Free Announcer Aika Kanda: “Mature Women are More Like Asparagus Tips Than Flowers

In late February, the forecast for the blooming of cherry blossoms was announced. Tokyo was the earliest in Japan, on March 18. Upon receiving this news, a group LINE of four good friends from junior high and high school became operational. And it was decided that we would have a hanami dinner on March 20.

Immediately, the girl, an elite career woman, made a reservation at an Italian restaurant near the Imperial Palace. It was a restaurant with a large 4-meter-high window overlooking the moat, cherry blossoms, and the buildings of Otemachi. It was a familiar view from near where we went to school. （I was so excited.) I was so excited.

The cold weather continued for a few days. The expected bloom date was pushed back, and it was confirmed that none of the flowers would bloom on the day of our dinner. But no one suggested, “Why don’t we do it another day? We were no longer concerned about family, work, etc. We are grown women with families, jobs, and other responsibilities. Without an excuse, it would be difficult to go out at night for fun. We need to make our husbands and coworkers think, “I really have to go out tonight. Therefore, “Ohanami” is the perfect seasonal excuse. For those of us who just want to get together to drink and chat, it honestly doesn’t matter whether or not there are cherry blossoms. We all gathered at the restaurant as planned.

We had reserved a special 8-course menu for the season. First, the waitress brought us a pink alcoholic drink named ″Cherry Blossom Champagne″ to show us this. She smiled and said, “I know you want to drink something like this tonight, don’t you? We wanted a beer for our first drink, but the waiter seemed to live up to our expectations, saying, “Wow! Beautiful!” We responded, “Wow, it’s beautiful! Then he suggested, “Shall we take your picture?” We all had a moment of confusion (What?　Why a picture?) But, “…… Oh, you mean a picture, right?　A picture, right?” Not wanting to take his kindness for granted, he took our picture with a big smile on his face.

After that, as usual, time passed by with nothing left to talk about, such as strange old men at work, complaining about housework, or talking about celebrities they guessed. Then one of the girls suddenly said, “You know, you never know when you are going to die. His words struck a chord in everyone’s hearts. Then they all said together, “That’s true. ……

At the beginning of the year, a major earthquake hit the Noto Peninsula, killing many people. At Haneda Airport, a collision between two planes took the lives of five people in an instant. The older I get, the more I think, “I just happened not to be there, but it could have happened to me. …… We agreed that we were grateful to be able to live normally in this way. And although it was hard to coordinate our schedules, we agreed to get together at least once a month from now on. We are grown-up girls!

Suddenly, a thick ″that thing″ appeared.

While I was pondering the rest of my life, a dish of “white asparagus in cream” was served. What? We all looked at each other instantly. Everyone’s eyes widened instantly. No matter how you look at it, it looks like a “thing”!　From the white soup poured into a shallow dish, the tips of thick white asparagus peeked out, standing up, about 5 cm in length. What would we do if we were served such a thing in front of us?　We are grown-up girls. Naturally, we are also adults!　We looked at each other, grinned, and said, “What is this? It’s that thing no matter how you look at it! We all laughed. Each of us took out our phones from our bags and took pictures of the item that was brought to us from angles that made it look more like the item. It was a very exciting scene.

However, the last plate that was brought to me was …… “What? I was so excited. The asparagus was hidden in the soup!　(Why only me?!). (Why me?!) I asked the waiter why my asparagus was hidden in the soup. I asked the waiter, “Why is my asparagus not erect?” I asked the waiter. He said, “I’m sorry, they fell over when I was carrying them. Even after the waiter left, I was still angry. He kept saying to me, “This doesn’t make any sense!” My friends nodded their heads and said, “You’re right. There was no meaning to it, but I finished the dinner feeling very depressed.

Along the moat on the way home. It was the same view I had seen when I was a student, but back then I was more interested in dumplings than flowers. 30 years have passed, and the purity has completely disappeared, but tonight we were more excited about the tips of asparagus than flowers. Decades later, when I become a grandmother. When I become a grandmother in a few decades, we will all be looking at this view together again (I wonder what we will be talking about more than flowers this time?) I look forward to growing old a little.

Aika Kanda was 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 in 2012 to become a freelance announcer. Since then, she has been active mainly in variety shows, and currently makes regular appearances as the main MC of the daytime TV program “Poka Poka” (Fuji Television Network).

From the May 3, 2024 issue of FRIDAY