#103 （2026年9月19日放送分）真誠presents 大久保佳代子・森本晋太郎のどうぞご自由に

"It's changed since episode 53" — the listener who noticed the publicity photo

The episode opened with a message from a 38-year-old female listener in Fukuoka (radio name: P-san). She had been listening on Amazon Music and noticed something: "Did you know your photo has changed since episode 53, Okubo-san? It's a slightly smiling, elegant, and a little alluring shot. So why is Morimoto-san's photo still the same one?"

Okubo explained that the photo was reshot when the show's sponsor, Shinsei (真誠), was renewed. She had been using a photo taken in her mid-thirties for roughly fifteen years. As for how she gets new shots, she said it is rarely a dedicated studio session — more often she asks to have a few frames taken while she is already in front of a good photographer, a good studio, and good lighting for a magazine or press shoot.

That led into a broader conversation about publicity photos in the comedy world. Memorable examples came thick and fast: Yoshizumi (吉住) in a cross-legged pose, Kasuga (春日) touching his ear, and Shinkuu Jessica (真空ジェシカ) in a composition where Kawakita's clothes appear to be being torn off while Kawakita himself grins in the background like the Joker. By contrast, veteran acts like Bakusho Mondai (爆笑問題), Summers (サマーズ), and Bananaman (バナナマン) have kept the same photos for years — the pair speculated that their attitude is simply "as long as people use it, we don't mind." Morimoto said he would like to take new shots to mark his name change.

From 'Tontsukata n Morimoto' to 'Morimoto Shintaro' — the first on-air announcement

Okubo opened the segment with "Did anyone notice anything?" before Morimoto made it official: following the dissolution of the comedy duo Tontsukata n, he will now perform under the name Morimoto Shintaro (森本しんたろう), using his real name as the base. The reason for writing "shintaro" in hiragana rather than the kanji 晋太郎 was deliberate: "Kanji feels stiff. Going solo, I wanted a softer impression. Okubo-san's name mixes kanji and hiragana and that gives it a gentle feel — I took that as a reference."

Several alternatives had been considered. A fully hiragana version — morimoto shintaro — was on the table, as was an alphabet form, M.Shintaro, suggested by his manager. The alphabet option was rejected because it looked like a corporate logo, and, as Morimoto noted, it was "basically just Mister Nagashima" — making a normal entrance impossible without an involuntary sense of ceremony. The program title will also be updated to Okubo Kayoko / Morimoto Shintaro no Dozo Gojiyu ni (大久保佳代子・森本しんたろうのどうぞご自由に). Morimoto added that he signed his new name for the first time just the day before: "I wrote 'Morimoto' in kanji, then added hiragana 'shintaro' underneath almost as an afterthought — not quite cursive, not quite printed. That might just be what it is from here on."

Listener concern ①: How do you process the regret of unspoken feelings after a breakup?

A 41-year-old listener from Okayama (radio name: Kangaesugiko-chan, 考えすぎこちゃん) wrote in. When her partner ended the relationship, she suppressed her own desire to keep it going out of respect for his feelings. Six months on, she still wonders whether telling him how she felt might have changed something, and she asked how to process that kind of regret.

Okubo admitted freely: "I'm the type who fights to the bitter end." She recalled showing up at an ex's home and refusing to budge until he looked her dead in the eye and said "it's completely over." Only then could she accept it. "Because I pushed all the way, I saw for myself that his feelings weren't going to change. That's exactly why I had no regrets."

Morimoto said he manages one final word but cannot push the way Okubo does — somewhere he swallows it, wanting to look dignified. Okubo turned that observation on the letter-writer: "You say you held back to respect him, but wasn't there also a part of you that didn't want to look desperate — pride keeping the words in?" The panel floated the idea of reaching out now, six months later, but also acknowledged it could mean walking into fresh hurt. The segment closed with encouragement: "Save the all-out effort for your next chance, and don't hold anything back."

Listener concern ②: Is it okay to follow your child to their university city and leave your mother-in-law behind?

A 52-year-old listener (radio name: Anaana-san, 穴穴さん) laid out a complicated family map: her father-in-law has dementia and has moved into a care facility; her husband is working far away and living separately; and her child is about to enroll at a university in another prefecture. That leaves a five-person household effectively split across four locations. She and her mother-in-law share a home despite incompatible values and almost no conversation, and the situation is wearing her down. Her question: would it be unreasonable to move to her child's new city, find new hobbies, make new friends, and start a second chapter — without intruding on her child's life?

Both hosts landed on the same answer: completely fine. The one caveat was practical — rent a separate apartment nearby rather than moving in with the child. They also noticed that the husband barely featured in the letter. Okubo's ideal solution: persuade the husband to come back, then spend four years living near the child while keeping the main household to two locations rather than four. "At 52 you have plenty of energy and curiosity for new things, and you're already conscious of not crowding your child. If the conditions can be arranged, we want to give you a push."