# 「おでん屋にDJブース⁇」#68 - Show: ライトニングカタパルト（Lightning Catapult） - Published: 2026-10-19 - Canonical: https://podc.club/en/episode/1749392265_dc2b1d3c3521.html - Audio: https://anchor.fm/s/6b7c12d8/podcast/play/127652216/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-9-18%2F0854ad5c-bafe-fa40-0058-a310aa711160.mp3 - Source: Edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. Not an official summary. A listener's story about walking her family into what looked like a calm oden restaurant — only to find a DJ booth and a crowd in full party mode — kicks off episode 68 of Lightning Catapult (ライトニングカタパルト), where hosts Uchida and Sakai break down how they never pick a bad restaurant. The sponsor segment 'Naisu na Chochiku' by Chochiku no Madoguchi (貯蓄の窓口 by ハビット) brings three listener micro-heroics, and the episode closes with news of a November 11 collaboration broadcast with Meiji. ## What this episode answers ### How awkward was it for the family that stumbled into a DJ booth in what they thought was a calm oden restaurant? She entered thinking it was a relaxed spot, but found a DJ booth with hyped-up staff and regulars in full swing — she described it as 'zuncha-zuncha' (bass beats pumping) and said the whole family was mortified. The hosts immediately pointed out that even a single page of Tabelog photos would have shown the DJ booth. ### What solutions did Uchida and Sakai suggest for a listener who has no palate and is hopeless at picking restaurants? They recommended following a trusted food influencer and booking wherever that person recommends, leaning on a food-obsessed friend if research feels like a chore, or simply calling the restaurant — one phone call would have revealed the DJ booth. They acknowledged it is unreasonable to expect people to get good at something they have no interest in, and advised relying on people or information sources rather than trying to self-research. ### How far do the two self-described food lovers actually go when researching a restaurant? They read every review and scrutinize every photo on Tabelog, go beyond the official Instagram to the owner's personal account to check things like meat color and how ingredients are stored, and tap food-lover circles where tips about 'under-the-radar places rated 3-something on Tabelog that are secretly excellent' circulate freely. ### What were the three listener episodes read in the 'Naisu na Chochiku' corner? Three entries: ① a man who switched a dinner bill with a female client from a business expense to personal after the evening went well and a follow-up seemed likely; ② a woman who ate a set salad that looked like sashimi garnish in one bite and had the plate cleared immediately to erase the awkward moment; ③ a man who murmured 'Is this Yamate-dori (山手通り)?' on an obscure narrow street while driving his parents from his hometown around Tokyo, to project the image of someone who has fully settled into city life. ### When is the Meiji collaboration broadcast 'Yan Tsuké Ambassador' and who will appear? The broadcast is scheduled for November 11, Yan Yan Tsukebo (ヤンヤンつけ棒) Day. Monday regulars Uchida and Sakai will be joined by TV producer Sakuma (佐久間) as a guest. ## Article ## A DJ Booth in the Oden Restaurant The episode opened with a listener email from Kiroi (キロイ), a woman in her 40s who describes herself as completely tasteless — she cannot tell good rice from bad, cannot judge coffee quality, and finds almost everything delicious. That supposed advantage turned chaotic when she recently led her family into what looked like a cozy, low-key oden restaurant, only to find a DJ booth inside with staff and regulars in a full hype session. She recalled the scene as "zuncha-zuncha" — heavy bass beats filling the room — and said the entire family was mortified. "It was like The Drifters," she wrote, referring to the classic Japanese comedy troupe. Sakai (坂井) cut in without mercy: "Just check Tabelog! You can see the interior and exterior from photos in two minutes." Both hosts noted that any DJ booth would be all over the restaurant's photos and Instagram, making it essentially impossible to be surprised — unless you had done zero research beforehand. "It's actually harder to accidentally find a DJ booth in an oden place," they laughed. ## Two Food Lovers on How to Never Pick a Bad Restaurant Uchida (内田) and Sakai freely admit that most of life's pleasure, for them, revolves