“One Gal Was Our Youth”: Three Former 4th-Generation Members Recall the Extremely Busy Days of the ‘Wonderful’ Era and the Strong Bonds That Last to This Day
Born from the late-night TV show *Wonderful*, the “One Gals” took the nation by storm. Three members of the fourth generation—Hitomi Ishikawa, Megumi Nakama, and Tomoka Matsuzato—look back on those days from about 25 years ago.
In Part 1, they discussed the auditions—including the swimsuit round—and their CD debut produced by Tsunku♂. In Part 2, they delve into their extremely busy first year, which saw live broadcasts, on-location shoots, and their singing careers all overlapping, as well as their memories from those days and the bond between the three that continues to this day.
The Directors Treated Us Differently
Nakama: Since we’d say “See you again tonight!” at the end of the show, I guess I became a night owl.
Ishikawa: We’d arrive at TBS at 9:00 p.m., and the show started at 11:55 p.m.
Matsuzato: Remember when we all went to karaoke? The staff would often ask us, “You’re from ‘One Gal,’ right?” And when they’d say, “This place is safe,” we’d be like, “Wait, we’re like celebrities!”
Ishikawa: It’s true—we definitely heard that a lot: “Oh, it’s the One Gal girls!”
Matsuz ato: I once bumped into a fan right out on the street. It was totally off-duty, so I was shocked—I thought, “We’re not even that famous, yet people still recognize us.”
Ishikawa: Well, back then, TV was the only thing we had. It might be an exaggeration to call it our “only form of entertainment,” but everyone watched TV, didn’t they?
Nakama: I found the job of being a reporter on location shoots really tough. With special programs, the “vibe” varies depending on the director. I’d say Director A was the strictest. I’m sure he was trying to toughen me up, but every time I said something, he’d cut me off and say, “That’s not funny,” “That’s not funny at all”…
Ishikawa: Mr. A had a crush on you, Megu. It was affection.
Nakama: The directors treated me a little differently than they did the “pretty girls.” With Matsuzato and others, they were genuinely considerate, asking things like, “Are you okay?” Since I was with Shochiku Geino, which has a lot of comedians, I guess they saw me as more of a comedy-oriented talent.
Ishikawa: No way (laughs). To be honest, being forced to sing was an enormous burden for me. I had to memorize the choreography and the lyrics, too.
Nakama: There was even a B-side track.
Matsuzato: Yeah, there was—definitely (laughs).
Nakama: Isn’t it crazy that we toured the whole country promoting two singles—four songs in total? (laughs)
Ishikawa: We really did go all over the country. There was a daily show called “Wonderful,” we had location shoots, and we also had other TV shows and gravure modeling work… I’m 47 now, but that year as a “One Gal” might have been the busiest of my life.
Nakama: It was all so condensed.
Ishikawa: My memory’s a bit fuzzy in places. We’d go into the studio every day at 9:00 p.m. and finish close to 1:00 a.m. We wouldn’t leave the station until after 2:00 a.m. On top of that, we’d have location shoots or other jobs scheduled for the next morning. Even so, we’d still go out to have fun (laughs).
Matsuzato: I went straight home.
Ishikawa: What a model student! I can’t believe it! I could never just go straight home.
Matsuzato: It was just a stroke of luck that we lived in the same direction. Since I took a taxi both ways, I’d only go out when Megu said, “It’s okay.”
Ishikawa: I see. As for me, I’d go straight to Roppongi to drink, though (laughs).
Nakama: After we finished filming for the show or after meetings, didn’t we go to Denny’s in Aoyama all the time? We’d say, “Let’s go to Aoyama Denny’s.”
Ishikawa & Matsuzato: We did, we did!
Nakama: It’s gone now, though.
Matsuzato: A place full of memories!
Ishikawa: I feel like I tried everything on the menu.
Nakama: While the cast members got along well, we didn’t really have much interaction with the hosts, like Mikihisa Higashi (57) or Noriko Tachikawa (56).
Matsuzato: We never did location shoots with them, after all.
Ishikawa: I guess we only really talked at the wrap party when we graduated from “One Gal”?
The “One Gal” Label Sticks
Nakama: After we graduated, I did go over to Ms. Tachikawa’s house to hang out and attend her wedding, though.
Matsuzato: I never got asked for my contact info by guest celebrities on set. The female assistant producer was really professional and kept me well protected.
Ishikawa: That brings back memories (laughs).
Matsuzato: Is there anything you “lost” by becoming a “One Gal”?
Ishikawa: I don’t think there’s anything I lost. What I gained—well, it’s this group of friends who are still close even after more than twenty years.
Nakama: I’m glad I was in the 4th generation. The girls from back then didn’t even release CDs, after all.
Matsuzato: Our generation changed things up a bit, and it ended up feeling more like idol activities.
Ishikawa: I said that earlier, but the reason those days were so hectic was because we were partying on top of being busy. It was our own fault. We only slept one or two hours a night, but we could do it because we were young. I was 21 back then, after all.
Matsuzato: I think I was twenty. Come to think of it, the two guys from “Cream Stew” appeared on *Wonderful* as “Kaisarimizu.”
Nakama: That really makes you feel the passage of time.
Matsuzato: It really was a great experience for me.
Ishikawa: It was a “major event” in our lives, wasn’t it? For a while, people kept calling us “the One Gal girls.”
Matsuzato: It feels like we just “raced through” that whole year. We were just barely managing to get through each day. I wish I could have savored it a little more. But those are good memories, too.
Ishikawa: That’s so true. *One Gal* was our youth, wasn’t it?
From the October 16, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*
Written by： “Show” Yasuaki Otani