One-day Northeast Tour
9:00
Departed Tōkyō on the bullet train. Dove into the boxed lunch I bought at the station. Today’s breakfast was tatsuta-age.
10:30
Arrived in Sendai. Made appearances on two radio shows. Though it was mid-day, there was a crowd of fans at the satellite studio for the live broadcast. Was it really OK for you to miss school and work…? I was kind of worried, but thanks!
13:00
Back to Sendai Station and on the bullet train. This time the staff bought some of the amazing onigiri I had the last time I came to Sendai! Of course they were really good! I also fell in love with the cream dorayaki that I had for the first time on this trip. I ate ravenously on the short train ride. (See the first photo on the right. But it’s not as if I ate all that by myself. )
13:30
Arrived in Fukushima. Found a “Be the Stationmaster” display at the ticket gate. I put my face in and was surprised by how snugly it fit—almost creepy. (There’s a photo in the News section. Please see that page) Recorded a TV clip in Fukushima. Had an animated talk with the director about “Fist of the North Star”.
14:40
Right on back to Fukushima Station and the bullet train. Gotta keep moving.
15:05
Arrived at Kōriyama (photo #2). Off to a radio recording. The director had an interesting, unique style of giving cues.
16:30
Departed Kōriyama. Today’s fourth bullet train.
16:50
Arrived in Utsunomiya. Took a picture at the Gyōza statue. (Also on the News page. ) The surrealist concept of clothing Venus’s torso in gyōza was eye-opening.
18:00
Appeared on a live radio show in Utsunomiya. There were also spectators at this satellite studio. Afterward, recorded a comment to be played on Takashi Hamasaki’s show on Radio Berry. Mr. Hamasaki, my apologies for interrupting.
19:00
Recording at CRT Radio. After recording, got into a lively conversation with DJ Matsui, a fellow soccer fan. Came to the conclusion that hosting a show for discussion among soccer fans would be great fun.
20:00
Today’s Northeast Campaign is over! It was pretty hard, with three prefectures in one day. A job well done?! The staff and I went out to enjoy Utsunomiya’s famous gyōza. It was amazingly tasty! The fried gyōza brushed with salt was the best. (Photos #3 and #4)
21:40
Departed Utsunomiya. Today’s fifth and final bullet train took us back to Tōkyō. This fun, delicious One-day Northeast Tour reached a pleasant end. Everyone, thank you for listening to “A Jet Waiting for Wind” / “Spica”!
maaya