<figure id="attachment_418567" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-418567" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="a41d3793"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/03/051acf036628bcdcaf190ddf05c74b7a.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-418567" class="wp-caption-text">Yuko Ando is my idol.&#8221; Aika Kanda: &#8220;I want to be teased even when I am in my 60s&#8221; Kayoko Okubo</figcaption></figure>
 Freelance announcer Aika Kanda (44) and TV personality Kayoko Okubo (53) have often appeared together on variety shows and radio programs. They have also deepened their relationship in private, as Okubo has been invited to the Kanda family&#8217;s home parties. To commemorate the second anniversary of their serial &#8220;Me, Pink, and Sometimes New York,&#8221; the two close friends had a special talk this time. They candidly discussed their changing values and views on life as they age, as well as the unique concerns and lifestyles of the &#8220;Los Generation Generation&#8221;.
<div class="expapp-no-provided-scope expapp-no-provided-scope-start"></div>
<a href="https://friday.kodansha.co.jp/article/418564"> Special Dialogue Part 1: Aika Kanda and Kayoko Okubo on &#8220;Inappropriate&#8221; Early Years and How to Interact with Today&#8217;s Youth</a>
<div class="expapp-no-provided-scope expapp-no-provided-scope-end"></div>
<h2> Should Kayoko Okubo get married?</h2>
Kanda: I have one question for you, Ms. Okubo. The other day on &#8220;Poka Poka&#8221; (Fuji TV), I had the opportunity to ask mothers about the difficulties of raising children. Nowadays, we are free to choose whether or not to get married or have children, but how do you think I, who do not have children, or Ms. Okubo, who is not married, should show my presence in such a project?
Okubo: There was an episode of &#8220;Ueda to Onna ga Barkaru Yoru (The Night Ueda and Women Bark)&#8221; (NTV), where the theme was the difficulty of childbirth. I was a regular, so I thought it would be good if I could be a listener and make the audience laugh a little, so I went on the show as usual. When I saw that, I realized ″There are so many people in the world who put a lot of emphasis on raising children. I am childless in my life, but I was reminded that the feelings of those who want children but cannot have them must be immeasurably strong.
Kanda You can understand the pain of those who have difficulty having children, can&#8217;t you?
Okubo That&#8217;s right, of course, because it is normal to consider starting a family as a major life event.
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
Kanda The other day, there was an event for Ms. Okubo&#8217;s radio program &#8220;Kayoko Okubo Torabura LOVE&#8221; (TBS Radio). There, you took a survey of listeners asking if Kayoko Okubo should get married. I think the result was about 50-50, but what do you really think?　Do you really care either way?
Okubo: It really could go either way. It&#8217;s not that I really want to get married or that I dare not get married. It&#8217;s just that, even though I enjoy living freely, there are times when I suddenly feel down. I think that when I get older, there will be more hardship than fun. The death of my parents beyond the average life expectancy, my friend&#8217;s illness, my illness. And the death of my dog, Pacobi. I&#8217;m terrified that I&#8217;m going to have to go through all of this alone. I wish I had someone to talk to.
Kanda Why not a female friend?
Okubo I don&#8217;t think I can be that picky with female friends. Everyone has their own life, so I can&#8217;t call on them right away. But a partner is there when you go home, waiting for you 24 hours a day, listening to you.
Kanda It&#8217;s fine if you start a relationship, isn&#8217;t it?
Okubo There is a time when my libido rises about once every three months, and it would be nice if someone else got involved and it happened naturally. Being in a relationship means keeping in regular contact and seeing each other regularly, right? It seems like a hassle, doesn&#8217;t it?
Kanda But you have been going out to dinner with nice men, haven&#8217;t you?
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
Okubo It was a dinner party like anyone else would have. I set the target in my imagination as a man who was a little nice to me. If it was this guy, I would go out for yakitori, go to a nice date spot, and then say, &#8220;Do you want to come over to my place to see Paco-chan?&#8221; It would be something like &#8230;&#8230;. I kind of fantasize like a high school student and think, &#8220;That&#8217;s not so bad,&#8221; but I don&#8217;t take any action. They don&#8217;t take any action either, and when they realize it, the other person is married.
