“It’s Narita!” Local Middle Schoolers Laugh Out Loud: The “Bizarre Behavior” Yusuke Narita Displayed on a Date with Ringo Shiina, as Seen by Our Reporter
removed her round and square glasses
Ringo Shiina (47), a genius artist with a unique artistic vision, and Yusuke Narita (41), a genius economist who has caused a stir with his distinctive style of discourse and theories. FRIDAY reports on the top-secret date between these “two geniuses,” whose paths would seem unlikely to cross at first glance.
The pair were spotted leaving “Blue Note Tokyo” in Aoyama, Minato Ward, Tokyo, in late May. Shiina, dressed in a long white T-shirt paired with ultra-luxury brand overalls, exuded an overwhelming aura.
Meanwhile, Narita was wearing ordinary black-rimmed glasses instead of his usual trademark “round and square glasses.” Perhaps wary of prying eyes, the two maintained a certain distance from one another while enjoying their musical date.
Furthermore, one night when they traveled to Takasaki City in Gunma Prefecture, a reporter from this magazine witnessed Mr. Narita’s extremely peculiar behavior—perhaps due to his “genius” (?)—
Snatching a chuhai and some chocolate at a convenience store
May 28. It was the final day of Shiina’s national tour in Takasaki City. Immediately after the concert ended without a hitch, Mr. Narita emerged from the dressing room a step ahead of Shiina and headed alone to a nearby convenience store.
Upon entering the convenience store, Mr. Narita headed straight for the whiskey section. Standing in front of the shelf with his arms crossed, he began agonizing over his choice for quite some time with a serious expression. After deep contemplation—as if he were pondering the nation’s economic policy—he stepped away from the shelf and purchased a canned chuhai and some chocolate at the register.
But Mr. Narita’s surprising behavior was just beginning. A reporter who witnessed the scene recounts:
“Mr. Narita suddenly opened the pull tab on his chuhai right there in the store, took a big gulp, and munched on the chocolate while heading back to the whiskey section to start agonizing again. Local middle school students noticed this bizarre scene and started shouting, ‘It’s Narita! It’s Narita!’”
The middle schoolers were all abuzz, watching him intently. However, Mr. Narita himself—perhaps lost in a maze of thought—showed no sign of noticing their stares. As he continued to munch on chocolate while sipping his canned chu-hai and browsing the whiskey selection, the middle schoolers couldn’t hold back their laughter at the surreal scene.
His stay at the convenience store lasted a full 20 to 30 minutes. Finally, having stocked up on a bottle of whiskey, an additional sour drink, sparkling water, and two cups of convenience store coffee, Mr. Narita left the store. He then headed straight for the hotel where Shiina was staying.
“Mr. Narita stopped dead in his tracks right in front of the hotel grounds and stood there on the street for a while. It looked like he was either killing time or waiting for a call. He didn’t seem to have a room key, nor did he appear to have checked in,” said the reporter who witnessed the scene.
Meanwhile, Shiina had already arrived at the hotel. A short time later, Narita disappeared inside the hotel.
Behind Mr. Narita’s “peculiar behavior” at the convenience store may have been his own way of taking a moment to relax and ease the tension ahead of his top-secret date with the diva—
[YouTube] On FRIDAY Digital’s “Entertainment Reporter Channel,” active entertainment reporters delve into the behind-the-scenes story of Yusuke Narita and Ringo Shiina’s “intimate date”—exclusively known to FRIDAY—as witnessed by a reporter! “Way Too Wild”: Mr. Narita’s Bizarre Behavior,” in which active entertainment reporters thoroughly delve into and explain the behind-the-scenes details of the high-profile couple’s date—exclusively scooped by this magazine—as well as Mr. Narita’s “bizarre behavior” that wasn’t covered in the print edition.