Freelance Announcer Aika Kanda: “What Halloween Parties Give Me”

Someone brought something very unusual

Every year, we host what people jokingly call “Japan’s earliest Halloween party” at our home. This year, we held it in mid-September. The guests were our usual members: Kayoko Okubo, Teruyuki Tsuchida, Ryuichi Kosugi, Eiji Kotoge, and Yūki Iwai—five people. As always, I took the entire day before the party off from work to devote myself completely to preparations.

This year’s dishes were seven items: figs wrapped in prosciutto, four kinds of big salads, fifty bacon-wrapped skewers, one Kōkun sausage per person, kiritanpo hot pot, curry rice, and fruit.

I am really terrible at cooking. The pressure almost crushes me, and sudden menu changes are out of the question. So at the end of August, my husband and I discussed and finalized every detail.

But one week before the party, for some reason I got cocky and asked Iwai, “Is there anything you want wrapped in bacon this year?” He answered, “Figs.” I involuntarily blurted out, “Figs!?”

To me, figs are restaurant food. I didn’t even know what the whole fruit looked like.

But since I asked, I had to deliver—otherwise the name of the Himura household would be tarnished. I forced myself to say “Okay!” even though my heart screamed the opposite, and went home trembling. I immediately looked them up online to see what they looked like and how to peel them. I even called a nearby supermarket to confirm they carried them. Since figs are soft, I decided to use prosciutto instead of bacon and serve them as an appetizer.

Party day. This year I added even more balloon decorations and a new hat to the costume items. The indoor and outdoor lights were perfect. Once everything was ready, the guests began to arrive one after another.

Everyone brought dessert or drinks as gifts—except for one person who brought something special. Two big chunks of meat. It was Iwai. He said he made roast beef at home right after finishing the show Poka Poka and brought it with him. Everyone shouted, “Amazing!!”

But I thought, Wait a second!
I can’t make roast beef. This guy! He’s showing off big time! I panicked. But well, it was homemade roast beef, after all. The seasoning must be rough, I thought as I sliced it and served it to everyone.

The whole group erupted: “Wow! This is delicious!!”
Seriously!? I timidly tried a piece and it was unbelievably good. Honestly, it might have been the best roast beef I’ve ever eaten. Even as I silently grumbled Iwai, you little, my chopsticks wouldn’t stop and I kept shoveling it in. The guests were saying, “This is the main dish!”

I had to take my hat off to his impeccable taste in gifts

Iwai’s streak of brilliance didn’t end there. “Since you always serve huge amounts of salad every year, I brought this too,” he said in his usual calm tone, revealing two bottles of high-end dressing I had never seen before. Again, everyone exclaimed, “Amazing!”

Meanwhile, the six bottles of dressing I bought at the local supermarket remained untouched, and the salads disappeared instantly thanks to Iwai’s dressing. I couldn’t help whispering, “Where did you buy that?”

I was completely knocked out. Thanks to that, all the pressure melted away, and I was able to serve the rest of the food in a relaxed mood.

Before I knew it, the party was nearing its end. We all finished with a big smile, dancing together to Michael Jackson’s classic “Thriller.” The Thriller-themed Michael figurine—gifted to me by Yu Sawabe for my birthday—helped set the perfect atmosphere.

I wonder how many times we’ve held this party now. The pressure never goes away, but every time we gather, I feel the same thing: the sheer generosity of these people. They are incredibly kind. No matter how much they drink or how long they talk, the conversation never drifts into gossip or TV show criticism. These are people who have spent years establishing themselves in the entertainment world—surely overcoming all kinds of hurdles and storms. And I feel that this kindness is something they acquired through those experiences.

Once a year, I get to be touched by that. And each time, I walk away with renewed ambition and goals. That is the irreplaceable gift this Halloween party gives me. Which is why, from the bottom of my heart, I think: (I won’t lose to the pressure of cooking—I’ll keep hosting it every year!)

Kanda Aika: Born in 1980 in Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from Gakushuin University with a degree in mathematics, she joined NHK as an announcer in 2003. She left NHK in 2012 and became a freelance announcer. Since then, she has been active mainly in variety programs and currently appears as a regular main MC on the daytime show Poka Poka (Fuji TV).

★ Her first book, “Ōdō tte iu michi, doko ni tōttemasu ka?”—a collection of this very column—is now on sale to great acclaim!

From the November 7, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”