[summary] Janiben - 2013.03.20 - Sumire
Sumire is a model with very famous parents: Ishida Junichi and Matsubara Chiaki.
The first question that Hina asks is her height to which she replies, "About 175cm." Maru says that she's pretty much the same height as him so he goes up to the front to see how they measure up and it's about right. Hina then tells Subaru, "Shishou, you're up next" and Subaru says, "Well, at a glance, we're about the same."
Of course, everyone laughs and Sumire pats his head saying, "Cute!" Hina points out that Subaru is 31 years old and embarrassed, Sumire bows and apologizes for that. From behind, Yoko remarks that what went on right before she apologized looked like a child looking to buy a toy.
After her parents divorced when she was a child, Sumire and her mother moved to Hawaii and she was there until she graduated from high school. Hina says that her English must be really good and she says that it is, so much that she feels like her spoken Japanese is weird. Since Maru seems to be the resident English speaker of the group on Janiben, Hina turns around to ask Maru and Sumire is really surprised, exclaiming, "Really? You can speak English?" in English.
Right away, Maru says, "Oh! Long time ago!!" and everyone cracks up. Sumire likes his response so much that she goes with his high-five.
Hina asks her who her type is and she says Yoko, but right away you can hear Ryo in the back asking why and what her reason is. Sumire says that Yoko seems shy and she likes that part about him. The members agree that her assessment of him is right and Ohkura reminds her that just a while ago backstage when she was talking to Yoko, he pretty much only said "Heeh~" Sumire doesn't agree and Subaru ends their small talk by saying that Yoko is unexpectedly bad at conversation.
Segment 1 - K8 can/not agree with…
"The inside of Japanese trains are too quiet!"
Of course, K8 being very Japanese, don't agree with her. Sumire, like many of us non-Japanese fans are used to people eating, talking, and doing all kinds of things while riding public transit. She gives an example of the subway system in New York with people who talk on their phones, eat and even put makeup on (although I've seen quite a few Japanese teenage girls put their makeup on in trains, too…) and they're very lively. Since she's only ever been exposed to that kind of environment, she's been scolded several times while in Japan like she's too noisy and she says that she's even been smacked on the head by an old lady. Hina asks her, "You've been smacked on the head in Tokyo!?" and she says that she has, so he tells her that she really must have been loud (see notes).
Sumire says that she was eating cup noodle and she got smacked, but that makes sense because it's noisy and messy and it doesn't even make sense to eat that on public transit.
Sumire talks about the subway and says like on Friday nights, people will blast music loudly and people riding will kind of just get in on it and dance around. This information blows their minds because she even mimics dancing and singing and Subaru says, "All of a sudden it became Friday."
Hina tells Maru to pretend as though he's in the scene that she described and he gets up and dances, saying "Oh~! Yeah~!!" until Hina stops him and tells Yoko to get in on this, too.
Sumire turns around to look at him and all Yoko can do is yell, "Yaaay!!" and go right to being embarrassed. Subaru tells him that it's tough and Yoko agrees.
Hina says that they have a list of things that surprised her once she moved back last year: the cars are small, the use of polite speech is complicated, and the cold is surprising. Sumire says that the roads in Japan are all narrow but in America, like California, the roads are as wide as a building.
She explains that you can drive like however and you won't hit anyone, but she has her arms out too far to be holding a steering wheel realistically, so once she finishes her sentence, Hina remarks that they all must be wondering what she's doing with her steering wheel. Everyone except Ryo and Yoko join Hina in mimicking her and she says if people drove like that in Tokyo, they'd definitely hit each other.
Subaru says, "You can't drive like this in Tokyo" and he mocks her fake driving again.
Sumire explains that there's no such thing as keigo (polite form) in English and that people will just kind of go, "Oh, hi!" (see notes). For her, being both a model and the child of famous people, to not have manners is bad and she's been told, "Don't look down on show business!" because she didn't know that she needed to use keigo. Sumire grew up in Hawaii so she's used to warm weather and while Japan can be excruciatingly hot in summer (anywhere between 25-40℃ often with 50%+ humidity all the way up until like September/October), their winters are very cold and central heating doesn't exist everywhere. She says that when she moved back to Japan, she didn't have any winter clothes so once she found out how cold it could be, she started wearing knit hats, socks, leg warmers and scarves to bed. This makes them laugh because it's a lot to wear to bed and Ohkura asks, "Do you turn the heater on, too?" which she says that she does but it's not enough. Subaru says, "But it's not (like you live on) a snowy mountain!"
