# 番外編「番組開始200回記念おしゃべり回」 - Show: あんまり役に立たない日本史 - Published: 2026-10-16 - Canonical: https://podc.club/en/episode/1652596456_07b739180dce.html - Audio: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/TRE2100161371.mp3 - Source: Edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. Not an official summary. Japanese history variety podcast "Anmari Yakuni Tatanai Nihonshi" (あんまり役に立たない日本史) has reached its 200th episode after four years of unbroken weekly releases. Host Syrup Junpei (シロップ純平) looked back on the show's journey from a three-month trial pitched directly to his agency president all the way to winning a Japan Podcast Award, publishing a book, getting an anime adaptation, and making his debut as a lyricist for an enka singer. He also announced the opening of an official web shop selling commemorative original T-shirts. ## What this episode answers ### How did "Anmari Yakuni Tatanai Nihonshi" get started? At a programming review meeting at his agency Triple One (トリプルワン), Junpei pitched the president directly, saying he wanted to do a history content show rather than staying on the production side; the president agreed on the condition that Junpei himself would pull the plug if viewership did not grow, and the show launched as a three-month trial with four episodes per month. ### How was the title "Anmari Yakuni Tatanai Nihonshi" decided? After rejecting candidates such as "Rekishi Banashi" (which clashed with an existing artist name) and "Reki-Talk," Junpei hit on the current title alone, without consulting anyone; the phrase "not very useful" was a deliberate contrarian move to lower the bar upfront, and the solo-production setup made the name a perfect fit. ### How did the show expand after winning the Japan Podcast Award? Winning the Excellence Award at the Japan Podcast Award drove a surge in media coverage that led to a book, an anime adaptation, and talk live events, and the growing audience prompted Junpei to switch from four episodes per month to weekly updates, a schedule he has maintained without a single break ever since. ### What led to Syrup Junpei making his debut as a lyricist? Hokkaido enka singer Ayakawa Sakura (綾川さくら) read Junpei's book, concluded that someone who could write a book could write lyrics, and commissioned him to write the lyrics for her 10th-anniversary debut song; Junpei was puzzled because writing a book and writing lyrics are very different things, but he took on the challenge and was moved by the moment the written words came alive in the singer's voice. ### What new initiative was launched to mark the 200th episode? To mark the 200th episode, Junpei opened an official web shop selling original T-shirts in kids' size 150 and adult sizes S through XXL—the same shirts that fans at a Kyoto event had asked to buy. ## Article ## A Milestone 200 Episodes After four years of weekly releases—roughly 52 episodes a year—"Anmari Yakuni Tatanai Nihonshi" has reached its 200th episode. Including bonus episodes, the total comes to around 210. To mark the occasion, Junpei went back and listened to Episode 1, which covered Tokugawa Ieyasu, and laughed at how wound-up he had been: "My energy was all over the place—I was worried the listeners would be exhausted." He also noted that his love of toilet humor and irreverent tangents has not changed one bit in four years. ## How the Show Was Born At his agency Triple One, Junpei had been involved in podcast production on the technical side—editing audio, handling distribution—rather than as a host. When the agency president asked for new content ideas at a programming review meeting, Junpei made his case directly: he wanted to talk, not just produce, and specifically wanted to do a history show. The president agreed, but with a condition: if the numbers did not grow, Junpei himself would have to be the one to cancel it. The show launched on that three-month trial basis, and four years later it has hit 200 episodes. ## The Story Behind the Title Finding the right name was not easy. "Rekishi Banashi" was a candidate, though they considered writing it in katakana to differentiate it, only to find it conflicted with an existing artist name. "Reki-Talk" did not feel right either. Then, without asking anyone, Junpei simply landed on "Anmari Yakuni Tatanai Nihonshi"—"Japanese History That's Not Very Useful." The phrase captures a deliberately contrarian logic: by declaring upfront that the content is not particularly useful, it lowers the bar for listeners before they even press play. It also fit perfectly with the show's one-man-band structure, in which Junpei handles all production, editing, and distribution himself. ## From Award to Book, Anime, and Songwriting The show started at four episodes per month. Once Junpei felt that listeners were genuinely looking forward to each release, he switched to weekly updates and has not missed a single week since. The single biggest turning point in four years was winning the Excellence Award at the Japan Podcast Award. The recognition brought a wave of media exposure and opened doors to a book deal, an anime adaptation, and talk live events. This autumn brought yet another unexpected development. Hokkaido enka singer Ayakawa Sakura, celebrating her 10th anniversary as a professional singer, read Junpei's book and reasoned that if he could write a book, he could write song lyrics. She commissioned him to write the lyrics for her anniversary song. Junpei was bewildered—writing a book and writing lyrics, he insisted, are completely different things—but he accepted the challenge. The moment the words he had written on a page came alive in Ayakawa's voice moved him deeply. "When I was writing the lyrics I felt exposed, like I was baring something private," he said. "But the moment it became a song, everything changed." He saw a parallel with what listener Talham (タルハム) had described: the feeling that a historical figure who had only been a name on a page suddenly starts to move. ## Official Shop Launch and Listener Voices To celebrate 200 episodes, Junpei opened an official web shop. The star product is an original T-shirt that debuted at a Kyoto event, where fans kept asking if it was for sale. It is now available in kids' size 150 and adult sizes S through XXL; Junpei mentioned he hopes to sign shirts for buyers he meets at future events. Listener messages poured in. Apple Podcasts reviewer MO52353 wrote that the show is still entertaining on a second listen and is a nightly comfort during household chores. Talham, who used to dislike Japanese history, said the podcast got them reading historical fiction and put in a request for an episode on Mori Katsunaga (毛利勝永). Spotify listener Ichi sent a "Congratulations on 200 episodes" message directly on the platform. Junpei also noted the show has a notable number of parent-and-child listeners, and shared an ambition for the future: "I'd love it if someone who listened as a single adult ends up listening again one day with their kids." With that vision in mind, he is already looking toward episodes 300 and 400. ## Takeaways - "Anmari Yakuni Tatanai Nihonshi" reached 200 episodes after four unbroken years of weekly releases, having started as a three-month trial that host Syrup Junpei pitched directly to his agency president. - Winning the Japan Podcast Award Excellence Award was the show's biggest turning point, leading to a book, an anime adaptation, and talk live events, and this autumn Junpei added lyricist to his credits by writing the 10th-anniversary song for Hokkaido enka singer Ayakawa Sakura. - To mark the milestone, Junpei opened an official web shop selling original T-shirts in a range of sizes, and expressed his hope that the show will still be running when today's solo listeners are sharing it with their own children.