[In Memoriam] Actress Keiko Kishi Dies of Old Age—Her Pride as a Legendary Actress Behind Her Drama Withdrawal

Satisfying my New York fix!

I finally did it. I went to my beloved New York for a four-day, one-night weekend trip. It has been three years and eight months since “Pokapoka,” the Fuji TV network’s live weekday lunchtime program, began airing. I love traveling and have used my weekends to take trips both within Japan and overseas, including as far away as Hawaii and Los Angeles. I pride myself on having enough get-up-and-go to openly declare that traveling is my hobby.

Even so, I had been unable to make it to New York for quite some time. It’s my favorite city in the world, but realistically, the amount of time I could spend there simply wasn’t worth the travel time and expense. I didn’t want to arrive at Monday completely exhausted, and if my flight were canceled for some reason, I’d end up missing work.

But I’d finally reached my limit. It had already been two and a half years since I’d last been to New York. Whenever I take an extended vacation in the summer or over the New Year’s holidays, I have people traveling with me, so I can’t decide the destination entirely on my own. For me, New York is a place of peace and relaxation, but also a place where the stimulation and energy allow me to come back to life and feel like myself again. I was reaching the point where I thought, “This might be getting unbearable.” So I asked my manager, “I’m really sorry, but please let me go to New York!”and managed to make it happen.

I found a weekend when I had some breathing room in my schedule before and after the trip. To make sure I could get plenty of sleep on the flights both ways, I splurged on a business-class ticket. I also chose my beloved JAL, which has relatively few cancellations caused by the airline itself.

All right, let’s go!

After “Pokapoka” on Friday, I headed to Haneda Airport to catch a flight in the 7 p.m. hour. At the check-in counter, I asked, “Would it be possible to upgrade me to first class using my miles?” And, incredibly, I got a first-class seat. I filled my stomach with sushi and champagne in the lounge and took a shower. I was completely ready for bed.

After takeoff, I immediately converted my seat into a fully flat bed, creating an incredible bed that was even bigger than the one at home. I slept soundly. My alarm, which I had set for three hours before landing, woke me up, and I started doing my makeup so I’d be ready to head out as soon as I arrived. After finishing my meal, we soon landed at JFK International Airport. It was just before 8 p.m. local time.

Since I had such little time in the city this time, I made access from the airport the top priority when choosing my accommodation. I booked a hotel near Penn Station, which is something like Tokyo Station in Japan. When I took the escalator up from the underground level where the platforms are, there it was—”bam!”—the Empire State Building, glowing golden under the lights right before my eyes.

This is the symbol of New York. I have 11 Empire State Building ornaments of various sizes displayed in my home, and every day I tell them, “My soul is in New York!”

Savoring the New York experience

The real thing was there to greet me as soon as I arrived in New York. I was so excited that I thought, “This has to be fate.” All the negative energy I had been storing up seemed to spread throughout my body in great pulses starting from around my stomach, then burst out through the goosebumps that made my whole body tremble.

Unable to contain myself, I shouted at the top of my voice, “Welcome back to New York!!” In response, a homeless person a few meters away let out a strange cry, “◯※％＄△!” (This is New York!!) My heart started pounding even harder.

I checked into the hotel before 10 p.m. I absolutely had to have some New York pizza, so as soon as I dropped off my luggage, I headed to a pizza place. Inside, one of my favorite Jennifer Lopez hits from 15 years ago, “On the Floor,” was blasting at full volume.

In Japan, people say, “Wow, that takes me back!” But in America, it’s treated as a legendary song, and no matter when I visit, I hear it repeatedly around the city. That’s another reason America feels so comfortable to me.

I washed down a huge Margherita pizza with beer and returned to the hotel. From my room window, I could see several homeless people. One of them had brought a mattress from somewhere and placed it in front of a supermarket, where he was drinking canned beer with his friends. He looked to be around 50. I had always assumed that homeless people must hate the city that had driven them to such desperate circumstances.

But he was wearing a tank top with “I ♡ NY” printed across the chest. I was surprised. I figured that, after all, this city must possess a kind of irresistible charm that even its most down-and-out residents cannot help but acknowledge. I added finding and buying a tank top like his to the list of goals for this trip.

I only have 24 hours here. Tomorrow, I’m planning to move around like Jack Bauer. (To be continued in the next issue.)

Aika Kanda was born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1980. After graduating from Gakushuin University’s Department of Mathematics in the Faculty of Science, she joined NHK as an announcer in 2003. She left NHK in 2012 and became a freelance announcer. Since then, she has mainly worked on variety programs and currently appears regularly as a main MC on the daytime Fuji TV program “Pokapoka.”

★ Her first book, The Road Called the Mainstream—Where Does It Go?, which compiles this series, is now on sale to great acclaim!

From the combined September 11 & 18, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY.”

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