ライトニングカタパルト（Lightning Catapult）currently outside the Japan top 100
「焼き魚、工数多すぎ！」＃68
Host Kojima Haruna (小島春菜) argues that grilled fish is only worth eating when the fat content justifies the effort of picking bones — and some fish simply don't make the cut. Alongside autumn food picks and a sweets recommendation in Akasaka, she announces the Meiji × Lightning Catapult 'Yantsuke Ambassador' collab stream airing October 26. She also gives an update on her long-running plan to attend a Chiikawa character greeting event with DJ Matsunaga (DJ松永).
What this episode answers
What has Kojima Haruna been eating a lot this autumn, and which sweets shop does she recommend?
She has been ordering baked sweet potato through Uber Eats on a regular basis, and recommends Ogino Wakan (小木の和館) in Akasaka — a Japanese sweets shop run by the Michelin-listed Ogino — for its fresh dorayaki filled with mascarpone anko, also available with chestnut.
Why does she find grilled fish 'too many steps,' and which fish will she actually eat?
She considers grilled fish not worth it when the effort of removing bones outweighs the fat and volume — the dried horse mackerel at ryokan breakfasts is her prime example, being dry and meager; pacific saury passes because of its fat, and she will eat hokke or nodoguro if they are sufficiently oily.
What is the Meiji collab stream 'Yantsuke Ambassador' about, and who appears in it?
It is a project built around November 11 'Yanyantsuké-bō Day,' officially titled 'Meiji Presents: Yantsuke Ambassador Lightning Catapult'; the October 26 (Monday) stream features Lightning Catapult's Monday regulars Aida-san and Sakai-san, with TV producer Sakuma-san as guest, while Haruna herself is not appearing due to a scheduling conflict.
What happened with the Chiikawa greeting event plan with DJ Matsunaga?
DJ Matsunaga replied 'I'll go if you're serious,' and after Haruna said 'don't come if you don't want to,' he responded 'I am serious — once The Weeknd's tour ends I'll have time'; however, Haruna's own schedule is already fully booked for the rest of the year, so the outing is pushed to next year.
What is the viral Starbucks milk tea custom that has been spreading on social media?
The custom uses iced black tea as the base, swaps regular milk for almond milk, and adds white mocha syrup and honey — a workaround since Starbucks has no menu item called milk tea — and Haruna found it refreshingly light with well-balanced sweetness.
Autumn Flavours — Baked Sweet Potato, Fresh Dorayaki, and Matsutake 'by Invitation Only'
This episode was recorded in September but released on October 21 — a 'stockpiled' recording. With the manager absent, Haruna and Fukuda-san recorded just the two of them, surrounded by the noise of colleagues doing packing work nearby.
On autumn food, Haruna opens by saying she has been ordering baked sweet potato through Uber Eats on a regular basis. A specialty sweet potato shop that had its boom a few years back is apparently still going, and she adds that sweet potatoes have been gaining attention as a beauty food, popular with Korean idols as a diet staple.
For sweets, she recommends Ogino Wakan in Akasaka. It is a Japanese sweets specialty shop run by the Michelin-listed Ogino, and its fresh dorayaki filled with mascarpone anko is the standout item; a chestnut variation is also available, making it a firmly autumn-flavoured destination.
On matsutake mushrooms, she admits she hasn't had any yet this year. In food circles, matsutake starts appearing around August, but properly enjoying it usually requires a full-course meal, so her stance is to wait until someone invites her. Asked whether she prefers shark fin or matsutake, she answers 'shark fin' without hesitation. Her take: 'The first bite is impressive, but I don't want to keep eating it — one seasonal token piece is enough,' and she applies the same logic to matsutake.
'Too Many Steps' — Grilled Fish and the Fat-Versus-Effort Ledger
This is the heart of the episode title. Haruna says she makes the same argument every year at this time of year, laying out her cost-performance theory for grilled fish.
Pacific saury (sanma) earns a pass: the bones are fiddly, but the fat makes it worthwhile. The real grievance is the dried horse mackerel (aji no himono) served at ryokan breakfasts. She lets loose: carefully picking out bones only to be rewarded with a small, dry, and unimpressive amount of fish is simply not acceptable. Losing the juiciness in the drying process is another strike against it. Fat content is the deciding metric, and she is explicit: hokke and nodoguro are fine because they are oily enough.
Meiji × Lightning Catapult: The 'Yantsuke Ambassador' Collab Stream
A major tie-up is announced. Meiji and Lightning Catapult (ライトニングカタパルト) have teamed up for a special stream officially titled 'Meiji Presents: Yantsuke Ambassador Lightning Catapult.'
The concept is built around November 11, designated 'Yanyantsuké-bō Day.' Reading the script on air, Haruna is briefly speechless — 'This is... competing with Pocky Day' — calling it a bold charge into a very crowded space. The stream features Lightning Catapult's Monday regulars, Aida-san and Sakai-san, with TV producer Sakuma-san as guest, a self-proclaimed devoted yantsuke fan. The stream itself airs on October 26 (Monday) rather than November 11, the idea being to build momentum ahead of the day. Details are available from the official Meiji Chocolate Daisakusen X account. Haruna herself is not appearing due to a scheduling conflict.
DJ Matsunaga and the Chiikawa Greeting — 'I Am Serious'
An update on the story from a previous episode in which Haruna invited DJ Matsunaga to a Chiikawa (ちいかわ) character greeting event. His reply: 'I'll go if you're serious.' Haruna fired back, 'Don't come if you don't want to,' and his response arrived: 'I am serious. Once The Weeknd's tour is over I should have time, so please do invite me.' She laughs at the gap between his casual tone and the weight of the statement, and it registers again that she is dealing with someone accompanying a major international artist on an Asian tour.
However, Haruna's own schedule is now fully booked for the rest of the year, making it impossible to arrange in time. She regrets not pinning down dates the moment she first extended the invitation, but closes with: 'Chiikawa isn't going anywhere — I'll reach out again once things settle down.'
Today's Starbucks Custom and Dad's Radio Research
In the 'Today's Starbucks Custom' segment, Haruna introduces a milk tea custom spreading on social media. Because Starbucks has no item called milk tea, the workaround making the rounds is to order iced black tea as the base, substitute almond milk for regular milk, and add white mocha syrup and honey. She found it refreshingly light with well-balanced sweetness.
The episode closes with a family anecdote. Her parents apparently listen to her show to check she is doing well. One day her father suddenly brought up: 'You know, in baseball they use the word anko too — it's the padding stuffed inside a glove to shape it.' Players apparently adjust how many layers of anko they use. He had clearly researched the fact in advance. Haruna closes with a message: 'To all parents of radio personalities across the country — your daughter is not thinking about radio industry terms in her off time. Dropping jargon on us out of nowhere will not land.' Laughter closes the episode.
Takeaways
- Haruna's grilled-fish philosophy comes down to a fat-versus-effort ledger: dried horse mackerel at ryokan breakfasts fails the test, while oily fish like hokke and nodoguro pass.
- The Meiji × Lightning Catapult 'Yantsuke Ambassador' collab stream airs October 26, tied to November 11 'Yanyantsuké-bō Day,' with Aida-san, Sakai-san, and producer Sakuma-san appearing — Haruna is absent due to scheduling.
- DJ Matsunaga confirmed he genuinely wants to attend a Chiikawa greeting event, but Haruna's fully booked year-end schedule means the plan is pushed to next year.
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.