# #33 「三宅香帆さんのお母さんは何部だったのかな」

- Show: 朝井リョウ・加藤千恵 信頼できない語り手
- Published: 2026-09-18
- Canonical: https://podc.club/en/episode/1874531482_0248e62acfd0.html
- Audio: https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/67122501-9b17-4d77-84bd-a93d00dc791e/119fad05-0faa-47c5-898b-b3e5005ceaac/3f4dc968-cb88-4ec8-9a9b-b4c80101831e/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=418670c9-0dad-4937-80c6-b3e5005cef49
- Source: Edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. Not an official summary.

Novelist Asai Ryo talks through the severe "toilet problem" he faced before appearing on NHK's "Asa-Ichi," and the "defense-level" hair-set battle the following day to keep his hair from collapsing at a launch live for a Hello! Project book. He also touches on the publishing realities that force authors to promote their own mook books, plus a Rokkatei sweets plug and an announcement for a Radiko essay contest.

## What this episode answers

### Why did Asai Ryo have to wake up before 4 a.m. for his appearance on NHK's "Asa-Ichi"?

Because the program starts at 8:15 and he needed to arrive at NHK around 7 a.m., so factoring in his commute from home he had to wake up before 4 a.m.

### Why did Asai insist on traveling by train rather than by taxi?

Because his anxiety about not being able to freely use the bathroom meant he preferred the freedom to suddenly get off, and a train let him disembark at any station along the way.

### What did the "defense-level" hairstyling that Asai requested from his hairstylist for the Hello! Project book launch live involve?

It involved his regular hairstylist repeating a cycle of curling, setting with spray, and blow-drying for about an hour to keep his fine, soft hair from collapsing during the dancing.

### Why does the author have to handle the publicity themselves for a "mook" book, which doesn't get a sales or PR department from the publisher?

Because a mook doesn't come with a dedicated sales or PR department from the publisher, unlike a regular literary book, so the author must handle all the promotional work alone.

### By what date was Rokkatei's Campana Furano announced as needing to be ordered?

September 23.

## Article

## Battling the bathroom before NHK's "Asa-Ichi"
Asai Ryo said that over the weekend before recording, he was delighted to learn he'd be appearing on NHK's "Asa-Ichi," but at the same time, his "toilet wars" began. "Asa-Ichi" starts at 8:15, meaning he needs to arrive at NHK around 7 a.m., and factoring in the commute from his home, he has to wake up before 4 a.m. He needs to empty his stomach before leaving the house, and his anxiety about not being able to freely use the bathroom means he can't ride trains, buses, or taxis — but he's fine with airplanes and shinkansen, which have toilets on board. He turned down the program's offer to arrange a taxi, preferring the freedom to suddenly dash off, and deliberately chose the train instead, where he could get off at any station along the way. Starting two days before the broadcast, he avoided oily food and worked on shifting his body clock earlier to acclimate, though on the day before that, he overslept through his alarm and jolted awake at 8:30. On the actual day, he woke up safely before 4 a.m. and recreated his usual breakfast routine. He was also saved by how close the studio was to the bathroom, and got through "Asa-Ichi" without incident.

## "Defense-level" hair setting before the live show
The next day was a launch event for a book he co-authored with two others, where Asai was scheduled to dance in front of an audience. He said that ever since college, his fine, soft hair has been a source of worry — it loses volume the moment he sweats or moves, turning into a "kappa"-like shape. During his blond phase, the color helped disguise the collapse, but now that his hair is lavender, the collapse is much more noticeable. Of the setlist's seven songs, he appears in six (excluding a unit-only part), and including rehearsal, that adds up to dancing through 12 songs in a single day — so he asked his regular hairstylist to set his hair before the show. His stylist, who has worked with many clients with the same hair type, repeated a cycle of curling, setting with spray, and blow-drying for about an hour, locking his hair down to the point that "not a single strand moved." The result held so firmly that Asai gave up on taking the train and went to the venue by taxi instead, and his hairstyle barely budged throughout the performance.

## "Asa-Ichi," the mook, and why authors end up promoting themselves
Asai looked back on his 2010 debut, when TV exposure on "Burari" (ぶらんち) was the thing that could sway a book's sales, but said that in recent years, "Asa-Ichi"'s influence has grown even larger. The conversation turned to the "mook" book he co-authored about Hello! Project, and he explained that unlike a regular literary book, a mook doesn't come with a dedicated sales or PR department at the publisher, so the author has to handle all the promotional work alone. He recalled being shocked when Higashino Keigo once said that "a writer must not only write, but also sell," and also addressed the circumstances behind an earlier remark of his own that had been taken out of context and stirred controversy.

## Rokkatei's Campana Furano and a call for contest entries
In the latter half of the episode, they introduced Rokkatei's Campana Furano, a Hokkaido confection of fresh grapes wrapped in white chocolate. They announce this every year around this time, and this year the order deadline is September 23. They also announced the "Watashi to Radio" ("Radio and Me") essay contest, co-hosted by Radiko and note, which is accepting essays, manga, and illustrations related to radio through 11:59 p.m. on October 9.

## Takeaways

- Asai Ryo adjusted his diet and bathroom habits for days before his NHK "Asa-Ichi" appearance and deliberately chose to travel by train.
- For the Hello! Project book launch live, he asked his hairstylist for a "defense-level" hair set that took about an hour to complete so his hair wouldn't collapse.
- He explained that mook books don't come with a publisher's sales or PR staff, so the author has to handle promotion themselves.