2026年10月9日(金) 中川家 ザ・ラジオショー(パートナー東島衣里)
Reiji and Tsuyoshi spent much of this week's show playing a listener-submitted quiz — "did that happen this year?" — working out when events like the WBC, the Hanshin Tigers' championship, Arashi's final concert, and partner Higashijima Eri's wedding actually took place. The back half ranged from graduation-ceremony button-collecting and a near-broke high-school romance, to the accidental origin story of their comedy career and Reiji's new dream of getting a Type-2 license to chauffeur the whole staff to location shoots in a Toyota Coaster microbus.
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What this episode answers
What answers did Reiji and Tsuyoshi give on the listener quiz about when the WBC, the Hanshin Tigers' championship, and Arashi's final concert happened?
They placed the WBC in "this spring" and the Hanshin Tigers' championship in "this year," while Arashi's final concert was "late last year," Higashijima Eri's wedding was "around March this year," the Yomiuri Hall Radio Show event was "June this year," and Reiji's Shinkansen trip home to turn off a fan was "two summers ago."
What did Reiji say about people jumping into the Dotonbori canal after the Hanshin win?
Reiji declared he "absolutely hates it and wants it to stop," noting that even after security on the bridge was tightened people simply jumped from the riverside promenade instead; he also criticised news outlets, arguing they should warn people before filming rather than broadcast the footage.
How did Reiji end up becoming a comedian?
Reiji had already decided to quit his job after Golden Week — he disliked it from the very first day — when his older brother Tsuyoshi secretly wrote both their names on the NSC application and submitted it; Reiji simply replied "I've got nothing else to do, I'll go" and never set out to be a comedian himself.
What stories from their school-day graduation ceremonies were told?
Reiji recalled that at both his junior-high and high-school graduation ceremonies younger students took his uniform buttons, his bag, and even his gym clothes; he noted blazers are now mainstream so there are fewer buttons and ties may have taken over as the thing to request, and a listener story was shared about burying buttons in a time capsule only for the land to be redeveloped and the capsule lost.
How did Reiji's dream of driving a microbus come up, and what did he say about it?
A story about Itao Itsuji arriving on an old variety show in a large truck sparked the dream; Reiji described loading the entire staff into a Toyota Coaster microbus, driving to Yamanashi or Hakone for a location shoot, and sliding the door open at a service area to say "good work, everyone" — even though he knows a Type-2 license is required — and he and Tsuyoshi half-seriously talked about practising in Setagaya.
Changing Seasons — Cockroaches, Raccoons, and Masked Palm Civets During an Outdoor Smoke
With October arriving and the nights turning cold, Reiji opened the show by reporting that a cockroach had appeared in his home the previous evening. Outdoor cigarette breaks at his place, it turns out, involve more than just cockroaches — raccoons and masked palm civets (hakubishin) also make appearances, leaving him "nervous every single day." Before the quiz got underway, he reminded listeners that a live performance was scheduled at Ichihara City Hall in Chiba straight after the broadcast and encouraged them to come along, adding with a wry smile that tickets were probably still available.
Listener Quiz: "Did That Happen This Year?"
The centrepiece of the episode grew from a phrase that keeps surfacing in coffee-shop conversations: "Wait, did that happen this year?" Listeners sent in a steady stream of events for Reiji and Tsuyoshi to date.
- **WBC**: "This spring." They knew the answer but admitted it took a moment to surface. - **Hanshin Tigers' championship**: "This year." The Dotonbori canal jumping came up here too — more on that below. - **Arashi's final concert**: "Late last year." - **Higashijima Eri's (東島衣里) wedding**: "Around March this year." Reiji remembered that Ishida-san from Nippon Broadcasting lost the congratulatory video on the Shinkansen, but the exact month had gone fuzzy. Seven months in, he joked that "it must be about time for the arguments to start." - **Radio Show event at Yomiuri Hall**: "June this year." - **Reiji taking the Shinkansen home to turn off a fan**: "Two summers ago." He arrived to find the fan had switched off on its own, leaving him nothing to do but sit cross-legged and clean it before heading back. - **Episode featuring Za Bonchi (ザ・ボンチ) as guests**: "Last year." - **Hanazao-san's fall at the Manzai Summit Sendai show**: "The first Manzai Summit last year." The story came with a bonus: Tsuchiya performed enka alone on stage and bombed spectacularly.
