TBS Announcers Natsuko Kondo and Rina Shinohara Show Intense Focus at Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon

She is a returnee and a daughter from a prestigious family, having graduated from Keio University.

On October 20, just before 8 a.m., many runners lined up at the start line on the track at the National Stadium (in Yoyogi, Tokyo). Ahead of them, standing slightly off the course with a microphone in hand, was TBS announcer Natsuko Kondo (28), waiting with a serious expression.

That day, the “Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2024” was held at the National Stadium, and Kondo was covering the course for the third consecutive year.

“Kondo joined TBS in 2019. A returnee who lived in Malaysia until she was five, she is a genuine ojousama (privileged lady), having attended Keio Yochisha (Keio Kindergarten) and then progressing to Keio University’s Law Faculty. During her university days, she worked as a model for ‘JJ’ magazine, and her fashion sense is considered to be outstanding even among TBS female announcers. In March of this year, she topped the ‘Most Stylish TBS Female Announcer’ ranking, conducted by ‘Netorabo,’ which surveyed men in their 40s and younger” (TV magazine writer).

On October 12, she announced her marriage to a man who was her university classmate. One week after her joyful announcement, Kondo looked radiant as she stood on site.

 

The talented announcer, Miss Tokyo University.

An hour before that, standing with a tense expression on the street in front of the National Stadium was the same TBS announcer, Rina Shinohara (27). Dressed in oversized winter gear, she was having a meeting next to a large motorcycle.

“Shinohara, who joined TBS in 2019, is a talented graduate of the University of Tokyo. In 2016, she was crowned Miss Tokyo University 2016 and worked as a weathercaster on ‘Mezamashi Doyoubi’ (Fuji TV). She was also active as a student celebrity. After joining TBS, she has appeared as a reporter and on-site anchor for programs such as ‘Sunday Japon’ and ‘THE TIME”” (Previous writer).

Shinohara has covered soccer and ekiden (relay marathon) events in the past, but on this day, she took on her first bike reporting role. The broadcast required her to run alongside the participants, which made her expression a little more serious. It seems that both she and Kondo helped to add vibrancy to the event, held under the refreshing autumn sunlight.

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