Ever the optimist, Hina asks her to talk about things that she loves about Japan and the first thing she says is "food!"
However, Hina has some information that explains why she thinks Japanese food is so good: again the topic of her parentage comes up and because she grew up privileged, she's used to eating at high-class places where it costs over $200 per person and she even said, "I love caviar!" when she was younger. She was spoiled so much that her father's senpai even said to him, "What is this kid!? What is your kid saying!?"
Since she moved to Hawaii at such a young age, Sumire hadn't seen her father in more than ten years and she says that when she turned 17, her mom finally forgave Ishida-san so Sumire thought that she should, too. After that, her mom told her that her dad would be coming to Hawaii and wanted to have dinner, so Sumire said that she'd go. As if no time had passed, he said, "Ah, Sumire!" even though it had been over a decade since they last saw one another. Yasu asks her if because he approached her so casually, she could greet him the same way but Sumire says that she was apprehensive at first but once they got talking, she was okay with him. The show has a picture of her with her parents from last year.
"I definitely don't use soap when I wash!"
Ryo and Ohkura are the only ones who agree but Ryo quickly checks and asks, "Not bar soap, but like body wash, right?" However, Sumire doesn't use either and after that, they both turn their boards to disagree. Sumire says that there are too many chemicals in soaps and body washes, so she won't use them and instead just washes with water. Hina says that she must be one of those people who really like organic things and she says that her foreign makeup artist friends were the ones who taught her about that kind of lifestyle. Of course, she also didn't believe them at first, but after trying it, she realized that soaps take away too much of your natural oils.
Ohkura asks, "Does (water) get rid of your body smell?" She hesitates and says that's when she'll use like the oil cleansers for that. Yasu asks her if she uses a wash towel and she says that sometimes she does and that she feels really clean with just those two.
Since she's a model, they ask if she watches what she eats and she kind of sheepishly says that she pretty much eats whatever she wants.
From behind, Yoko exclaims, "There it is! The thing that models lie about." However, she says because she eats whatever she wants, she makes up for it with exercise which she loves. Yoko wants to know if she has time restrictions for when she eats, but Sumire says that she doesn't and that kind of blows their minds, too. Yoko says that he totally doesn't believe models who say that they eat whatever they want because he thinks they definitely put in a lot of effort to keep their figures. He says that it's probably because she's young that she can eat whatever and whenever she wants without consequences. Hina mentions that she loves karaage and Maru says, "Oh, you like it too," to Ryo. Of course, Ryo get embarrassed easily and he right away says that Maru likes it, too.
The show asked Tamura Kenji for help finding delicious karaage, so he introduced them to Ippoutei, a Chinese restaurant in Nanba, Osaka. While it's not karaage, it's Chinese-style fried chicken and the members have to answer one question correctly to be able to eat.
Sumire worries about one of these when it comes to Japanese men:
a) fashion
b) style (one's physique)
Ohkura wants to ask a question to find out her answer, but he asks, "Do you wear underwear when you sleep?" She's surprised and the members all say that it's a valid question. She says that she does.
Ryo asks, "What do you think about kissing on the first date?" She says it's okay. Subaru looks up and says that he pretty much can figure out her answer just from those two questions.
Yoko says, "Sorry, but could you look at camera #2 and do (Shimura Ken's gag) 'Ai-n'?" This one, Hina tells him that it has nothing to do with finding out the right answer but Sumire is a good sport and does what Yoko asks.
Subaru raises his hand and says, "Um, you're really cute" and Hina tells him that it's just him giving his impression of her.
Their answers: gamer pals + Ryo (A) versus Ohyamada (B)
Yasu explains that he thinks B because if you compare Japanese men to foreigners, the former's is not as good (especially since Japanese men tend to not worry about musculature and are very skinny in comparison).
Right away, Hina says, "You mean you, right?" (I think he means that Yasu is really short because otherwise, he's really fit!)
Ohkura chimes in and says, "He's a prime example." Ryo's explanation is that for people in Hawaii, at most they'll wear a hoodie because it's warm, but Japanese men go overboard being fashionable even though they don't need to try that hard.
Subaru says that there are a lot of Japanese men who look like women and he admits that even those kind of guys make him feel gross that he doesn't like them.
Answer: fashion (A) because she, like Subaru, can't understand why Japanese men will wear strange clothing with like sparkles on them.