On the subject of fading memory, Reiji lamented that he cannot recall what he had for dinner three days ago — yesterday's meal was retrievable only because it was hamburg steak (or possibly tonkatsu). "Let's just forget each day one by one," he said, to audience laughter.
Strong Criticism of the Dotonbori Canal Diving Tradition
The Hanshin topic led directly to the Dotonbori jumping. Reiji was unequivocal: "I hate it. Please stop." He pointed out that even after security was tightened on the bridge, people simply moved to the riverside promenade and jumped from there. "It's not fun, it's not funny — it's just dangerous," he said flatly. He went further, arguing that the media bears responsibility: news outlets should warn people before filming, not broadcast the footage and implicitly reward the behaviour.
School-Day Memories — Buttons, Youth, and Romance on a Tight Budget
The conversation about fading memory drifted naturally into school days. At both his junior-high and high-school graduation ceremonies, Reiji had younger students take not just his uniform buttons but also his bag and gym clothes. He noted that blazers are now the norm, leaving only about two buttons — ties may have taken over as the keepsake of choice. A listener wrote in about burying graduation buttons in a time capsule, only for the land to be redeveloped and the capsule lost.
Romance from those years was equally lean. Reiji confessed he had asked several girls out in high school and been turned down every time, and that a typical date meant cycling to the nearby area of Ōe because there was no money for anything else. When Kuroda-san once visited the family home, Reiji described the scene: no lights, a cramped house where a dog tied to a pillar could reach every corner, and six people living in it.
How They Became Comedians — Tsuyoshi Secretly Submitted Two NSC Applications
Reiji's career ambitions shifted several times: firefighter → bus driver ("I figured anyone could do it if they had a licence") → architect (he applied to a vocational high school for construction but failed the entrance exam) → university via rugby, which also fell through. He found a job but hated it from day one and had already decided to quit after Golden Week.
That was the exact moment his older brother Tsuyoshi (剛) filled in the NSC application form with both their names and submitted it without saying a word. Reiji's response when he found out: "I've got nothing to do anyway, I'll go." He never set out to be a comedian. "If rugby had worked out, I'd have muddled into university somehow. Rugby failing is why I'm here today," he said with a laugh. A listener tip that Anglers' Tanaka had just passed the second-class architect exam prompted Reiji to wonder aloud whether it was too late to get that qualification himself.
The Dream of Getting a Commercial Licence and Driving a Microbus to Location Shoots
A story about Itao Itsuji (板尾創路) pulling up to an old variety show in a large truck sparked Reiji's new ambition: driving a Toyota Coaster microbus. He knows a Type-2 licence is required, but he laid out the vision in enthusiastic detail — loading the entire staff, heading to Yamanashi or Hakone for a location shoot, and then sliding the door open at a service area to say "Good work, everyone." He also wants to invite whatever Nippon Broadcasting staff happen to be free. The conversation ended with him and Tsuyoshi half-seriously planning to practise driving a microbus together in Setagaya.
Takeaways
- The "did that happen this year?" feeling is universal — even major events like the WBC and the Hanshin Tigers' championship can become surprisingly fuzzy in memory within a year or two.
- Reiji becoming a comedian was not his own idea: it happened because his older brother Tsuyoshi secretly submitted NSC applications for both of them right at the moment Reiji was on the verge of quitting his first job.
- Reiji is seriously considering getting a Type-2 licence to drive a Toyota Coaster microbus and take his entire staff to location shoots in Yamanashi or Hakone.
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.