting the call.

### What episodes from daily life with his 4-year-old daughter did Yamazato share?

His daughter studies hip-hop dance and comes home to teach him the moves she's learned, and they sometimes dance the Thriller together; he also shared the story of how he made her burst into tears by criticizing the shape of clay gyoza she'd made, admitting he still doesn't know whether he should have said anything.

### What kind of instructions did Korokke give during the impression medley recording for Okage deshita (おかげでした)?

Korokke gave precise, scene-by-scene instructions on exactly when each line had to be finished; by contrast, one participant placed total trust in Yamazato and let him handle everything, while another insisted on Yamazato delivering only the opening introduction before taking over — styles that were completely opposite.

### How did Yamazato and Shitara talk about the fear of having their seat taken and career anxiety?

Yamazato said he is 'terrified' of having his seat taken and revealed he has never once taken an extended vacation, though he is considering doing so for the first time next year as a family trip; Shitara said that feeling has faded with age but that both men are greatly inspired by veteran performers like Yazawa Eikichi (矢沢永吉), Yuki Saori (由紀さおり), and Sada Masashi (さだまさし), who still mount nationwide tours in their 70s and 80s.

### What does Yamazato say he spends money on in his daily life?

He has almost no material desires and spends mainly on food, but was humbled at a gourmet event in Ishikawa Prefecture when he saw how much more Sakuma-san (さくまさん) and Watabe-san (わたべさん) were spending on meals, and laughed that the best cardigan he wore to the recording that day turned out to have a stain on it.

## Article

## Yamazato Ryota's Vision for the Future — Live Shows at 70

This podcast episode continued directly from the main radio broadcast, with Yamazato remaining as a special guest. On the subject of the long-running morning show Sukkiri (すっきり), now in its 17th year, Yamazato said he wanted to build that same kind of longevity in his own work. For live performances, he pointed to veteran broadcaster Furutachi Ichiro (古舘伊知郎), who still delivers high-quality shows past the age of 70, as evidence that 'if you put in the effort, you can still do live performances at 70.' He also expressed his enthusiasm for continuing to appear on JUNK (ジャンク) for as long as he keeps getting invited.

## Head Over Heels for His 4-Year-Old — Dancing Thriller, Making Her Cry Over Gyoza

Asked about his private life, Yamazato was unequivocal: 'It's completely family now.' His 4-year-old daughter has been taking hip-hop dance lessons, and she comes home to teach him every new step she learns. He lit up describing how they sometimes dance Michael Jackson's Thriller together.

He also reported that she has recently become capable of real back-and-forth conversation — which led to one memorable misstep. While making gyoza out of clay together, he pointed out that her dumplings were the wrong shape, and she dissolved into tears. 'I spoke to her like she was just another person,' he said ruefully. The story has a redemptive twist, though: afterward, his daughter went on to make the most perfectly shaped gyoza of anyone. 'Maybe that criticism was necessary after all,' he laughed. He added that he has almost never genuinely lost his temper with her. The one time he said 'No, you can't do that!' was when she jumped on him while he was sleeping and landed a knee squarely in a sensitive spot — and he declared that the absolute maximum.

## The Fear of Losing Your Seat — Honest Talk at 49 and 53

Yamazato (49) and host Shitara (設楽, 53) got candid about work, ambition, and ageing. Shitara recalled that almost none of the goals he had set in his 20s and 30s had come to pass, and that he now lives by the philosophy of going with the flow and gravitating toward whatever seems fun. The fierce hunger of youth — 'that seat is mine' — has faded with the years, he said.

Yamazato, on the other hand, said he is 'terrified of having his seat taken' and revealed that he has never once taken an extended vacation. He is now thinking about finally doing so next year, combining it with a family trip. Shitara admitted he, too, feels a pang of anxiety when he sees colleagues grinding through New Year's live broadcasts. Both men agreed that watching their elders — Yazawa Eikichi (矢沢永吉), Yuki Saori (由紀さおり), and Sada Masashi (さだまさし) — still mounting nationwide tours in their 70s and 80s is a tremendous source of inspiration.

## Behind the Impression Medley — Korokke's Exacting Instructions

Yamazato also shared a behind-the-scenes story from the impression medley segment on the TV program Okage deshita (おかげでした). He tackled it with full commitment, rewriting some of the script himself along the way. Veteran impressionist Korokke (コロッケ) gave him tightly timed, scene-by-scene instructions: 'Please finish this line by this point.' The contrast with other participants was striking — one person placed complete trust in Yamazato and let him handle everything, while another insisted on Yamazato delivering only the opening introduction before taking over from there. As for his own performance, the show writer's mother repeatedly told him, 'Yamachan has his own kind of charm.' Yamazato's deadpan conclusion: 'The fact that she said it so many times means it wasn't a perfect score.'

## No Material Desires, Just Food — But Keep the Hunger Alive

Yamazato says he has almost no interest in material things; if he spends money on anything, it's food. At a gourmet event in Ishikawa Prefecture, he got a look at how much Sakuma-san (さくまさん) and Watabe-san (わたべさん) were spending on meals and came away humbled: 'I can't spend that much. Maybe I'm not as devoted to food as I thought.' Clothes hold even less appeal — he wore what he considered his best cardigan to the recording, only to find it had a stain on it. Shitara offered his own philosophy on the subject: as you get older, material desires thin out, but once desire vanishes entirely, so does the motivation to do anything at all. 'I want to stay greedy,' he said — greedy for food, for ambition, for all of it.

## Takeaways

- Yamazato Ryota, 49, has never taken an extended vacation out of fear of 'having his seat taken' and is only now considering doing so for the first time next year.
- He revealed a tender side as a father, dancing the Thriller with his 4-year-old daughter while also making her cry by critiquing the shape of her clay gyoza.
- The impression medley recording for Okage deshita exposed a striking contrast in styles: Korokke issued exacting scene-by-scene cues while another participant handed Yamazato complete control.