勝手なヤツ！
Ohkura asks her if it bothers her that Japanese men tend to be quite thin and she says that she doesn't really pay attention to that and he right away clucks his tongue (remember, it's rude to do that in Japan) and looks dejected.
Subaru and Yoko scold him for doing that to a guest and Subaru says, "How much do you want to eat!?"
Sumire takes a bite of the chicken and says in English that it's delicious, so since she sets that bar, Subaru and Ryo follow.
Apparently the way Subaru says it sounds like katakana English (see notes), but Ryo says it just fine and Sumire praises him for that.
Yoko straight up says, "It's super delicious!!" in Kansai-ben.
Segment 2 - I want to do this with Eito!
Sumire wants to do Zumba with them and it's still probably fairly unknown in Japan as a method of exercise.
Maru exaggerates his bass playing and Hina explains to her that Maru and Subaru really like "zumba" as in the sound of reverberation.
Sumire shows them that it's a form of exercise that uses Latin dance techniques, so Yoko asks her, "Does it have any relation to the Rhumba?" Sumire thinks he means the Roomba robot vacuum cleaner and they all laugh because of the language barrier.
As she's dancing, they remark that it's pretty much like dancing at a club and of course, when it gets to a sexy part, Subaru really enjoys it. Yoko remarks that some parts of it look the same as if she were drunk dancing. When she finishes her example, she exclaims that it was really embarrassing.
The members practice with her and them being Jyannis, pick up the choreography very quickly. At one point in their practice session, she says, "And, rhumba!" and Yoko says that he was right in the beginning but she thinks he means the vacuum cleaner again.
A lot of the exercises involve moving one's core and the show makes sure to point out Ohkura who seems to feel sick from exercising (we've seen it a few times before).
He says, "Zumba doesn't go well with me." Yoko tells him to try a certain part again and he definitely looks like he's ready to throw up even though Sumire says that his form is really good.
Ohkura does well until about halfway when it starts up again and Yoko can't even dance some parts because he's too busy laughing at Ohkura's pain.
At the end, Hina goes over to console Ohkura and Ohkura says, "It doesn't go well with my insides."
Subaru's enjoying it too much and says, "At the end when we did 5, 6, 7, 8 [vomiting noise]!!"
Segment 3 - 3-ttack #1
Before they start, the ossans ask him if he's okay and he says that he still feels sick.
To make matters worse, they get Sumire to dance the part that really makes him want to throw up and right away, Ohkura makes the vomiting noise again. Hina smacks him on the head and says that he's being rude to the guest.
This week's theme is crepes from Crêperie Alyon in Namba, Osaka.
Uncharacteristically, Ohkura tells everyone to start before him and insists that it's okay.
1. Strawberry and white chocolate, dual-coloured Mont Blanc crepe
Maru is such a sweetheart (or totally evil!) and brings over the first dish. Ohkura quietly scolds him but he still eats and says that it's good.
2 Omelette Banane
Yoko says that the melted ice cream on the crepe makes it taste really good.
3. Fruits Chantilly
Yoko remarks that it's been a while since he's seen Hina eat fresh cream and the show reminds viewers that Hina doesn't like sweets.
Yoko also says that since Hina lacks cuteness, he should try putting some of the cream on his nose.
Hina goes along with it and he says, "Uwaa" and "It smells sweet!"
Subaru and Sumire point out that Hina's hands are shaking and Hina really gets in there to appeal. Yoko asks, "How does it taste?" and Hina says that he doesn't know because he was busy trying to pretend to be cute.
Maru says that the chef must use some kind of alcohol like brandy to make it taste that way and Ohkura tells him that he's right.
Sumire + K8 choose #1 and Ohkura chooses #2.
The CG team makes everyone (minus Maru) into hula people and you can hear Ohkura say that it's disgusting. I guess Maru is supposed to be a fire-thrower gone rogue, although they use music from Jaws which makes it confusing. Yoko is the first to get flamed followed by Hina, Yasu gets kicked, Subaru and Ryo.
Ohkura and Sumire pick up #3 and hurl it at Maru who goes flying from the screen. #3 is the top choice because while it's simple, customers get fresh cream put on their crepes right before they eat.
Ohkura sighs and ends the segment.
Segment 4 - JuniMaga
This week's reporters are Junta, Fujii and Kotaki and they're going to explore art.
Kotaki makes a really lame joke about how they'll be surprised by the theme laaaater (wordplay: "aaaaaaato odoroku te-ma desu ne"). The thing that's different is that they aren't going to museums; they'll be exploring different forms of art.
