#200【好きサンドイッチ】
Fresh back from Milan, JESSICA spent the week performing as a dancer for Ai (愛) on a live Countdown TV broadcast and then taking the stage at Minmi (ミンミ)'s Nippon Budokan (日本武道館) concert—a particularly charged night given that she had auditioned for Minmi's dance team as a teenager and been turned down. Meanwhile, a nine-year-old listener named Jam-chan wrote in frustrated by repeatedly placing second in dance competitions and losing confidence, and by snapping at the mother who drives her to every practice. In response, peko devised a piece of advice she called the "Suki Sandwich": wrapping any harsh words between the phrase "suki"—"I love you"—front and back.
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What this episode answers
What dance work did JESSICA take on during this past week?
JESSICA appeared as a dancer for Ai on the live broadcast of Countdown TV, then the following day performed at Minmi's Nippon Budokan concert dancing to the song "Diet" (ダイエット); after the live broadcast, around 300 messages flooded in at once and she was moved to tears.
Why does the Budokan stage hold special significance for JESSICA?
As a teenager JESSICA had auditioned to be one of Minmi's dancers and was rejected, so standing on the same artist's stage over a decade later—called there by name—made the moment feel like direct proof that her past setback had led her exactly where she needed to be.
What advice did peko and JESSICA give to nine-year-old Jam-chan, who has been losing confidence after repeatedly finishing second in dance competitions?
They told her that rankings in artistic competitions don't hinge on skill alone, since judges bring personal preferences and the day's crowd energy plays a role too; still holding second place is itself proof that her spirit hasn't broken, and what matters most is to keep showing up.
What is the "Suki Sandwich," and how do you use it?
It means wrapping a complaint or outburst between the word "suki" ("I love you / I like you")—for example, "I love you, but you're kind of annoying right now. I love you"—so even harsh words land inside a frame of affection; if words are too hard to find, writing "Thanks, Mom" on a scrap of paper and handing it over works just as well.
What do the two hosts think about talking things through on the radio?
Both hosts agree that it's better to "release" things—good and bad alike—rather than hold emotions inside; JESSICA said that talking through her Budokan excitement left her feeling "wrapped in a happiness one size larger."
JESSICA's Dance Week: Live Appearance on Countdown TV
In the roughly one week since returning from Milan, JESSICA's schedule was wall-to-wall dance. First, she performed as a dancer for Ai (愛) on the live broadcast of Countdown TV. Her dance crew, Kadokādo Rībuzu (カドカードリーブズ), had been touring and performing with Ai for over a year, and this broadcast was the moment they had long been waiting for. When she returned to the dressing room after the show, around 300 messages had flooded in all at once, and she broke down in tears. Fans wrote to say she had "embodied happiness," and JESSICA reflected: "The reason my face was lit up was the power of Ai's singing—I wasn't trying to smile, it just happened. That's what real artistry does."
Performing at Nippon Budokan for Minmi: A Teenage Audition Rejection as Backstory
The very next day, JESSICA took the stage at Minmi's concert at Nippon Budokan. Her connection with Minmi goes back about two years, when Minmi spotted her, called her "an amazing girl," and spontaneously invited her out for a meal. Out of that meeting—and Minmi's expressed desire to "dig deeper into the Jessica mindset"—came the song "Diet" (ダイエット), for which JESSICA handled both the music video appearance and the choreography. For the Budokan show, Minmi told her to "go full JESSICA, enjoy yourself, do whatever you want," and she delivered a performance that used the entire stage.
What made the night even more charged was a piece of personal history: as a teenager, JESSICA had auditioned to be one of Minmi's dancers and was turned down. When she brought this up, peko shivered—"That gives me chills." JESSICA said she wanted to tell her younger self, "You didn't make it, and that hurts—I know. But it's okay, you'll get there." peko added her own take: "It just wasn't the right time. You needed to not get in, because look—you're on the Budokan stage." JESSICA's boyfriend was also in the audience, and she shared a sweet detail: during the lyric "so cute," he called out to her right on cue.
Listener Jam-chan (Age 9): Finishing Second, Over and Over
A letter arrived through Jam-chan (ジャムちゃん)'s aunt, on behalf of a nine-year-old third-grader. Jam-chan performs in a dance unit, and at every preliminary competition she places second—but only first place advances to the final. After repeatedly falling just short, she has started to lose confidence in herself.
peko and JESSICA's first response was emphatic: "Second place is incredible." Drawing on her own experience as a competition judge, JESSICA explained that unlike soccer or basketball, dance and other art-form contests have no clear-cut goal—rankings shift with each judge's personal taste and the crowd's energy on any given day. "Everyone is giving everything they have. It really just comes down to whether something clicked with that particular judge," she said. "Skills, costumes, synchronization all get scored, but the moment the audience erupts, the numbers can stop mattering." She closed with a direct message to Jam-chan: "The people who drop out are the ones whose spirit breaks first. Still being in second place means your spirit hasn't broken."
The Suki Sandwich: A New Way to Talk to Mom
Jam-chan's other worry was that she takes her frustration out on her mother, who drives her to a faraway studio five times a week. She was painfully aware of her own behavior, and both peko and JESSICA were struck by how clearly and honestly she could see herself.
peko's solution was what she called the "Suki Sandwich" (好きサンドイッチ). When you need to say something difficult, you wrap it between the word "suki" ("I love you" / "I like you")—front and back. The example she gave: "I love you, but you're kind of annoying right now. I love you." That way, even if the middle part comes out harsh, the other person ends up sandwiched between affection. The two got excited noting that the technique works just as well for couples' arguments and all kinds of adult relationships. For moments when words are too hard to find, peko offered a simpler option: just write "Thanks, Mom" on a scrap of paper and hand it over.
They wrapped up by praising Jam-chan directly: "Taking your feelings out on someone you love is a sign that you're genuinely invested in them. The fact that you can recognize that about yourself—that's something special."
Takeaways
- In a single week, JESSICA performed on two major stages—Countdown TV and Nippon Budokan—and a teenage audition rejection by Minmi became the dramatic backstory that made the Budokan night unforgettable.
- Because judging in artistic competitions shifts with each judge's taste and the crowd's mood, the most important thing is to keep competing without letting repeated second-place finishes break your spirit.
- The "Suki Sandwich"—wrapping criticism or frustration between the word "suki"—was offered as a communication technique that works across all close relationships, from parent and child to romantic partners.
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.