around food. On overseas trips, meals are the absolute top priority; during location shoots, every minute of travel time is spent researching what to eat next. Their approach rests on three pillars. On **Tabelog**, they never just glance at the star rating — they read every review and go through every photo. On **Instagram and the owner's SNS**, they look beyond the official restaurant account to the owner's personal account, sometimes checking the color of the meat or how ingredients are being stored. Within their **food-lover social circles**, tips about places "rated in the 3s on Tabelog that are secretly excellent" circulate freely — information that never reaches the general public. One pitfall they flagged: a restaurant that opened recently and already has a flood of high ratings. Both agreed this is a red flag, not a green one — thin track record plus high praise warrants caution. For Kiroi specifically, they proposed: follow a food influencer you trust and simply book wherever that person recommends; if research feels like a burden, outsource it to a food-obsessed friend; or just call the restaurant and ask one question — that single call would have turned up the DJ booth. They acknowledged with some sympathy that "it's a bit rough to expect someone to improve at something they have zero interest in," and even confessed a faint envy toward people who can enjoy anything without caring about quality. ## "Naisu na Chochiku" Corner: Three Listener Micro-Heroics The sponsored segment "Naisu na Chochiku" (ナイスな貯蓄) — presented by Chochiku no Madoguchi by Habit — collects examples of small, clever everyday behavior from listeners. Three were read this episode. **Entry 1 (pen name: Fusen-sho / 不戦書)** He had been interested in a woman at a client company and invited her out under the pretense of "talking shop." When the evening went well and a follow-up seemed likely, he quietly switched the dinner bill from a business expense to his own pocket. Sakai called it "just showing off" but conceded it might count as a nice move. The exchange spun off into how entertainment and hospitality budgets are virtually nonexistent at radio stations. **Entry 2 (pen name: LIV)** At a coffee shop lunch with a colleague, the set meal came with a salad that looked exactly like the garnish on a sashimi plate — an uncomfortable silence fell over the table. She ate it in one bite, had the plate cleared immediately, and effectively erased the incident. Sakai praised it as "a fine play only a professional could recognize," and the two digressed into how something as simple as crispy carrot shavings can completely change a salad's impression. **Entry 3 (pen name: Rockin' Road / ロッキンロード)** Having lived in Tokyo for a few years, he casually murmured "Is this Yamate-dori (山手通り)?" while driving down an unfamiliar narrow street with his parents visiting from his hometown — projecting the image of a young man who has truly settled into city life. "His parents would never know," both hosts said, dissolving into laughter. ## Meiji Collaboration Broadcast "Yan Tsuké Ambassador" Confirmed After the sponsor segment, a new project was announced: a special broadcast titled "Meiji Presents — Yan Tsuké Ambassador (ヤンツケ大使) Lightning Catapult" has been confirmed for November 11, Yan Yan Tsukebo (ヤンヤンつけ棒) Day. Joining Monday regulars Uchida and Sakai will be TV producer Sakuma (佐久間) as a guest. Meiji has collaborated with the show before, and Sakai offered warm thanks, calling it "super sensible." In the same breath he confessed that his true loyalty lies with Almond Chocolate, and promised to "take a little look" at Yan Yan Tsukebo in the meantime. Uchida closed the announcement by saying he gets "all warm thinking about Hirako-san (平子さん)." ## Takeaways - People who are hopeless at picking restaurants should abandon self-research and instead delegate to a trusted food influencer or a food-obsessed friend — or at minimum make one phone call to the restaurant. - The more invested in food you are, the more tools you stack: Tabelog reviews and photos, the restaurant's official Instagram, and the owner's personal SNS, all combined with hard-won rules like treating newly opened high-rated spots as a warning sign. - The Meiji collaboration broadcast 'Yan Tsuké Ambassador Lightning Catapult' is confirmed for November 11, with TV producer Sakuma joining regular hosts Uchida and Sakai as a guest.