The first place they stop is Balloon Shop FLAT in Tenma, Osaka.
The reporters learn about balloon art and the shop owner challenges them to make a balloon arrangement. The younger ones go for fun arrangements while Junta sticks with cute and simple.
L-R: Junta, Fujii, Kotaki
The shop owner chooses Kotaki to Junta and Fujii's surprise because they thought his was all over the place, but she chose it because it's something that balloon shops wouldn't normally think of.
The next place they stop at is a place that carves things into shapes.
The owner is carving a watermelon, but she has a bunch of carved soap that she wants them to try.
Junta says partway through that although it's difficult, the soap smells good so it's comforting. Of course, Kotaki doesn't always pay attention and he often repeats what other reporters say so even though they tell him that Junta said it, he asks that his version be used.
There is no winner, but the woman tells them that they all did well and Kotaki says that he engrossed in carving.
Their report continues into next week when they visit a custom stamp place and then a straw art studio.
Ending
Sumire is one of those celebrities who's trying to break into other forms so her appearance is also to promote her single called "Season in the Sun."
As always, Hina asks if her choice has changed from the beginning and she says that it hasn't, but Yoko's look of relief is so funny that everyone starts laughing.
End notes
• public transit manners in Japan
If you ever visit Japan or plan on living there, you really should conform to their system of manners. If you don't, you'll be looked at as "yet another rude foreigner" and while some of you might not care (I've worked with several foreigners who would purposely be rude just to prove a point), rudeness make it worse for other foreigners who really do try to be respectful and show that they want to be a part of Japanese society. Talking on the phone while on trains or buses is not okay and if it's an emergency, most people will either take the call very discreetly and try to end it as soon as possible, or they'll get off at the nearest stop and have the conversation there. Eating while riding public transit is less of a big deal, so if it can be done quietly without bothering others (especially with smell or sound) then most Japanese people won't make a fuss. Once people board, either they sit down and stay there until they alight or they try to stand in a way that won't make it a problem for others (like moving around constantly, dancing, or jostling others around them).
• keigo (敬語)
Manners kind of run society in Japan, so if you don't know how to use keigo properly, people won't take you seriously. In their industry especially, K8 have senpai within the company and people who they work with that necessitates their use of keigo. If they neglect to use proper speech, they come off as rude or even like they think they're better than whomever they're speaking with. Yoko has said it so many times before, but the younger ones in the group all of a sudden decided that they didn't need to use keigo with the ossans anymore but that's fine because they're in a group because keigo also creates distance between the speaker and the listener. TOKIO, however, is totally different because as long as they've been together, Nagase-kun still uses keigo with everyone except Matsuoka-kun and it's only because Matsuoka-kun specifically told him that they can speak casually with each other.
• katakana English
Japanese people speaking English get split into two groups: those who try to pronounce to the best of their ability and those who say it using Japanese syllables. For example, Sumire says "delicious" but in katakana, the way to teach Japanese people how to figure out the phonics of the word, it looks like "derishasu." I didn't really hear it from Subaru, but it could also be because he had a mouth full of fried chicken.
Okay, so remember how the Maggie episode was lacklustre? This one is better, but she's still just a model and the episode followed a very standard format, almost predictable in its segments. However, I like the fact that despite having grown up in America, she learned from her mistakes and knows how to function in Japanese society as a proper adult.
As for Ohkura, what is wrong with that guy!? They all sing and dance for like three hours at a time, four times a week while on tour and that is TOUGH, but I've never seen him look like he's going to throw up. I guess his innards really don't take well to being moved around that much like what's expected in Zumba. If you recall the Unabara Yasuyo Tomoko episode earlier this year, even when they were on that skating shape contraption, he made vomiting noises, too.
By the way, if you read my 8EST MC highlights for Ajinomoto, there's a part where Ohkura says that Maru is the kind of guy who'll do as he likes, but Ohkura's exactly the same! Pot, meet kettle. He's whiney, sometimes rude (but without malice) and just a plain brat like half the time. Still, somehow I kind of look past it all even though I do complain about his behaviour a lot. I guess I must really adore him ^_^
As always, DO NOT REPOST and DO NOT HOTLINK IMAGES.
I should have another MC up in a few days and the next Janiben up in a week. I actually accidentally ended up translating part of the 04/02 episode of Ashita wa Docchi da, but that won't be up for a while and it's not going to be a summary or a full translation - just a tiny part because it was too fun.