Freelance Announcer Aika Kanda’s “One Night, Four Days” Weekend Dash to New York in Search of an Unreleased Supplement

I decided to take a one-night, four-day trip to New York over the weekend. On the night I arrived, I looked out from my hotel and saw a homeless man wearing a tank top that read “I ♡ NY,” drinking with his friends on the street. New York is loved by people from all walks of life. I wanted the same tank top. I had just 15 hours left in the city. What kind of trip would it be..!?

Enjoying New York to the fullest

The next morning at 7 a.m., I made waffles using the hotel’s waffle maker and devoured them with as much whipped cream and chocolate sauce as I wanted. I then headed to the supermarket across the street. The man himself was nowhere to be seen, but the homeless man’s mattress from the night before had been neatly made. Next to it were three high chairs that hadn’t been there the previous night. They must have been brought from somewhere during the night. I was excited by the boundless possibilities of New York.

Inside the store, I found and bought a five-pair set of pink chopsticks, then headed to Madison Square Garden a few blocks away. That was where Taylor Swift got married this July. I could feel her presence nearby, so I belatedly offered my congratulations: “Congratulations on your marriage!”

The narrow patch of sky visible between the buildings was blue, and the air was dry and crisp. It felt wonderful. At the same time, trash was overflowing from garbage cans placed every block and was scattered all over the ground. A smell that seemed to be marijuana wafted through the air, while the sound of police sirens from somewhere echoed off the buildings. I was happy to feel the many different realities of New York, and I almost felt like crying.

At the store I had been looking for, I bought a pink T-shirt with “NEW YORK” written on it and a pink sweatshirt featuring a drawing of the New York skyline. I also bought an original T-shirt and socks at the popular sandwich shop Katz’s Delicatessen.

I then headed to Little Island, a tourist attraction that opened a few years ago. I bought a lemonade and sat down on a bench, only to find a husband and wife arguing on the bench next to me. They appeared to be tourists from Southeast Asia. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but the father shouted something angrily and walked away with his son. The mother sat silently for a few seconds before quietly wiping away her tears with her hand. (So this really is a universal family vacation thing.) When I was a child, my parents used to argue a lot on trips, too.

But then came the quintessentially New York part. The father and son had walked so far away that I could no longer see them. (Aren’t you supposed to stay just barely within sight in situations like this!?) I was completely thrown by how New York always seemed to go beyond anything I considered common sense.

By evening, I returned to the hotel. It was time to pack up, so I stuffed everything I had bought into my suitcase. I looked out the window at the homeless man again. Even though it was nighttime, he was wearing a stylish hat, sitting on a high chair and chatting with his friends.

Excitement still hasn’t worn off

In the end, I couldn’t find the “I ♡ NY” tank top he was wearing, but I wondered what kind of furniture he would have collected and what kind of home he would have created by the next time I came here. I was happy to have one more thing to wonder about in New York.

At 10 p.m., I checked out. I headed to Penn Station, where I had arrived 24 hours earlier. My suitcase was considerably heavier now. I had thought that one night might be far too short and that I might not want to go home, but even on the way to the airport, I was still too excited by the thought, (I’m still in New York!) to feel lonely. I checked in at the JAL counter. Fortunately, just as on the outbound flight, I was able to upgrade to first class using miles. I couldn’t have asked for a more comfortable journey. I slept soundly and landed at Haneda in what felt like no time at all. It was a little after 4 a.m. on Monday.

At 11:47 a.m., I appeared live on “Pokapoka” as usual, as if nothing had happened. It felt like a dream. Just moments earlier, I had been in New York. And as proof of that, I was filled with so much energy and motivation that I felt like a completely different person from the one who had stood here three days earlier, on Friday. The set of the show looked even more vivid and colorful than usual.

I had only spent 24 hours there. And yet, to think that so much could change in such a short time—New York really is an incredible place. There are many risks involved, financially, physically, and professionally, so I can’t do this frequently. But without a doubt, my heart was injected with a “nutrient” that isn’t sold anywhere. To keep being myself, I think I’d like to take another weekend whirlwind trip to New York.

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 appeared on variety shows and currently serves as a regular main host of the daytime program “Pokapoka” (Fuji TV).

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

From the September 25, 2026, issue of “FRIDAY”