Master and Disciple Revisit TV Glory Days — Terry Ito × Takahashi Ganari
Master-Disciple Talk [Part 1
Two people who were in the thick of it spoke at length about the chaotic variety shows of the ’80s—
Terry Ito (75) appeared, wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers cap, a jean jacket with a peace sign, and his usual casual style.
Takahashi Ganari (66) looked somewhat nervous. He wore a dark, high-quality suit with a tie, a formal style befitting a distinguished wedding guest.
“Terry Ito, the genius director,” and “Takahashi Ganari, the Money Tiger.” These two once had a superior-subordinate relationship at the influential TV production company IVS Television. Their first meeting dates back to the legendary variety show Tensai Takeshi no Genki ga Deru Terebi!! (Nippon TV), which began airing in 1985.
Ganari: “If someone other than Mr. Ito had been the interviewer, I definitely wouldn’t have been hired. I had failed my university entrance exams and was working at Sagawa Express. After a year, I wanted to try something different, so I started checking job listings.
When I saw IVS Television’s recruitment ad, it required a university degree. I had only graduated from a vocational school, so I called to confirm, and it happened to be Mr. Ito who answered the phone. He said, ‘Sure, that’s fine.’ But I knew nothing about the TV industry, so I decided to fire questions at him instead. I kept asking questions throughout the interview.”
Terry: “I remember that Masaya’s [Ganari’s real name] hands were shaking on his lap. I thought he was a serious person. And he never looked away.”
Ganari: “On my first location shoot after joining, we were filming in Ginza when the police showed up and asked, ‘Do you have a road use permit?’ They asked, ‘Who’s in charge?’ but no one answered. Then suddenly, Mr. Ito pointed at me and told the police, ‘This guy!’ (laughs). ‘You’re in charge?’ ‘Ah, yes!’ Meanwhile, Mr. Ito and the others quietly slipped onto the location bus and disappeared (laughs).”
Terry: “At TV Tokyo, we had done a lot of location shoots, so we decided to take this program outside as well. The budget was even bigger than previous shows. Back then, we flew helicopters every week (laughs).”
“‘Too ridiculous’ is the highest compliment.”
In an early hit segment of the program Nihon Ichi Heibon na Otoko wo Sagase! (“Find Japan’s Most Ordinary Man!”), the team collected data to reveal the average Japanese person and then visualized a specific individual on the show.
Surname: Suzuki. Annual income: 3 million yen. Occupation: office worker. Hairstyle: classic 7–3 part. The program followed Mr. Suzuki as he went to work in the morning.
Ganari: “I was in charge of that location shoot. I told the subject to walk as if he didn’t notice anything while leaving his home, and we had him walk through a shopping street. We were filming from a helicopter overhead, but because we tried to fly it extremely low, the wind blew all the goods off the street.”
Terry: “They all got blown away! (laughs) Too ridiculous!”
Ganari: “Mr. Ito watched it and was delighted, saying, ‘Ganari, this is funny!’ But apparently, flying so low over central Tokyo led to a revision of the Aviation Law afterward.”
Terry: “Wahaha, nowadays we’d just fly a drone instead.”
“Too ridiculous was Terry Ito’s highest form of praise. The Ito team’s location directors, including 26-year-old Ganari at the time, totaled twelve people—a group of true elites.”
“‘I can’t’ is not allowed.”
Ganari: “When I think about why the programs Mr. Ito created consistently scored high ratings, it all makes sense.
A little over a year after I joined, Mr. Ito told me, ‘Gather 10,000 snakes.’ Back then, there were no smartphones or the internet. I thought I’d start by checking the phone book for people who might keep snakes. Then Mr. Ito scolded me: ‘Masaya, you’ve been here for a year, so don’t do your work from scratch.’
If you were looking for snakes now, you’d first contact domestic snake centers or similar places and get introductions from them—use existing networks to find the answer.
In the Ito team, the phrase ‘I can’t’ simply didn’t exist.”
Ganari: “Before Genki ga Deru Terebi!!, there was a show called Ijimaru Daisakusen (TV Tokyo), with a segment where you’d instruct an ordinary person to prank a police officer at the Omotesando police box—basically a ‘kanchō’ prank (poke in the rear). (laughs) The amateur trying to do it would get arrested, and naturally, the director who gave the order would also get caught. Mr. Ito called that amazing—and praised it.”
Terry: “Both the people doing it and those giving the orders we were all a little crazy back then.”
Ganari: “I also learned from Mr. Ito that you must never compromise. If you think something is funny, pursue it thoroughly.
For example, Mr. Ito once told me, ‘Make the wall white.’ There was already an off-white wall on set, and I thought we could use it, but he said, ‘I said white! Repaint it!’ While painting, the art crew said, ‘If we repaint it now, it won’t dry before filming!’ But Mr. Ito replied, ‘Doesn’t matter!’
At the time, I wondered why he obsessed over something that had no effect on ratings. But as I worked more, I realized that one compromise leads to another. That’s when I learned: you absolutely must not compromise.”
“I thought, ‘Wow, this guy has a talent I don’t have.’”
“But even now, I still have nightmares about Mr. Ito.”
From the September 5, 2025, issue of “FRIDAY”
Composition： Nobuhiro Motohashi PHOTO： Takehiko Kohiyama (1st to 3rd photos)
