Free Announcer Aika Kanda: “The Reality of Celebrity “Advance Rides”” (in Japanese)

I’m on the Shinkansen headed for Suzumo-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan, Nozomi No. 217 departing from Shinagawa at 9:46 a.m. I’m sitting in seat 10D of the green car on the right side of the train. I am sitting in seat 10D of the green car on the right side of the train in the direction of travel, where I can see Mt. No one comes to the seat next to me past Shin-Yokohama station, which means I can use two seats at least until Nagoya station. Lucky. The next day is the first time in a while that I am on location for a program in the Kansai area, and since the program starts at 7:00 a.m., I will not make it in time if I head there from Tokyo on the same day. So I arrived the day before and stayed overnight in Kyoto. In the entertainment world, this is called “pre-riding.

I sometimes hear rumors about this kind of “pre-ride. Young comedians do the pre-ride because they want to get involved with the local cabaret clubs, adult entertainment, and other professional sisters. Big-name actors and actresses travel in advance because they want to meet with their adulterous partners at their local apartments. It’s quite a juicy gossip, but I’m sure it’s true.

For me, however, the advance ride is a chance to take a short trip!　If I could stay in Kyoto during the season of autumn foliage, my travel spirit would not be silenced if I went there just to sleep. My hair and makeup artist, who is in her late 30s, and my manager, who is in his early 20s, unanimously agreed that we should go early and enjoy Kyoto to the fullest. So the three of us girls with a 20-year age difference decided to take a short trip to Kyoto.

The schedule was as follows: Arrive at Kyoto Station at 11:51 a.m., drop off luggage at a hotel, and take a taxi to Kyoto Station. First, we left our luggage at the hotel and took a cab to Suzumo-dera Temple, which took about 30 minutes. Then, a 45-minute walk to Arashiyama to enjoy the scenery and conversation. Take a boat ride in Arashiyama to immerse yourself in Kyoto, then take a bus or cab to a very popular okonomiyaki restaurant in Uzumasa (秦) at 17:30. After eating a full meal of fluffy okonomiyaki, I returned to the hotel to look over the location script.

My husband was the reason for the change.

The official name of Suzumo-ji Temple is Kegon-ji Temple. The temple is famous for the fact that if you make a wish to the Jizo at this temple, it will really come true, and a huge number of people from all over the country come to the temple throughout the year. There are 10 30-minute sermon sessions a day, and depending on the day of the week and time of day, visitors may have to wait in line for two to three hours to hear the sermon. I, who have a science-oriented brain, was not a God person but an ancestor person when I asked for something. This is because I can more clearly recognize and believe in the existence of my grandfather, who died in front of me without reacting to an electric shock, than in God, whom I cannot see in person.

However, when my husband heard about the reputation of Suzumushiji Temple, he invited me to go with him, and in a large room with 4,000 bell insects beeping, I heard an interesting sermon that made me wonder, “Is this really the chief priest? ), and then you make a wish in front of the Jizo statue with the amulet you were given, and your wish really comes true.　It would be no wonder that you would immediately switch from being an Ancestor-oriented person to a God-oriented person.

Since then, I have visited the shrine every time my wish has come true, and this is the fourth time. I am completely captivated by it. However, during the sermon, I am always told, “Make only one specific request. Which one should I choose from the requests I have now? To what level should I set my expectations high? It is difficult to find the right balance, and I have yet to decide.

And the okonomiyaki restaurant we are going to at night is one that my husband visited for a TV program. At times like this, I always ask my husband to tell me about good restaurants. I have 120% confidence in my husband, who has actually eaten at many restaurants throughout Japan. Thanks to him, no matter where I go in the country, I always seek out known tastes because “I don’t want to make a mistake at dinner on my trip! I am now free from the trip to look for a national chain family restaurant or fast food restaurant in search of a known taste. Now, eating at local restaurants is one of the pleasures of traveling.

Now that I have written all this, the bullet train departs Nagoya. Next stop is Kyoto. I had already finished the BLT sandwich I bought at Shinagawa station, and my stomach was ready for the line at Suzumo-dera Temple. The only thing left to do is to make a request this time. I have to decide on one of a total of five requests, three for work and two for private life. I can’t discuss it with anyone because I’ve heard that if I tell people about it, it won’t come true. …… (Hey, Grandpa, what do you think?　Which one is more likely to come true if I ask for it?　Tell me!　…… that!) ). I suddenly found a new role as a ″counselor″ to my ancestors, who were no longer the ones to make requests and whose opportunities to think about them had been drastically reduced. I felt very refreshed and began to put away the luggage scattered on the seat beside me for the ride down.

Aika Kanda / Born in 1980 in Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from Gakushuin University with a degree in mathematics, she joined NHK as an announcer in 2003, and left NHK in 2012 to become a freelance announcer. Since then, she has been active mainly in variety shows, and currently appears regularly as the main MC of the daytime TV program “Poka Poka” (Fuji Television Network).

From the December 22, 2023 issue of FRIDAY