Freelance Announcer Aika Kanda Opens Up About the Personal Change She Felt on Sanma’s Palace

A battlefield called Odoru! Sanma Goten!!

Even people who hardly watch TV have probably seen this program at least once. Odoru! Sanma Goten!! is one of those nationally beloved shows. A large group of celebrities sit around host Akashiya Sanma, firing off story after story in quick succession. The recording feels like a bullfight in a coliseum, and among entertainers, it’s often called a battlefield of talk.

The first time I appeared on the show was about two years after I went freelance. At the time, I had no idea it was such a battlefield — I was just thrilled to be invited. But after the recording, once I got in the car to head home, I realized how intense it was. My mind wouldn’t work, and my body felt completely drained, even while chatting with my manager.

The pace of conversation between Sanma and the other guests was insanely fast. If you let your guard down for even a second, you’d lose track of the conversation. I had to stay laser-focused, reacting and responding constantly. Without even realizing it, I had burned through every ounce of energy I had. I was completely spent.

On one occasion, after I’d been invited back a few times, I had an experience that truly made me feel the battlefield nature of the show. Every time, before the recording, you have to submit a questionnaire and have a pre-show meeting. If your story gets picked, you’ll be called on by Sanma in the studio and given time to talk. But if you don’t get called, you have to somehow jump into other people’s conversations on your own — otherwise, you risk being one of those guests who don’t say a single word on air.

That day, just before the show, the director told me, “There’s no prompt for you this time, so do your best to get in there somehow.” I felt the blood drain from my face. (How am I supposed to jump into that rapid-fire conversation!?) Resigning myself to it, I focused harder than ever, listening closely to the other guests’ stories. Then, out of nowhere, Sanma turned to me and said, “Hey Kanda, has that ever happened to you too?” (Suddenly!?) I panicked, but knew it might be my only chance. I scrambled to reply, and thankfully Sanma gave me a great punchline, which brought a laugh. As expected, by the time I was on my way home, I was a hollow shell again.

Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to be invited back regularly. But a few years ago, I noticed a change in where I was seated. On Sanma Goten, veteran stars and celebrities with a strong presence typically sit front and center. Newer guests, whose talk skills are still a mystery, sit in the middle of the back row. The ends of the back row are often reserved for loud comedians who can trade quick, witty lines with Sanma. Even someone like me used to be seated up front in the old days. It was a spot where it was easy to catch Sanma’s eye and jump into the conversation.

The result of desperately hanging on

But recently, I’ve been getting seated at the far end of the back row more often. I’ve never seen another freelance announcer sit there. My voice doesn’t carry, and I don’t have the skill for snappy back-and-forths with Sanma-san. (So why me!?)

The first time I was placed there, I felt so much pressure and fear I was about to cry. The studio looked wider than usual from the back corner, and the distance to Sanma-san felt endlessly far. When the recording started, I stayed so intensely focused I forgot to breathe — and then, out of nowhere, Sanma-san asked me to do the Riki Choshu impression I’d done on another program. There was no time to be embarrassed. I instantly stood up and threw myself into becoming Choshu-san. And on the way home, I felt more like an empty shell than ever before.

But when the show aired, I’d won the “Odoru Hitto-shou” — the MVP-like award of the program — for the first time. Up until then, I’d only cared about “Where am I sitting? How much screen time can I get?” But at that moment, my mindset changed to “Just go with the flow and give it your all.”

And then, at a recent recording, while I was in the middle of a story, Sanma-san handed the conversation off to someone else. A few years ago, I would’ve been panicking, desperate to steer the conversation back and finish my story. But this time, I thought, “I can just pick it up if the conversation circles back later.” I don’t know if that’s growth or resignation. But in that moment, during the show, I realized I kind of liked that version of myself.

On the drive home that day, I wondered to myself, “Maybe doing the live broadcast of Pokapoka every day has helped me settle down a little?” Another me inside quietly replied, “I don’t know but let’s hope so.” The spring breeze coming in through the window was warm and gentle. And this time, I wasn’t an empty shell.

Aika Kanda. Born in 1980 in Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from Gakushuin University’s Faculty of Science, Department of Mathematics, she joined NHK as an announcer in 2003. In 2012, she left NHK to become a freelance announcer. Since then, she has been active mainly in variety shows and is currently a regular main MC on the daytime program Pokapoka (Fuji TV network).

★ Her first book compiling this very column, Where Does the Royal Road Actually Lead?, is on sale now and receiving great reviews!

From “FRIDAY” June 6 and 13, 2025 issue