#181 酸素と水

Autumn Small Talk — Sweet Potatoes and Osmanthus

The episode opens with seasonal chatter. The conversation drifts to the sweet potatoes sold in Heisei-era supermarkets — the kind that were "white all the way through when you cut them, no caramelized core." Both hosts recalled the home-made sweet potato dishes of that era, where "you'd smash in a ridiculous amount of sugar like it was a joke," and agreed that, looking back, that sugar-bomb version had its own charm — even if it was also "why I stopped eating sweet potato altogether" and "wouldn't meet today's standards."

They also noted that the neighborhood culture of elderly residents handing out home-cooked food to strangers "just doesn't exist anymore." On the sensory front, one host reported that the osmanthus fragrance hit noticeably early this year — "the moment I stepped outside, it was there" — confirming that autumn arrived without any lingering summer heat.

Koebu Sonic 2026 — Three Days as Ambassadors

Both hosts spent the full three days of Koebu Sonic 2026 as ambassadors, combining an artist set, Second Stage MC duties, and various behind-the-scenes tasks. Meals were grabbed on the fly — crepes eaten by practically inhaling them. At the media press conference, when asked "How were the three days?", the immediate reply was, "I think Elfu appeared on the main stage more than we did" — a disarmingly honest opener that visibly surprised the room. The hosts acknowledged a degree of complicated feelings: Elfu had championed the festival from the very beginning and clearly wanted to be there, which made the comparison bittersweet.

On the comedy stage, day one featured a stellar line-up, and on day two Zakoshi-shisho went up first; his junior Mikabo followed and, by the hosts' account, "absolutely killed it."

Kuma-ma's Opening Act and the "One More Time" Scramble

The episode's standout moment came during the opening act for artist Kuma-ma. The allotted slot was 15 minutes of performance plus MC, totalling exactly 20 minutes. The planned structure was: a Matsumura-san medley (approx. 5 min) → MC (approx. 5 min) → "Kuma-ma Cookie" to close (approx. 5 min), with a cue from the wings staff as the signal to move into the final song.

During the MC section, the host went blank on the words for the "call" side of a call-and-response segment, cutting the MC down to roughly two minutes. Without checking the staff cue, they launched straight into "Kuma-ma Cookie." The song ended and a large chunk of time remained. A rapid huddle with Yoshimoto staff and the music team produced an instant solution: "Let's just run it again." Playing "Kuma-ma Cookie" a second time filled the gap and landed the set at exactly 20 minutes. An unplanned walk-on by Inaba-san from the wings helped smooth over the moment. "I was genuinely shocked that changing the setlist was approved that easily," one host said.

On stage movement: the hosts admitted running too far left and right during the "I like gummy candy, I hate dams" section — "I might have been too winded to sing by the time I got back." A planned dive into the crowd, inspired by Sakura-zaka live footage, also produced an unexpected moment: "Nobody touched me. Not one person."

Stage Ideas Borrowed from Other Artists

Watching Jenny High's members rest drinks on a stand and grab quick sips between songs sparked genuine admiration. The idea immediately expanded: "We could put the oxygen-water bottles on stands too, and drink while running side to side — it would even work as part of the act." They also flagged NEWS's elevated platform and Monaki's audience-walk, declaring flatly, "We're taking all of it."

Araka-chan's Secret Message-Board Surprise

Among the weekend's more touching moments: Elfu's Araka-chan quietly organized a group message board for Koya-san, coordinating with staff to collect signatures in the dressing room without being detected. Jaru Jaru and many other comedians contributed. The deadline arrived before she could hand it over in person at the final curtain, something she described as genuinely frustrating. The hosts also recalled a past instance where Araka-chan wrote messages on a champagne bottle as a surprise at their Shibuya solo show, and expressed warm gratitude for her thoughtfulness.

This Week's Theme: "Things I Love About Okinawa"

The second half of the episode turns to listener mail. The first letter came from a heavy-listener couple from Okinawa Prefecture, recommending Uruma City's Uruma-shin (Maruichi Shokuhin) for two things: an extraordinarily garlicky chicken dish and a large, thin, sweet triangle inari. Both are popular enough to sell out early afternoon. The hosts noted that "there's a whole culture in Okinawa of eating onigiri and fried food together" and that the shop gives off a distinctly homemade feel.

The second letter introduced umukuji tempura. Umukuji means "potato starch," and the fritter uses beni-imo (purple sweet potato) starch — the appeal being the contrast between the sweet potato and the savory, salty batter. The dish is available at Okinawan izakayas in Tokyo as well. One host connected it to the sweet potatoes from the opening chat — "it's basically the same vibe, just fried" — before letting out a slightly ambivalent sigh: "Beni-mo, huh..."