Kanda I am married, so I may not be very convincing, but sometimes I think there are many things more enjoyable than love. I had a group of close friends in junior high and high school, and two of them are not in love, but they are very lively and seem to be having fun.
Okubo You are certainly free, aren&#8217;t you? I can understand that feeling. Besides, love is fun, but unpleasant things will definitely come. When I imagine that, I think to myself, &#8220;It will definitely be a hassle.&#8221; In my 20s, I would have rushed into love without thinking, but not now.
Kanda But what would you do if you got married?　If your work were as busy as it is now, it would be a slippery slope.
Okubo If I were in my mid-40s, I would probably not want to save work for marriage, but now, I might want to cherish the time I have with that person.
Kanda So you don&#8217;t stick to the status quo?
Okubo That&#8217;s right. I would hate it if I was told to cut my work to zero, but I might look for a compromise.
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Future Prospects "></div>
<h2>Shofukutei Tsurube and Yuko Ando</h2>
Kanda You mentioned earlier that you are &#8220;anxious&#8221; about your future life.
Okubo Nowadays, people in their 60s are still young. You have to be doing something (laughs). (laughs) If I wanted, if I didn&#8217;t have a partner and was still needed in this world, I would go on TV in a daze and ask my colleagues or the guys I am doing variety shows with now who are a little younger than me, &#8220;Shut up you old hag! I&#8217;d like to be the kind of person who gets teased by my colleagues, or by the guys who are a little younger than me and are currently doing variety shows with me.
Kanda You are like Shofukutei Tsurube (73).
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
Okubo Maybe I am close to him. I would like to avoid being a pain in the ass, or like a tumor that cannot be touched, if possible.
Kanda Mr. Okubo in his 60s sounds interesting. I think it would be a really luxurious life if I could maintain the status quo.
 In terms of work, I long to be like Yuko Ando (66), who is trusted by both the viewers and the people on the ground to properly convey the news in a band program. Eventually, I would like to become the one and only hostess like Tetsuko Kuroyanagi (91), who is also a senior NHK staff member. Tetsuko was a bit of a strange girl around her, and she had a difficult time during her time at NHK. I am being cheeky, but there was a link with myself.
 Also, if possible, I would like to travel more and more while I am still healthy. I would like to see more of the world that I haven&#8217;t seen yet. I hope I can balance work and private life in a good balance.
Okubo That&#8217;s true. I am very anxious about my old age, but everyone is equal there, so I have to try not to think about it as much as possible.
Kanda Even if you have a partner, your partner might get sick. Let&#8217;s not dwell on it and enjoy the time we can enjoy now.
<figure id="attachment_418565" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-418565" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="07c42bc5"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/03/cb4993019c42665ea71be7da31c2c7dd.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-418565" class="wp-caption-text"> Okubo&#8217;s talk was serious and serious, even though it was interspersed with laughter. Kanda praises her immensely, &#8220;He always gives me great compliments!&#8221;</figcaption></figure>
 Aika Kanda 
Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1980. She joined NHK as an announcer in 2003 and retired in 2012. Since then, she has been active mainly in information programs and variety shows, and currently appears regularly on &#8220;Poka Poka&#8221; (Fuji TV).
 Kayoko Okubo 
Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1971. In 1992, she formed the comedy duo &#8220;Oashizu&#8221; with Yasuko Mitsuura. Currently appears regularly on &#8220;Gogosuma ~GO GO! (Fuji) and many other regular appearances.
<div class="expapp-no-provided-scope expapp-no-provided-scope-start"></div>
 His first book, &#8221; <a href="https://amzn.to/4dbWKKN">Where do you go on the road called Royal Road?</a> (TBS), &#8220;Nonstop!
<div class="expapp-no-provided-scope expapp-no-provided-scope-end"></div>
 From &#8220;FRIDAY&#8221; April 4 and 11, 2025
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>

 Kazuhiko Nakamura

 In this special edition of freelance announcer Aika Kanda's popular series "Me, Pink, and Sometimes NY," she talks with celebrity Kayoko Okubo, with whom she has a close relationship. They discuss values, views on life, and the unique concerns and lifestyles of the "Los Generation Generation.

 Special Edition of the popular serial "Me, Pink, and Sometimes New York": Two close friends discuss the problems of the L.A. Generation and their way of life.

Special Talk Part 2: Aika Kanda and Kayoko Okubo on “Should Okubo Get Married?

Access Ranking